Street Theatre Protesting the Frackers and the State of Ohio--David versus Goliath

I'm proud of these folks who put on this street theatre protest on the steps of the courthouse in Cleveland.

  In Ohio, the fix is in! People and even cities and villages have no rights.

Fracking and Mining Endanger America's Fresh Water!

I lived in the coal fields of Eastern Kentucky (Knott County, KY) for a year and just outside the coal mining counties for 6 years (Madison County, KY). I have in-laws and friends  who've spent most of their adult lives in the Eastern Kentucky coalfields or very near them (Steve and Sue Sanders and their children; Tony Oppegard). I have seen firsthand what modern mining techniques do to streams, rivers, and aquifers. So much of Eastern Kentucky and other coal mining states are "Zones of National Sacrifice," as Harry Caudill, author of Night Comes to the Cumberlands, put it. Well I am not ready to offer Ohio up as a Zone of National Sacrifice. My county, Geauga County, is totally dependent on well water for everything. The greatest current threat to drinking water in my county and in Ohio (and really, in most of the nation) is the fracking boom, which Governor Kasich has welcomed with open arms. We won't have the disaster of coal mining in Geauga and surrounding counties, but we could be faced with the disaster of widespread fracking.

Recently RJ Sigmund, in his weekly digest of fracking issues, discussed the danger of fracking to fresh water supplies. Sigmund states:

Thirsty wells: Fracking consumes billions of gallons of water - Drillers in Ohio have used more than 4 billion gallons of water to frack horizontal shale wells since 2011. That’s a lot of water. Enough to fill one two-liter soda bottle for every person on the planet; or in terms that motorists in shale country can relate to, 800,000 tanker-loads of water.  The state surpassed the thousand-well mark in August. A Repository review of water usage reported by drillers to FracFocus, a national fracking-chemical registry, as of Sept. 12, shows:

• • Of the first 1,031 Utica and Marcellus shale wells drilled, FracFocus listed the amount of water used to frack 662.
• • Water use for all 1,031 wells could approach 6.7 billion gallons, based on average water-use rates per county.
• • Chesapeake Energy used 2 billion gallons on 411 reported wells.
• • Three wells in Ohio topped 17 million gallons.
• • Average water usage was 6.1 million gallons.
• • Fracking could consume more than 10 billion gallons of water if all current well permits are drilled.
• • Some wells used more water than what drillers estimated on permit applications.

How can this water usage be done in Geauga County without endangering the water supply to every single Geauga household, business, and factory? 

Sigmund also discusses fracking waste-water and injection wells. These further endanger the water supply in our area--permanently, in light of average human lifespans. This is short-term gain (the fracking money, which makes a few people very wealth), and long-term disaster.

Here is what Sigmund writes about Beautiful Ohio, injection waste-water capital of America: 

Ohio is cited in GAO report for fracking waste disposal - Drilling – Ohio -- Only Ohio allows fracking waste disposal without advance disclosure of chemical contaminants. : The federal Government Accountability Office (“GAO”) released a new report ( http://www.gao.gov/products/GAO-14-857R ) disclosing that Ohio alone of eight states studied allows contaminated waste fluids from oil and gas wells to be disposed without advance disclosure of the contaminants it contains. The report had been requested by members of U.S. Senate and House environment committees to disclose the level of disclosure on the nature and toxicity of such wastes since “fracking” of deep shale rock layers to unlock oil and natural gas deposits has become common. The report concluded that of the eight states studied (California, Colorado, Kentucky, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania and Texas), each state - with the sole exception of Ohio - required waste disposal companies to provide information on the characteristics of the waste to be disposed before they could receive a permit to “inject” the waste. The primary disposal method for these wastes are injection wells, which inject the waste fluids, frequently under high pressure, into deep rock formations where, in theory, it cannot contaminate sources of drinking water. The report acknowledges that the amount of oil and gas well wastes has increased dramatically since the advent of hydraulic fracturing or “fracking” and that at least 2 billion gallons of contaminated wastes are disposed in injection wells daily; this water is also laced with a variety of chemicals, many toxic and many whose nature is undisclosed, to fracture the rock so the oil and gas it contains can be mobilized. Much of the contaminated fluid injected in this fashion is then forced back to the surface where it is collected and trucked off site for disposal at an injection well.The report reveals that many of the states studied have elaborate requirements to confirm the nature of this waste fluid before it can be approved for disposal. In stark contrast, Ohio requires no disclosure of the characteristics of the waste fluid either before, or after, an injection well permit is issued by the Ohio Department of Natural Resources (ODNR). 

This has to stop. We have to stop it!

p.s. About 35 years ago I heard the great folksinger and Perry County native Jean Ritchie sing the song "Black Waters." The song was then sung about the impact of coal mining on the water in Eastern Kentucky streams and rivers. That same song can be sung today in areas affected by fracking. It seems we have learned nothing. We are making the same mistakes over and over again.

