Resolution seeks ‘fracking’ moratorium
Staff report
COLUMBIANA
City council approved an emergency resolution Tuesday showing its concern about the “fracking” process used to extract natural gas from deep underground.
Council’s resolution will be sent to Ohio Gov. John Kasich and other officials.
The resolution asks that a moratorium be imposed on the procedure.
“Fracking” is a process combined with horizontal drilling that mixes millions of gallons of water with chemicals and sand.
That mix is pumped thousands of feet underground then forced sideways for as much as a mile to break bedrock to release natural gas.
Julia Fuhrman Davis, who opposes the drilling, said the city should be, “responsible with water and life.”
Council did not present an in-depth resolution, but members said they were concerned about fracking’s effects on Columbiana’s drinking water.
In other business, leaders from the First Baptist Church in the city presented an estimate of the benefits of having a Columbiana police officer assigned to the Columbiana County Drug Task Force.
They estimated that an officer’s salary and benefits would cost about $74,250 a year. Having a drug officer reducing major crimes could bring benefits of about $1.7 million to the city, according to the church’s analysis.