01/05/2025
DAR Editorial #5: Jan 3, 2025
ANNOUNCEMENT: We can no longer access the page "Chief's Corner" in order to provide information and questions regarding the Jan 2, 2025 well-pad fire in Guernsey county near Salt Fork State Park.
With all the knowledge we have gained doing the Daily Accident Report, we hoped today we could continue providing a service to the community, ie: providing important info., questions, etc. for the citizens living near last night's well-pad fire.
Up until a couple hours ago, we have been providing this info., questions, etc., to the best of our ability, via the wonderful page "Chief's Corner," an invaluable resource for the community. Hundreds were on the site watching the details of this well-pad accident in real time.
How were we providing a service? The average citizen is not aware of the many risks and dangers that come with fracking. They don't know that frack pads can contain multiple large storage tanks, storage pits, etc. that house a myriad of dangerous materials, nor do they know fracking creates large amounts of contaminated, often radioactive wastes.
The average citizen does not know that fracking utilizes, as a Yale study outlines, up to 1000 chemicals, many of which go down the well hole to frack the shale below, and that many of these chemicals are carcinogenic. They don't know these chemicals are mixed with millions of gallons of water, often taken from nearby waterways, and that this water, once used for fracking, comes back up the well so contaminated with these chemicals, and earthen heavy metals, including, but not limited to, radioactive radium , it's essentially destroyed water.
Citizens don't know that fracking creates millions and millions of gallons, AND tons and tons of radioactive waste (liquid brine waste, drill cuttings, filter socks, drilling equipment, and more). ODNR testing of drilling brine waste is on file and shows it can be very radioactive. Citizens don't know that the drilling brine is so contaminated it has to be hauled away, truck load by truck load, and re-injected into our Ohio geology via class II "wells, " AND that some of this radioactive brine is often stored on site for future fracking.
They don't know about the Martins Ferry debacle, and how tons and tons of drilling semi-solid waste (drilling mud cuttings and such) was taken to a "processing facility" (basically a warehouse) in Martins Ferry to try and downgrade the radioactive waste so it could be sent to landfills, and that ODNR shut this operation down and that now it's a radioactive contaminated site. The Co. isn't paying for clean-up, we are. Lawsuit(s) are ensuing(?). https://wtrf.com/martins-ferry/martins-ferry-mayor-spoke-with-odnr-concerning-the-cleanup-of-austin-master-services/
Citizens don't know that Class II injection wells have recently leaked into nearby production wells in Athens County, and have contaminated these production wells. They don't know that the state had to test nearby drinking water wells because this dangerous brine waste migration could have been reaching drinking water wells in the area. Luckily, no drinking water wells have been found to be contaminated thus far. Fingers crossed. https://ohiocapitaljournal.com/2024/04/30/athens-co-fracking-leak-inaction-show-the-dire-public-health-dangers-of-ohio-regulatory-capture/ #:~:text=documented%20leakage%20from%20those%20wells,safety%20and%20reinstated%20their%20suspensions
Citizens don't know that, in Bainbridge, near Cleveland in 2007, that a house exploded and 22 house holds and a public water supply was contaminated due to well cement failing that allowed for methane to migrate. https://www.cleveland.com/sun/all/2011/01/bainbridge_gas_well_explosion.html
Nor do they know that a drinking water reservoir in Barnesville was contaminated from a drilling brine truck accident in 2016. The reservoir was shut down for at least 2 months as the OEPA tested for radiation levels to come down. https://www.daily-jeff.com/story/news/2016/05/24/oepa-says-reservoir-/-water/18862988007/
They don't know about the very respected 9th edition of the "Fracking Compendium," by the Physicians for Social Responsibility that came out in 2023, and how it outlines the many serious health risks fracking brings. https://concernedhealthny.org/compendium/
The average citizen does not know what they are in for living near an oil/gas drilling operation. They might hear the noise, see the lights, smell chemical odors, and are annoyed by the truck traffic, etc., BUT often they don't know what is being emitted from these sites and into their air, OR about the chemicals and radioactive wastes going up and down their roads. They most likely are not told if a radioactive brine spill has happened at a site, or, a spill has gone into a tributary nearby.
Nor do they know what Qs to ask when something like this well-pad fire happens.
We were hoping we could provide help. We were doing so respectfully, and persistently. All we can surmise is that the officials of the "Chief's Corner" did not like the info. we were providing.
We will continue to post updates, info., Qs here, AND to provide info. that educates the average citizen about the many risks fracking brings.
Thank you
