Be wary of scraps and bones

Be wary of scraps and bones

The 4.0 earthquake I expe- rienced New Year’s Eve while inside my home on the West side of Youngstown mobilized me to do several things after I somewhat recovered from the intense fear I felt.

First I checked to see if there was any structural damage to the home and checked to make sure my neighbors were safe. The next thing I did was to get into my car and see for myself the location of this D&L injection well. So close to my and so many other city homes, this well is tucked into the wasteland of the abandoned and uncleaned mess of industrial litter left by the steel industry. V&M steel serves as its backdrop.

Then I later connected to the internet and saw that we made national news, but it was responses that were posted from around the country which disturbed me the most. Most wrote that “everyone” knows that you never place an injection well close to a city because “everyone” knows they cause earthquakes.

Why are we so willing to accept a “bone” from anyone who throws it our way thinking that that scrap is “progress?”

We all bear responsibility for the destruction of our valley. But the governor who so strongly embraces the natural gas industry for Ohioans needs to have a state of the art injection well in his own back yard.

Kathleen Berry, Youngstown

Keeping price at the pump real

Where are the watchdogs? I just listened to the news where the reporter stated that the price of gasoline had risen $.25 per gallon in one day. What in God’s green earth justifies the increase? Not the stupid excuse that there is “fear” that Iran is going to blockade shipping lanes in the straits. This is a phony as when oil companies used to claim the price of gasoline has risen because oil tankers couldn’t reach our shores due to storms at sea.

And why is it that some stations raised the price by a few cents, while others jumped on the 25-cent increase? Isn’t anybody watching and verifying that these increases are legit? The oil that was pumped out of the ground, loaded onto tankers, sailed halfway around the world, unloaded into terminals, pumped into refineries, processed into fuels and then trucked to your local stations takes months to reach the pump. And yet these oil companies jump at the chance to increase gasoline prices over a “fear.”

When are the middlemen and oil companies going to start sharing these stupid increases? It’s always pass it on to the consumer.

These companies have made hundreds of billions of dollars in the past years. Why can’t they give the American people a break?

Eugene P. Yavorik, Youngstown

Looking for signs of solidarity

I attended a town hall meet- ing at Boardman High School Dec. 28. The meeting was held by the United States Postal Service so residents could voice their concerns on the closing of the Youngstown Mail Processing Center. Closing this processing center is expected to make it necessary to lay off about 100 members of the American Postal Workers Union and possibly force others to relocate or travel to another city to work. Their union members pointed out that this would be a violation of their collective bargaining agreement.

At the start of the meeting, which was conducted by USPS management, all politicians in attendance were introduced. They also asked all union officers regardless of labor affiliation to introduce themselves. All were promised a chance to speak. No other labor organizations outside the postal service were there to support them.

The first group I thought of was the public employee unions. After the state wide support they received from organized labor, not one person came to support the A.P.W.U. During the Senate Bill 5 campaign I remarked that public unions never support other labor organizations. It appears nothing has changed.

I heard and read the thanks from the public unions after the defeat of S.B. 5. Certainly showing your gratitude in the form of support for other labor organizations is in order. Thank you is not enough.

I would also like to remind public union employees that you can show your support in your daily lives. When you need an electrician, plumber, carpenter, or furnace repair, make sure the contractor you hire is union. The car you buy is union made, but the most important thing you can do is be there in mass when other labor organizations need support.

Gerald L. Everett Jr., Austintown

The writer is a member of Pipefitter Local 396.

Regulation isn’t a dirty word

Let us look at the reality of the quakes and measure the response of our elected officials. It is no secret that Youngstown has the highest poverty rate in the nation with 47 percent of the population either at or below the poverty level. The area needs economic development and the exploration and natural gas industry could be the solution and a quick fix .

It would be premature to suggest that the drilling be stopped, but it is not premature to insist on safety and regulation. Economic growth and regulation can be used in the same sentence and we as a people must insist that our health and the health of this valley we love and live in requires regulation.

Geologists can be of great help in defining the ability of our area to support the activities of the drillers and the injection processes that are used. They should be listened to very carefully. We all can well remember the underground mines that exist and the problems they have caused in past years .

I have had the luxury of traveling to various parts of the country and Youngstown comes up quiet often in conversation and almost always we are thought of as being hard working and resilient. Please let us not rush to judgment, but rush to find the truth and request regulation.

Dick Moore, Boardman

What makes the well unique?

Is there something unique about the Ohio Works Drive saltwater injection well compared with other saltwater injection wells in Ohio?

The ODNR database suggests that there is, specifically it is the deepest such well at 9300 feet. Most of the other such wells are less than 6000 feet deep. The second thing that may make the Ohio Works Drive well unique is the total amount of fracking fluids that have been forced into the well. One estimate suggests that 65 million gallons have been pumped into the well during the 18 months operation. That is a lot of liquid to swallow.

The pressure exerted by 9300 feet of brine (without the additional boost of pumping) is in excess of 4000 psi.

Is there a fault line in the vicinity of the well? Perhaps it would be wise to find out before permits are issued.

This should be a cautionary tale for the other sites in the area.

Bob Elston, New Middletown

A tip for making the city safer

With youth and teen vio- lence out of control in our city of Youngstown. I would like to see our political leaders in City Hall come up with a plan and a solution — like enforcing a curfew for Youngstown youths 18 years of age and under, 24/7, 365 days a year from 11 p.m. to 6 a.m.

Mayor Sammarone and police Chief Foley should send out an S.O.S and rally law enforcement agencies at the state, county, and city level to enforce a zero tolerance curfew to save our youth and our great city.

Willie James Richards, Youngstown