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ODNR Testing Athens Co. Water Wells for Possible Injection Leaks

The Ohio Dept. of Natural Resources (ODNR) “temporarily” suspended the operations of four fracking waste injection wells in Athens County last September (see ODNR Temporarily Shuts Down 4 Injection Wells in Athens County). ODNR said, with no solid evidence, that the wells presented an “imminent danger” to health and the environment. ODNR is finally about to test residential water wells in the area (i.e., do real science) to determine if there has been any kind of “communication” or contamination from the injection wells with area production and water wells.
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Ohio Oil & Gas Commission to Decide Fate of 3 K&H Injection Wells

The Ohio Dept. of Natural Resources (ODNR) “temporarily” suspended the operations of four fracking waste injection wells in Athens County in September (see ODNR Temporarily Shuts Down 4 Injection Wells in Athens County). ODNR said the wells presented an “imminent danger” to health and the environment. The Ohio Oil and Gas Commission heard two days of testimony last week concerning three of the injection wells, located in Torch, OH, owned by K&H Partners. A rep from K&H pushed back against ODNR’s claims, saying the agency doesn’t have evidence its injection wells are “communicating” with other wells in the region.
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ODNR Temporarily Shuts Down 4 Injection Wells in Athens County

The Ohio Dept. of Natural Resources (ODNR) has “temporarily” suspended the operations of four fracking waste injection wells in Athens County. ODNR says the wells present an “imminent danger” to health and the environment. One of the wells, owned by Reliable Enterprises LLC, is located in Rome Township. The other three are owned by K&H Partners and located in Torch.
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UToledo Utica Fracking Study Shining Example of Junk Science

A group of antis at the University of Toledo thought they’d slip in a new “study” that attempts to tie the proximity of Utica Shale wells to radon. It’s a total sham. From the authors of the study: “The data in the study are from self-reported devices and not distributed equally throughout Ohio.” So first, they base their “study” on self-reported numbers without a even a random scientific sampling. Second, the “study” reports that Athens County, OH has the most Utica fracked wells–108 of them to be precise. One little problem: There are ZERO shale wells in Athens County. Translation: This is junk science. Or more properly, political science.
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Reliable Buys Athens, OH Injection Well, Plans to Drill 2nd Well

Reliable One Resources, a wastewater treatment company headquartered in Texas, has just purchased an existing/functioning wastewater injection well in Athens, OH. Reliable does not say in their announcement who sold them the well. They do say they intend to drill a second well next to the first one (which is the big news for us), and that they (Reliable) is in the process of buying “multiple trucking companies” that will hauling wastewater from Marcellus/Utica drillers to their facility.
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Appalachia Resist! OH “Camp” Trains Children to be Eco-Jihadists

We find this story truly disgusting, and disturbing. On the Fourth of July, a small group of parents in Ohio forced their children to attend an Appalachia Resist! protest “camp” in Athens where the kids were brainwashed and indoctrinated, taught to hate fossil fuels and hate the people that work to extract them. Perhaps parents passing down their irrational hatred to their children is nothing new–but teaching kids how to sabotage equipment and spike trees, in order to stop legal fossil fuel extraction activities, is rather new–or at least not something you see a lot of. What kind of country have we become where parents do this to their kids?…
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OH Towns Duped by CELDF Nervous Following PA Court Ruling

Svengali

Earlier this week MDN told you that Tom Linzey, the anarchist attorney who founded and runs the radical Community Environmental Legal Defense Fund (CELDF), has been sanctioned by Federal Judge Susan Paradise Baxter and ordered to pay $52,000 to Pennsylvania General Energy (PGE) for his “bad faith” in continuing to press legal arguments on behalf of Grant Township, in Indiana County, PA (see Attorney for Anti Group CELDF Fined $52K for “Bad Faith”). Not only that, Judge Baxter also referred the matter to the Disciplinary Board of the Pennsylvania Supreme Court with a request they review Linzey’s actions with an eye to imposing more punishments against him. Linzey is red hot with rage following the sanctions imposed on him–claiming he’ll sue everyone and everything to clear his good name. Thing is, Grant Township isn’t the only town Linzey has duped using his Svengali routine. There are others, in both PA and OH. Athens, OH is one of them. The so-called “Community Bill of Rights” adopted by Athens in 2014 is almost word for word the same exact language thrown out by Judge Baxter in PA. Which is giving folks around Athens pause. It’s making them nervous about what will happen if they get sued, as you can detect in the following story…
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Tetco Pipe Drilling in Athens, OH Hits Gas Pocket, Catches Fire

