Business breakfast

Business breakfast

COLUMBIANA

The Columbiana Area Chamber of Commerce will host a business breakfast beginning at 7:30 a.m. Friday at the Dutch Haus Restaurant, 14895 South Ave. Ext.

Information on the Affordable Care Act will be provided by DC Wellness owners Bob Gearhart Sr. and Bob Gearhart Jr. They will provide an update on the changes and provisions and share how five small businesses provided employees with better coverage and savings.

Chamber member cost is $10 per person; nonmember cost is $15 per person. Reservations are required and can be made by calling 330-482-3822.

Drilling permits

YOUNGSTOWN

The Ohio Department of Natural Resources issued 20 well permits last week. Among the 1,852 permits issued, there are 1,386 drilled with 821 wells producing. The ODNR issued Chesapeake Exploration LLC one permit in Columbiana County last week. The Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection issued one well permit to Swepi LP in Mercer County.

Schiavoni bill

COLUMBUS

State Sen. Joseph Schiavoni of Boardman, D-33rd, wants increased penalties and stiffer permit rules for improperly disposing of gas-drilling waste and toxic brine in Ohio.

Schiavoni’s legislation would raise the state’s penalties for knowingly disposing of oil and gas waste illegally to levels found in the federal Clean Water Act.

The Senate minority leader says violators could face a felony charge. They could be fined between $10,000 and $50,000, be imprisoned for three years, or face both penalties for their first offense. Potential fines and prison sentences increase for subsequent offenses.

The proposal comes after a former owner of a Youngstown-based wastewater company pleaded guilty last year to violating the federal Clean Water Act in the dumping of thousands of gallons of fracking wastewater into a Northeast Ohio storm sewer.

FirstEnergy projects

FirstEnergy Corp. expects to invest approximately $383 million in 2015 on distribution and transmission infrastructure projects in Ohio Edison’s 36-county service territory, which includes Mahoning, Trumbull and Columbiana counties.

Major projects scheduled for 2015 include transmission enhancements to reinforce the system and support economic growth, construction of new circuits and the inspection and replacement of utility poles and other equipment.

Vindicator staff/wire reports