Hellbent: A Right of Nature Story page 5 Join West Shore Fact on April 23 at 3pm for an online screening of HellBent followed by a conversation with the filmmakers. Register for this online event here. Hellbent: A Right of Nature Story Join West Shore Fact on April 23 at 3pm for an online screening of HellBent followed by a conversation with the filmmakers. Register for this online event here. In a small rural town in Pennsylvania, the refuge of a rare salamander and the only source of clean drinking water for 700 people is threatened by the installation of a fracking waste injection well, prompting community members to band together to fight for the rights of their people and nature. Hellbent tells the story of one town’s epic fight to prevent a fracking waste injection well from being built in their community. In 2013, a mother and daughter living in Grant Township, Pennsylvania, heard that a fracking company wanted to build a wastewater injection well near the Little Mahoning Creek, their town’s only source of fresh water and one of the last refuges of the endangered eastern hellbender salamander. Judy and Stacey Wanchisn rallied their community against the project out of fear of the threats it posed to the Little Mahoning. “I remember some of the statistics and it was scary,” recalls Judy. Fracking wastewater injection wells are loaded with harmful chemicals and radioactive substances and they are prone to leaks and even explosions. For Judy and Stacey, the risk of wastewater from the inject well getting into their local watershed was too great to ignore. “If our water systems are permanently contaminated or screwed up in any way, then there are going to be 700 people without water,” said Stacey. “The more you read the more you got scared and I just said no. As long as I can live and breathe I will fight this thing,” said Judy. Through community organizing, Judy and Stacey helped pass an ordinance in their town that prohibits the dumping of fracking waste in June of 2014. Less than two months later, Pennsylvania General Energy, the fracking company seeking to dump their waste in Grant Township, sued Grant Township in federal court, claiming that the town was infringing on the company’s constitutional right to build a wastewater injection well within the town. Grant Township sought the help of the EPA but was ignored. Then in 2015, the people of Grant Township voted to enact a Home Rule Charter that not only banned the depositing of frack-waste but also granted legal rights to the Little Mahoning Watershed. After partnering with the Community Environmental Legal Defense Fund (CELDF), the people of Grant Township then intervened in the lawsuit against them and argued on behalf of the Little Mahoning Watershed. “We feel that we should be able to speak for the hellbender salamander, plant, water, whatever,” said Judy. “We need to give a voice to the voiceless,” Then, in March 2020, their fierce resistance successfully compelled the first-ever enforcement of a local Rights of Nature law, when the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection revoked Pennsylvania General Energy’s permit to dump its waste in Grant Township citing their home rule charter that bans such activity and asserts the rights of local ecosystems. The legal victory is a win not just for the people of Grant Township, but also for the eastern hellbender salamander, and other communities fighting to protect their natural resources from the fossil fuel industry. The victory is also a win for the Rights for Nature movement, which has been spreading across the globe in recent years. Over the last decade, courts, legislatures, and various bodies of government in several countries have won ecosystem protection cases by granting rights to nature. In 2008, Ecuador became the first country in the world to formally recognize and implement the Rights of Nature and in 2017, New Zealand granted its Whanganui River legal personhood rights. With many communities feeling alone and helpless in their fight to protect the ecosystems they rely on from exploitation, Grant Township serves as proof that even a small group of regular people can protect natural resources from large-scale threats. https://www.hellbentfilm.com/
March 2023 Newsletter
Fact Ohio Faith communities together for a sustainable future
Fracking Ohio's Parks: HB507 Dr. Randi Pokladnik page 3-4 Ohio HB 507 was rushed through the 134th Ohio General Assembly's lame duck session with no opportunity for public comment. Fracking Ohio's Parks: HB507 Dr. Randi Pokladnik Ohio HB 507 was rushed through the 134th Ohio General Assembly's lame duck session with no opportunity for public comment. This bill, which facilitates fracking on our public lands, becomes a law on April 7. Once that happens, the Ohio Oil and Gas Land Management Commission will be in control of leasing processes. They are creating rules and lease agreement forms for the state parcels “nominated for fracking”. However, until the rules are in place, leases can be executed “without public notices, without public comments, and without competitive bidding or oversight by the commission to protect the public interests.” Unlike New York, which banned fracking based on numerous health studies, Ohio has embraced the industry with open-arms and a lackadaisical attitude towards regulations protecting the land, air, water and citizens’ health. Our state lands are now open for oil and gas extraction and we are faced with a daunting task: trying to preserve our forests and parks from an extractive industry. In a February meeting of the commission, Ohio citizens asked for a minimum 60-day comment period, advance notification of the parcels being considered, parcel information including maps, and factors being considered in making decisions. I attended the March 1 commission meeting, but citizens were prohibited from speaking or asking questions. Instead, the majority of the meeting was allocated to the Muskingum Watershed Conservancy District (MWCD), who discussed their very lucrative long-term association