Frackfree Mahoning
Valley News Release
and
Buckeye Forest Council
_______________________________________________________
For Immediate Release: February 9, 2016
or e-mail: frackfreemahoning@gmail.com
Teresa Mills: phone:
614-539-1471
Or e-mail: Teresa@buckeyeforestcouncil.org
Susie
Beiersdorfer: phone: 330-881-1050 or
234-201-0402
Or e-mail: frackfreemahoning@gmail.com
______________________________________________________
Frackfree
Mahoning Valley and Buckeye Forest Council release new information, call for
the injection wells near fracking waste-related earthquake epicenters in
Weathersfield/Niles to remain closed, and call for the Ohio Department of
Natural Resources to deny an injection permit for a newly drilled Vienna airport
area injection well near family homes saying the well is close to an “area of known
seismic activity”:
Frackfree
Mahoning Valley will hold rallies at two local injection wells on Wednesday, February
10, 2016, and host a Friday, February 12, 2016 “Film Night and Town Hall –
Style Meeting” on why these injection wells and others must stop. Both the film
screening of “Oklahoma Shakedown” and town hall will be held on Friday,
February 12, 2016 at 7 PM to 9 PM, at The First Unitarian Universalist Church
of Youngstown, located at 1105 Elm St., Youngstown, Ohio. (Elm & Illinois.)
Youngstown, Ohio, February 9, 2016 – Frackfree Mahoning Valley has learned, as of February
9, 2016, the Ohio Department of Natural Resources (ODNR) has not yet given
permission for fracking waste injection to begin at a newly drilled injection
well located in Vienna, Ohio, near family homes and the airport. This new
information came to Frackfree Mahoning Valley from Teresa Mills of Buckeye
Forest Council, who received it as a result of a public records request.
Teresa Mills also uncovered, via a public
records request dated January 29, 2016, that it seems that Oklahoma-based KTCA
Holdings LLC is the new owner of the airport-area Vienna injection well,
previously listed as owned by KDA. KDA’s Vienna, Ohio injection well operation
is associated with an April, 2015 toxic waste release that resulted in
destruction of two wetlands and other adverse impacts.
Saying that the
injection well is close to an “ area of known seismic activity,” Buckeye Forest
Council and Frackfree Mahoning Valley are calling for the Ohio Department of
Natural Resources (ODNR) to deny the injection permit for the Vienna, Ohio
injection well near Vienna residences. The groups are also calling for two
Weathersfield/ Niles injection wells to remain closed. One of these wells has
been linked in news reports and a scientific study with man-made earthquakes.
“One huge
problem is that it’s not known where some faults lie until they are activated
and an earthquake occurs. Then it’s too
late. Drilling and injecting into injection
wells is essentially gambling with the public health and safety, drinking water
integrity, and the well-being of the community. That is unacceptable. It’s
egregious, actually. The “Findings, Conclusions and Order of the [Oil &
Gas] Commission” that ruled on the AWMS injection well said with regard to
seismicity, geophysics, and injection operations that ‘… to a certain extent
both the industry and the Division are ‘working with their eyes closed.’ [p. 12,
8/12/15] ODNR must deny the permit to inject in order to protect the public
health and safety and stay consistent with its other decisions. It’s too high risk for man-made earthquakes
and drinking water contamination, “said Teresa Mills of Buckeye Forest Council.
The groups say that ODNR should never have
permitted the Vienna, Ohio well to be drilled in the first place, considering
ODNR’s previous Order by the Chief (9/24/14) that denied a toxic waste injection
permit at the Khalil #3 injection well, in east Youngstown, Mahoning County
finding it is “located in close proximity to an area of known seismic
activity.”
The new Vienna well is only 6.7 miles from the
AWMS injection well in Weathersfield/ Niles that ODNR ordered to be closed due
to seismic activity. The Vienna well is
only 8.6 miles from the Northstar 1 injection well, site of the now-famous 4.0
magnitude induced quake that ODNR also shut down. It is 16.9 miles from the man-made earthquake
site in Poland Township, Ohio. Therefore, the groups believe that the Vienna,
Ohio well is also close to “an area of known seismic activity,” and it must be
stopped by ODNR. (See map below).