Click for larger version of map

As part of drilling underground (directional horizontal drilling, or HDD), Enbridge hit a pocket of natural gas in Athens County, OH about 400 below the surface. The gas leaked out and caught fire last Wednesday, partially burning the drilling rig. Fortunately the rig operators have the presence of mind to evacuate quickly and no one was hurt. The fire closed a section of Route 681 southeast of Albany, OH until Friday afternoon. According to press reports, the work being done is for the Texas Eastern Transmission pipeline (Tetco). This next bit is our own conjecture (we are not 100% sure), but we think we know which Tetco-related project Enbridge was working on. A year ago, in August 2016, the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) approved three Spectra Energy pipeline projects all part of the same package to flow more Marcellus/Utica gas to the South (see FERC Approves 3 Spectra Energy Pipe Projects in Marcellus/Utica). The three projects, which together will add an additional 662 million cubic feet (MMcf/d) of capacity along Tetco, are Access South, Adair Southwest and Lebanon Express. We believe the work being done was for this trio of projects. Given the location of the fire (Athens County), it was likely the Adair Southwest project (see the project map). The Enbridge website lists Range Resources as the shipper that reserved capacity along the Adair Southwest portion of the upgraded Tetco (200 MMcf/d of capacity). Below is the news would could find regarding the fire…
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Athens OH Rejects Anti-Fracking Ballot Measure 3rd Year in a Row

Once again, the radicals behind the Pennsylvania-based Community Environmental Legal Defense Fund (CELDF), operating in Ohio, have suffered a humiliating defeat. This time in liberal Athens, Ohio. For three years running, the CELDF and their local useful idiots have been pedaling a so-called Community Bill of Rights ballot measure–which is nothing more than an anti-fracking law. No, there is no drilling in or under Athens, but such a law would send a loud and clear signal that Athens is closed for business when it comes to the oil and gas industry–an industry that pumps millions into the local economy (even without drilling in the area). For the third year running the CELDF drones filed a petition to include the “Bill of Rights” measure on the November ballot–and for the third year in a row, the County Board of Elections voted NOT to allow it–unanimously…
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OH Supreme Court Rejects County Frack Ban Ballot Proposals, Again

court-gavel.jpgAnti-fossil fuel zealots in Athens, Meigs and Portage counties in Ohio are spitting and sputtering after the Ohio Supreme Court on Tuesday once again shut down their childish frack ban ballot measures–ruling that Secretary of State Jon Husted and the election boards of those counties did not violate the law in tossing out the ballot measures. The radical Pennsylvania-based Community Environmental Legal Defense Fund (CELDF) is particularly torqued off. It’s not the first time the Supremes have slapped them down. Their frack ban ballot measures were also tossed last year by the Supremes (see Ohio Supreme Court Keeps Frack Bans Off Ballot in 3 Counties). It’s not good for future fundraising letters when the CELDF can’t win a case. Below we have a roundup of stories about the decision, including a full copy of the decision itself, handed down on Tuesday…
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More Frack Ban Ballot Measures Coming to OH in November

voteA few days ago MDN told you about the fruitless efforts by anti-drilling zealots in Youngstown, OH in delivering a petition for a sixth vote on a frack ban measure for the November ballot (see Brain Dead: Youngstown Antis File Petition for 6th Frack Ban Vote). As we’ve pointed out, repeatedly, the Ohio Supreme Court has already ruled such “home rule” measures, if/when they get passed, are unconstitutional (see OH Antis Handed Crushing Defeat in Broadview Hghts Home Rule Case). Makes no difference. There are a number of other brain dead Ohioans in other communities too. Medina, Athens and Meigs counties have all had petitions filed for anti-fracking ballot measures in November, as well as the city of Waterville. There’s still an active petition being floated in Portgage County. Nutters popping up everywhere in the Buckeye State!…
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Mad Moms Hopping Mad Over Court Decision re Broadview Heights, OH

