Warren's Patriot Water goes to court to protect business, jobs

WARREN — Patriot Water Treatment LLC in Warren has fired back at Ohio Attorney General Mike DeWine.

Patriot, the 10-month-old company that treats some brine wastewater from fracking sites, and the city of Warren, filed a response with the Environmental Review Appeals Commission in Columbus and the Trumbull County Common Pleas Court.

“Based on the Attorney General’s and Ohio EPA’s decision to ask an administrative tribunal to revoke our permits, we had no choice but to ask our lawyers to protect our businesses and the jobs of our employees,” said Andy Blocksom, president of Patriot, in a statement.

Fracking, or hydraulic fracturing, is a process in which water, chemicals and sand are blasted through pipes into rocks thousand of feet below the ground to unlock natural gas and oil.

It is seeking declaratory judgement on the issue of which agency — the Ohio Department of Natural Resources or the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency — should regulate Patriot.

Patriot is also seeking a judgment on the Ohio Revised Code’s definition of brine.

For the complete story, read Friday’s Vindicator and Vindy.com