Furthermore, Mills
found that the Vienna well in question is of similar depth to those mentioned
in ODNR’s previous decisions. From what the groups can gather, the wells use
very similar operations to those that have been shut down or denied a permit to
inject in Youngstown and Weathersfield/ Niles.
If ODNR is to remain consistent with its previous decisions regarding
Khalil and the American Water Management Services (AWMS) well, they must deny
this permit to inject. (Links to the
Khalil and AWMS decisions are below).
Frackfree
Mahoning Valley will rally at two local injection well sites on Wednesday,
February 10, 2016 to call for them to remain closed or denied a permit to
inject. Frackfree Mahoning Valley will gather at the Weathersfield/ Niles
injection well on public property starting at 1:15 PM at the Weathersfield/Niles
injection well near 1745 N. Main Street, Niles, Ohio. The group will then move
to public property adjacent to the Vienna, Ohio injection well on State Route
193 near the Youngstown – Warren Regional Airport for a rally that will begin
at 2:15 PM.(EVENT on facebook: https://www.facebook.com/events/462312783973898/
On February 12th,
Frackfree Mahoning Valley is showing an Oklahoma earthquake documentary film
titled “Oklahoma Shakedown” in part to illustrate how the enormous problems
associated with fracking, earthquakes, and injection/disposal wells across the
states are similar. Now we learn we have
an Oklahoma-based company seeking to operate in Vienna. This just serves as an example of how states
are tied together in this. We believe it will be beneficial to share information
to help get this stopped locally and nationwide,” said Susie Beiersdorfer of Frackfree Mahoning
Valley.
“Oklahoma Shakedown” – a timely, compelling, must-see film by
Taylor Mullins about man-made earthquakes (induced seismicity) related to
injection or disposal wells in Oklahoma - will be shown on Friday, February 12,
2016 at the Frackfree Mahoning Valley “Film Night” town hall - style meeting at
7 PM to 9 PM at The First Unitarian Universalist Church of Youngstown, located
at 1105 Elm St., Youngstown, Ohio. (Elm & Illinois) (EVENT on facebook: https://www.facebook.com/events/944652922298043/ )
The
film screening is free and open to the public. All media, elected and appointed
officials, and the general public are invited to attend this very important
event.
Please view the very timely and compelling “Oklahoma Shakedown”
movie trailer here:
The groups say,
to truly protect public health and safety, the only real solution to the
injection/disposal well problems, including water contamination and man-made
earthquakes is to stop the injection wells and to quit producing billions of
gallons of fracking waste that has to be “disposed” of somewhere. There is no
good or safe solution to this major problem. The groups say they do not consent to being
used as human experimental subjects while “regulators” or companies try to
control injection well-related earthquakes. It’s not working. It cannot work. Earthquakes cannot be
regulated. The groups say it is reckless and immoral to place these operations
in our neighborhoods, especially with the known dangers and the long list of
unknowns, such as: Will a large
earthquake be triggered or drinking water polluted?
For more
information, see the January 21, 2016 news release titled “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. “:
PDF uploaded
document: RE: Northstar Kahlil #3 Well –
Mahoning County; Ohio Department of Natural Resources, ORDER BY THE CHIEF,
September 24, 2014, “Denial of Permit to
Inject Brine or Other Waste Substances pursuant to Ohio Revised Code 1509.22:
PDF uploaded document: “Before the Oil & Gas Commission,” American Water Management Services, LLC vs Division of Oil & Gas Resources Management; Appeal Nos. 889 & 890, Review of Chief’s Orders 2014-372 & 2014 – 374 (AWMS #2 Well); FINDINGS, CONCLUSIONS AND ORDER OF THE COMMISSION, Date Issued: August 12, 2015:
Map of Vienna,
Ohio and other local injection wells. Map was created by Teresa Mills of
Buckeye Forest Council on February 9, 2016:
For media inquiries or for more information:
e-mail Buckeye Forest Council at Teresa@buckeyeforestcouncil.org
or call: 614-539-1471
www.buckeyeforestcouncil.orgor call: 614-539-1471
###
click image to view larger map of distances to seismically active areas (due to well activity) near Vienna, OH where the former KDA injection well is now owned by KTCA of OK
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| Distances to seismically active areas (due to well activity) near Vienna, OH where the former KDA injection well is now owned by KTCA of OK |
