Advocacy groups want EPA probe of Ohio injection well program

Advocacy groups want EPA probe of Ohio injection well program

FrackFree Mahoning Valley, along with other community advocacy groups in Athens, Columbus, Ravenna and Youngstown hosted a news conference calling on the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to conduct an investigation of the state’s injection well program.

The joint conference, which took place simultaneously in all four cities this morning, follows a letter that was sent to officials at the U.S. EPA on March 14, imploring the agency to conduct an independent audit of the Ohio Department of Natural Resources role in regulating underground injection wells.

Susie Beiersdorfer, an activist with FrackFree, said the groups have yet to receive a response from the federal agency.

The groups feel ODNR has not monitored injection wells close enough. Beiersdorfer said the agency has also disregarded numerous violations of operators such as D&L Energy, embroiled in the Jan. 31 incident when hundreds of thousands of gallons of drilling waste were dumped into the Mahoning River.