Forums air dangers associated with hydraulic fracturing

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Forums air dangers associated with hydraulic fracturing

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SALEM

The Ohio Organizing Collaborative on Wednesday welcomed Salem residents to hear from a panel of public advocates about the dangers associated with hydraulic fracturing, as the city mulls a proposal to restrict drilling to industrial zones.

Those who spoke before a sparse crowd of about 10 at the Salem Public Library talked of the need to counter the oil and gas industry’s message and discuss the “full story” that they said the industry often leaves out during similar educational events it sponsors.

Under a proposal making its way through the legislative process in Salem, a zoning ordinance would limit drilling to specified industrial zones within the city limits and ban it elsewhere. The move is unusual, considering Salem is in a hotbed of oil and gas drilling in Columbiana County. But city officials say they want to stay ahead of the curve and encourage drillers to stay away from urban areas.

Salem joins a handful of other cities and towns across the state, including Youngstown, that have, or are trying to ban some element of the oil and gas industry’s presence in their community. The measures carry little weight, though, as the Ohio Department of Natural Resources possesses the sole authority to regulate and permit oil and gas drilling under state law.

Vanessa Pesec, president of the Network For Oil and Gas Accountability and Protection, told residents of the state’s control and added that “the industry writes legislation” for its business in the state. “No one should feel protected by the current legislation,” she said.

She encouraged the city to pursue passage of the current proposal and go one step further by banning drilling throughout the city. Clyde Brown, a Second Ward councilman, said he didn’t believe it was fair to ban drilling in some parts of the city and not in others like the industrial zones, which are mostly in his ward. He added that he’s not opposed to drilling as long as it doesn’t take place “in his city.”

Read more in Thursday’s Vindicator and Vindy.com