Jean Ritchie sings "Black Waters" in the following video:

Shame on Ohio for the Poisonous Algae on Lake Erie! "Just Thoughts" Essay

Algae Bloom (this one from 2009 by Pelee Island)

Nice Glass of Lake Erie Water [Tom Bridgeman, UnderwaterTimes.com]

Just Thoughts: Stewardship of Our Precious Water Resource

We woke this past week to news that nearly a half million people in the Toledo area have been warned not to drink or even bathe in their water. Toledo water, which comes from Lake Erie, has been poisoned by an algae bloom, caused by run off of fertilizers and sewage system failures. The toxin, microcystin, is extremely dangerous, causing nausea, vomiting, skin rashes, with the danger of liver failure and death to people and animals. Babies are at considerable risk. The National Guard has had to bring emergency water tankers and bottled water to the people of Toledo. And this in the part of the world most blessed by abundant fresh water!

The same day this disaster was reported in the Plain Dealer and Toledo Blade, the first reading at mass was Isaiah singing, “All you who are thirsty, come to the water . . . .” Water is a major theme in Judeo-Christian scripture and liturgies, partially because it was so scarce in Palestine, and so crucial for life. We in Ohio seem to have wasted and abused this precious resource. We are wasting it in myriad other ways, with pollution being dumped into our rivers and lakes (the Ohio River at times is full of dangerous chemicals). And we are increasingly allowing nearly unfettered hydraulic fracturing (“fracking”) of oil and gas wells, using up 3 million gallons (some sources say 6 million gallons) of water per frack (and each well can be fracked over and over again, up to 12-18 times!).

This abuse of a resource necessary for our lives, given to us abundantly by God, is the result of bad state policies and shameful political lack of will. Pope Francis and American Bishops have made clear the call to conserve our precious land and water resources. Bishop Jaime Soto has offered this prayer: “May God open the heavens and let His mercy rain down upon our fields and mountains.  Let us especially pray for those most impacted by water shortages and for the wisdom and charity to be good stewards of this precious gift.  May our political leaders seek the common good as we learn to care and share God's gift of water for the good of all.”

Shame on Ohio! Let's fix this!

Fresh Water--and Threats to It (think "Fracking")!

Here in Northeast Ohio we don't fret too much about water. We are the Saudi Arabia of water. We have Lake Erie as our northern border, and we have many rivers and literally hundreds of creeks throughout our area. We get anywhere from 35 to 50 (or more!) inches of rain every year. How could there be a problem? How could there be a threat?

Well, there are gigantic threats--some here right now, and some on the horizon, not that far away. One threat is that we have something that other people desperately want and need. I'm thinking of California, with its historic state-wide drought, leading to terrible forest fires. California has over 38,000,000 residents--by far the heaviest populated state in the nation. This one state has a higher population than most of the countries in Europe. It also has a huge agriculture industry, with a tremendous need for water. California is desperate for water. Where is that water going to come from? Oh, just thought of something! Fracking (hydraulic fracturing) is going on in California. This takes huge amounts of water, and then removes it from the water cycle forever. That's water that will never again be used by humans--gone forever. So California needs water for people, for industry, for agriculture--and now for fracking. Something's gonna give!

Fracking poses a gigantic risk to Ohio's fresh water (and the the fresh water of all the states where fracking will take place). The risk is actually global; fracking will eventually affect all the world's supply of fresh water, a very precious and limited resource. At some point, I have no doubt that wars will be fought over fresh water.

[this will be expanded later today and tomorrow]

David Letterman Talks about Fracking

Check this out--David Letterman says about Fracking--"We're Screwed!"

"To My Fellow Warriors": The Fighters for the Environment

This morning I saw an email from Debbie Cowden of the Buckeye Forest Council addressed "To My Fellow Warriors." The Buckeye Forest Council is an environmental group fighting fracking, hydraulic fracturing, and they are advocates for the rights of Ohio citizens to clean air and water. Certainly fracking is one of the most urgent threats to a clean environment in Ohio (and in many other places across our land). I was taken aback by the idea of us being called "fellow warriors," but I gradually began to feel she used exactly the right term. Some of the people I have met in the past year or two are indeed brave warriors. I'm thinking of KF, KH, the members of Frack-Free Geauga. There's also KW, Mr and Mrs. W, DP, and KP. These are brave fighters, using their wills, intelligence, creativity--all their resources--to fight for something they believe in. Putting the "stubborn ounces of their weight," in the words of Bonaro Overstreet, into this struggle.

I remember many years ago when Chuck Matthei would point out that there were people in the military putting in long days and long careers doing the opposite of what Chuck and his fellow Peacemakers were trying to do. Chuck didn't think of peacemaking as a part-time avocation. For him it was the central focus of his life. Maybe some of my new friends and acquaintances have this calling--full-time warriors for the environment.

I would like to be thought of as a warrior, but there is a lot of work to be done before I could earn that title. Do I have the will, the energy, the courage, the persistence? Do I have the love in me to continue fighting for what I think is right?

