Buckeye
Forest Council and Frackfree Mahoning Valley Release a Joint Statement Saying State
Representatives Sean O’Brien, Michael O’Brien, and John Patterson’s Injection
Well Bill (HB 422) Won’t Work To Protect Public Health And Safety: Groups Say The Bill Ignores The Seriousness
Of The Fracking Waste-related, Man-made Earthquake Issue and Resulting Threats
To Drinking Water and Property Values.
Youngstown, Ohio, January 21, 2016 - Buckeye Forest Council
and Frackfree Mahoning Valley released the following January 21, 2016 statement
regarding HB 422:
HB 422, an
injection well “regulation” bill sponsored by State Representatives Sean
O’Brien, Michael O’Brien, and John Patterson will not work to protect public
health and safety of Ohio communities.
HB 422 ignores science and the seriousness of Ohio’s fracking waste –
related, man-made earthquake issue and resulting threats to drinking water and
property values. Toxic waste spills and
releases are far too numerous locally or nationwide.
The April 2015toxic waste release in Vienna, Ohio, three fracking waste spills in Torch,
Ohio, the intentional dumping of fracking waste into the Mahoning River, and
injection well – related earthquakes in Mahoning County, Trumbull County, and
Ashtabula County were not prevented by increased or so-called “strict”
regulations. Earthquakes cannot be regulated.
“The bill makes
reference to not placing wells near known fault lines. At first glance, that
may sound good to some people. Not knowing where the fault lines are in Ohio
renders this null and void. None of the
fault lines in Ohio that were associated with the man-made earthquakes were
known faults until the quakes happened,” said Teresa Mills of Buckeye ForestCouncil.
“Ohio is
becoming a toxic waste dump. No state or area should be. If HB 422 passes, it will simply enable more
out-of-state and in-state toxic fracking waste to be injected under Ohio by
offering false assurances that injection or disposal wells can be made safe by
mere regulations. Ohio cannot afford to
allow false assurances to rule the day,” said Susie Beiersdorfer of FrackfreeMahoning Valley.
HB 422 won’t
stop nine billion gallons of clean Ohio water from being turned into toxic
waste. The bill won’t stop billions of gallons of toxic waste fluids from being
pumped into the ground beneath Ohioan’s feet.
Based upon
experience and scientific findings, our position is that injection of toxic
fracking waste is an inherently unsafe, ultrahazardous method of handling billions
of gallons of toxic fracking waste that is constantly being created. There is no safe or good solution to where to
put all this waste or how to handle it in a way that safeguards public health
and safety. A major reason for using injection wells to dispose of toxic
fracking waste is the low disposal cost to the industry. We reject this
reasoning because the public’s health and safety must come first.
We are not
lawyers, but we believe that operation of an injection well is not a legitimate
business activity. We believe that it is a current and “imminent danger to the public
health or safety,” or the environment. (The latter references similar words in
Ohio law.)
Politicians
sponsoring HB 422 must consider the simple truth that one cannot regulate
something that is by nature unsafe and make it safe. It’s that fundamental.
They and their allies should stop pretending that it’s possible to do so. This
fallacy is causing danger and harm to people and communities.
Just as we, as
a society in the interests of protecting public health and safety, abandoned
and outlawed the use of asbestos, leaded gasoline, and lead paint, we must
realize that injection of toxic fracking waste must be treated the same
way. The risk of great harm from this
practice is unacceptable and too high a price to pay. Society cannot achieve a
so-called “balance” with the use of asbestos, leaded gasoline, or lead paint.
Science and good public policy have found their use simply unsafe, as injection
of fracking waste will be - and the sooner, the better, in our opinion.
Injection wells
entail unacceptable costs in terms of public health and safety, property
values, property rights, and social costs of losing our democratic rights. Risking potential adverse effects from
surface spills on our drinking water supply or small, repeated earthquakes on
our aging infrastructure such as gas lines, water lines, or sewage lines is
unacceptable.
Drop this bill.
The only real solution to the injection well and fracking waste problem is to
stop injection wells and to stop producing billions of gallons of toxic waste
fluids. We cannot permit politicians or bureaucrats to pretend that human
beings can “regulate” earthquakes or can “regulate” an inherently unsafe
process and magically make it safe. It makes no common sense.
Passing HB 422
is not a legitimate solution. It is part of the problem.
For media inquiries or more
information, contact:
Buckeye Forest Council at: 614-539-1471 or teresa@buckeyeforestcouncil.org or
Frackfree Mahoning Valley at: frackfreemahoning@gmail.com or call: 234-201-0402
Buckeye Forest Council at: 614-539-1471 or teresa@buckeyeforestcouncil.org or
Frackfree Mahoning Valley at: frackfreemahoning@gmail.com or call: 234-201-0402
Buckeye Forest Council: http://buckeyeforestcouncil.org/
Frackfree Mahoning Valley: www.frackfreemahoning.blogspot.com
# # #
