ODNR: No drilling permits in Coitsville

Staff report

COITSVILLE

The Ohio Department of Natural Resources now says there are no oil and gas drilling permits in Coitsville Township.

The state Environmental Protection Agency told The Vindicator on Wednesday that a permit initially issued to Chesapeake Energy Corp. for drilling in eastern Mahoning County actually was intended for Goshen Township.

The drilling site is near Seacrist and Calla roads.

The permits allow Chesapeake to drill both horizontally and vertically by fracking, a process in which water, chemicals and sand are blasted through pipes into rocks thousands of feet below the ground to unlock natural gas and oil.

Chesapeake and its subsidiary, Ohio Buckeye Energy, now have 10 permits in Mahoning County.

Goshen Township has eight at four locations, and Milton Township has two at one location.

The Milton wells already have been drilled, according to the ODNR website, but are not expected to begin producing for a few more months.

In Columbiana County, a horizontal permit was issued in Hanover Township.

Permits have been issued in the following Columbiana County townships: Hanover, Middleton, West, Franklin and Knox.