Astonishing Corruption in Governor Kasich's Administration--Fracking in the State Parks

Sent to me by my brother-in-law, Steve Sanders:

Kasich aides knew of plan 

for Fracking in state parks

http://www.dispatch.com/content/stories/local/2014/02/17/email-cites-plan-to-promote-fracking-in-parks.html

By Darrel RowlandThe Columbus Dispatch • Tuesday February 18, 2014 5:20 AM

On Friday, Gov. John Kasich’s spokesman said the governor’s office knew nothing about an August 2012 state marketing plan for fracking in state parks and forests.

But after an email about the plan involving most of Kasich’s top officials was disclosed yesterday, spokesman Rob Nichols said: “Of course, the administration is going to coordinate and plan ahead on an important issue like gas production on state land.”

The turnaround came after an email became public. It was from Kasich senior adviser Wayne Struble, who sought a meeting about the public-relations campaign with top Kasich officials. Those invited included Beth Hansen, the governor’s chief of staff; Scott Milburn, top communications manager; Matt Carle, his legislative liaison (who is now his re-election campaign manager); Jai Chabria, a senior adviser; Tracy Intihar, who was cabinet secretary at the time; Craig Butler, a policy adviser who is now head of the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency; and leaders of the Ohio Department of Natural Resources.

The Aug. 1, 2012, communique called for a “state-land leasing-strategy and communications meeting” on the 30th floor of the Riffe Tower, where the governor’s offices are. The meeting was slated for Aug. 20 — the same day that the PR plan is dated.

The plan was never implemented.

Nichols told The Dispatch on Friday night that the governor’s office had no knowledge of the marketing plan because it had never left the Natural Resources department.

“Clearly, that’s not the case,” Brian Rothenberg, head of the liberal nonprofit organization ProgressOhio, said in a news conference yesterday in which the email was divulged. “The fact that people at the highest level of the governor’s office were involved in this is pretty unsavory.”

Brian Kunkemoeller, conservation-program coordinator with the Sierra Club’s Ohio chapter — which obtained the material through a public-records request — said, “This is not only a sad day for our parks and forests, it’s also a sad day for our democracy.”

Rothenberg and Kunkemoeller expressed outrage that a state agency given the statutory duty to regulate the oil and gas industry actually was partnering with the industry to promote it.

Their two organizations called for an investigation into who ordered the PR push, who paid for it and why several environmental groups and two Democratic legislators were named as part of “ zealous resistance” by “opposition groups” that must be overcome.

Natural Resources spokeswoman Bethany McCorkle said, “Any responsible organization plans in advance what it is going to do, especially when it knows it is going to face fierce opposition to progress. The fact that these secretly funded extremist groups are attacking us today validates the wisdom of anticipating the attack and planning for it.”

Said Nichols: “If we didn’t (prepare a marketing plan), these same extremist groups would be attacking us for not planning ahead.”

Critics say the 10-page plan goes well beyond a traditional communications effort. The memo itself recognized that the public-relations initiative “could blur public perception of ODNR’s regulatory role in oil and gas.”

The document was prepared by Mark Anthony, a senior policy adviser with the Natural Resources department who once was a press secretary for then-Columbus Mayor Dana G. “Buck” Rinehart. Anthony was hired by the Kasich administration the month before the memo was prepared.

McCorkle said she wasn’t sure whether Natural Resources or the governor’s office had directed Anthony to draw up the plan.

“To tell you the truth, the assignment was a year and a half ago, (and I’m) not sure who asked him to do it,” she said. “No action or next steps came out of the meeting.” 

In 2011, the legislature passed, and Kasich signed, a bill allowing fracking on public lands.

Fracking — hydraulic fracturing — starts with drills first going vertically thousands of feet underground and then turning 90 degrees to carve long horizontal shafts through shale formations rich with gas and oil. The actual fracking involves pumping millions of gallons of water, sand and chemicals below ground to shatter the shale and free the petroleum products so they can be pumped to the surface.

drowland@dispatch.com

[BROOKE LAVALLEY | DISPATCH FILE PHOTOWayne Struble, left, a senior advisor to Gov. John Kasich, sent an email requesting an August 2012 meeting of top Kasich officials to discuss a public-relations campaign to promote fracking in state parks and forests.]#

My thoughts:

Here is what I find astonishing. State agencies responsible for ensuring our physical health, the health of our environment (Ohio EPA), and those entrusted with protecting our parks and natural environment (ODNR) were working in service to the fracking industry. I can't believe this was even legal! It's the old story of the fox guarding the hen house (and we know how that turns out!). In my mind, this kind of collusion is incredibly corrupt; it's immoral; and it's probably not legal.

"Blackwaters"--A Song for Those Against Fracking

With minor changes, Jean Ritchie's brilliant song "Blackwaters" could be used as an anthem for those fighting the devastating water pollution threat of Fracking (like Frack-Free Geauga here in Geauga County, Ohio)..

Here's a Youtube video of Jean Ritchie and her tune:



I got to meet Jean Ritchie in 1978 at Alice Lloyd College, in Pippa Passes, Kentucky. She is one of America's greatest folksingers, a national and world treasure.