In 2012 Broadview Heights, OH, a Cleveland suburb, passed an illegal “Community Bill of Rights” law that bans oil and gas drilling in their township. Ohio law specifically and plainly states that only the state–not local municipalities–have the sole right to regulate the oil and gas industry. The law was promptly thrown out by a lower court, which resulted in anti-drilling groups including the Ohio Community Rights Network (OHCRN) and Mothers Against Drilling in Our Neighborhoods (MADION), with Big Green money backing from the odious PA-based Community Environmental Legal Defense Fund (CELDF), appealing the decision. It eventually made its way up the chain to the 8th District Court of Appeals. The nutters were so ecstatic when the 8th District agreed to hear the case, they celebrated with “street dramatizations” (see Antis Celebrate OH Appeals Court Hearing with Street Dramatization). They’re not celebrating anymore. The 8th District has ruled against the Broadview Heights law. Not only that, the 8th District is the first court to directly address the so-called “bill of rights” argument. In a crushing blow to the nutters, the 8th District Court said, in essence, “No. Towns don’t have inalienable rights to create laws that supersede the state’s laws.” However, nutters never go away–they blat and bleat and carry on, as they are doing now with this decision. At least we have some resolution in Ohio. This decision is a resounding refutation of the CELDF and their predatory behavior of pressuring towns into passing “bill of rights” laws that ban drilling and fracking…
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Athens, OH Antis Lose Appeal in County Court re Injection Well

In January 2015 (over a year ago) the radical antis of the Athens County Fracking Action Network (ACFAN) in Athens County, OH filed an appeal with the Ohio Oil and Gas Commission opposing a permit issued to K&H Partners to drill a new/second wastewater injection well in Athens County (see Athens County, OH Anti-Drillers Sue to Stop New Injection Well). The Oil and Gas Commission rejected the complaint because, they said, they don’t have jurisdiction over permits to drill wells. The case was appealed to county court and last week the county court judge sided with the Oil and Gas Commission. That is, ACFAN’s request to overturn the permit to drill the well has been rejected. The next move by ACFAN losers is to appeal it to a higher court–the 10th District Court of Appeals. No word yet if they want to waste their money on an appeal. However, they appear to have endless resources from Big Green groups to keep them going with endless lawsuits…
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Small Progress with Drilling in Ohio’s Wayne National Forest

There’s been some progress on the now nearly 10-year delay in drilling in the Wayne National Forest (WNF) in Ohio. WNF is the only national forest in Ohio and portions of it are found in Athens, Gallia, Hocking, Jackson, Monroe, Morgan, Noble, Lawrence, Perry, Scioto, Vinton, and Washington counties. WNF is a “patchwork” of public land scattered among private land. Some 60% of the mineral rights below WNF are privately owned. Those mineral rights owners have been denied the use of their property rights going on a decade. It’s a travesty. The federal Bureau of Land Management (BLM) controls drilling on federally-protected lands like WNF. Last November the BLM held a series of hearings about finally beginning to drill in WNF. The hearing held in Marietta (Washington County) was civil and orderly, with landowners respectfully asking questions and getting answers (see Overwhelming Support for Wayne Natl Forest Drilling @ BLM Mtg). The hearing held in Athens, OH, a hotbed of lefty lunatics, got out of control when they didn’t have a microphone to throw up on (see Anti-Frackers Out of Control at Athens Mtg on Wayne Natl Forest). Athens antis can breathe easy. The BLM has decided to wait on pursuing drilling in the “Athens Unit” until 2017. However, the BLM is taking the next step in the “Marietta Unit” now…
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Scare Tactics re Ohio Injection Wells Continue, Aided by Newspaper

The Columbus Dispatch is doing its best to paint safe frack wastewater injection wells as dangerous underground dumps ready to spring a leak at any moment and contaminate life as we know it. They’ve brought out their biggest anti arguments in a recent “article” (i.e. propaganda) that focuses on Athens County, OH–hotbed of far-left liberalism and anti-drilling sentiment. The article, boiled down, goes like this: Athens is a dumping ground for frack wastewater via injection wells. It saw the highest volume of wastewater disposed of by injection wells in the state, and most of the wastewater came from operations outside of Ohio. Implied (but not stated) in the article: It’s time to shut down injection wells in Athens County…
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OH Antis Twist Christmas Carols into Anti-Drilling Drivel

Last year it was the radicals at the Philadelphia-based Clean Air Council who tried to screw up Christmas by rewriting beloved Christmas carols as environmental wacko tunes (see Anti-Drilling Christmas Carols: Climate Change is Coming to Town [Video]). Apparently the tactic works to garner attention (from sycophantic media), because this year it was the environmental wackos in Athens, Ohio who rewrote carols into twisted messages of enviro holocaust. Ten fractivists sang anti-drilling “carols” at the Wayne National Forest headquarters near Nelsonville last Monday afternoon. Here’s one such demented song they sang (off key and out of tune): “Fire bells ring, are you listening. In the lane, oil is glistening. A terrible sight, the gas drills at night. Walking in a fracked-up wonderland.” The ones who are truly “fracked-up” were the ones singing…
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