with the oil and gas industry and their template for lease agreements. MWCD claims their mission is flood reduction, conservation, and recreation. However, after sitting through their presentation, one might say their mission is to make money, lots of money. In fact, “no one has benefited financially as much as the Muskingum Watershed Conservancy District; Ohio’s No. 1 beneficiary of drilling.” The MWCD has made millions of dollars on water sales, fracking leases, and royalties. Additionally, the MWCD gathers fees from boaters who use the lakes, home leases, park fees, money from timbering, and fees from flood protection assessments. Citing the MWCD royalty range (18%-20%) as a template, the commission set 12.5 % as the minimum royalty fee for state lands, saying they “are probably leaving dollars on the table”. There is little doubt our state lands are being viewed as money makers, not shared natural areas where Ohio’s citizens can enjoy nature or where biodiversity is protected. Ohio’s citizens own these lands and tax dollars support these agencies. It is doubtful we will have a seat at the table when it comes to deciding which lands can be leased. Muskingum’s land manager, Nate Wilson, described how their leases “require additional setbacks (3000 feet), testing, and additional containment facilities in case of accidents.” But, their input into the process ends there. The Ohio Department of Natural Resources has shown they lack the ability to enforce violations or levy fines and the industry benefits from exemptions of the Clean Air Act, Clean Water Act, Safe Drinking Water Act, National Environmental Policy Act, and Emergency Planning and Community Right-to Know Act. MWCD Executive Director Craig Butler said they “do not put surface construction on MWCD lands, but we do have pipeline access and gathering line access and water lines and those types of things.” It is still unclear if our state lands will be impacted by drilling pads. Companies could possibly use a “separate written surface use agreement” to construct well pads on state lands. The widespread use of high-pressure hydraulic fracturing (fracking) has turned rural areas of SE Ohio into industrial zones. I travel along Routes 151, 250 and 646 in the Tappan Lake area of the MWCD watershed and see endless pipelines cutting across hillsides. Wells pads, access roads, water withdrawal lines and infrastructure are devouring the landscape. Is this what we want to see happening in our publicly owned state lands? Many Ohioans chose to live in rural areas because of the beauty that the forests and hills provide. As Ohioans we hold our precious lakes, rivers, streams and tributaries dear, aware that our lives depend on the purity of these waterways. Real stewards of the environment protect precious resources for future generations; they do not destroy them for financial gains. No amount of money or extravagant marina is worth exposing our children to toxic chemicals and pollution from an unregulated industry. Our rural communities have become sacrifice zones at the mercy of the fossil fuel industry. Proponents of fracking tout the monetary gains that only a few key people enjoy. They continue to ignore the long-term health effects associated with fracking. They ignore the increases in methane emissions which are fueling climate change and contributing to the collapse of ecosystems world-wide. They turn a blind eye to radioactive leachate to entering our waterways. They overlook the millions of gallons of radioactive produced water and carcinogenic chemicals that are spilled onto our rural roads every day. Accidents involving trucks and tankers have increased by 14 percent in fracked areas of Ohio. The recent train derailment in East Palestine reminds us how one mistake can permanently alter the lives of thousands of people and forever taint the environment. Until Ohio puts health, safety, and a clean environment ahead of the interests of the fossil fuel industry, we can only wonder what will be left of our state lands and rural communities in the aftermath of this fracking craze. .
Earth Day Weekend in Ohio: Focus on East Palestine Led by FaCT & Ohio Council of Churches page 6 East Palestine can never be what it was. Toxic exposure symptoms persist, especially among children—vomiting, rashes, trouble breathing. Even those who do not report symptoms still smell unusual odors in the air. Earth Day Weekend in Ohio: Focus on East Palestine Led by FaCT & Ohio Council of Churches East Palestine can never be what it was. Toxic exposure symptoms persist, especially among children—vomiting, rashes, trouble breathing. Even those who do not report symptoms still smell unusual odors in the air that EPA claims is safe to breathe. Safe? Scientists tell us that if you can smell a substance, it is already in your body. And what is really a safe level in the air of the chemicals involved? Many of the chemicals were combined, especially from the detonation on February 6, creating additional toxins such as phosgene gas and dioxin. Indeed, testing recently detected dioxin in East Palestine. Norfolk Southern is removing the tracks and the soil beneath the tracks. But some scientists have warned that they may not be able to get all of the toxins out of the soil and that some of these could migrate into ground water and local water wells. The truth is no one really knows if or when this area will be safe to live in again. Some residents were heard referring to their town as another Chernobyl. Thirty-seven years after the 1987 nuclear accident, the place is still uninhabitable. EPA and Norfolk Southern must help anyone who wants to evacuate from East Palestine. Moving expenses and lodging should be paid for by the railroad, and residents should not have to return until they feel safe. This is what East Palestinians are demanding, and this is what they deserve. Further down the road Norfolk Southern should be required to buy houses that no one will want to live in again. It’s a matter of simple justice. Like most of us, almost all their wealth is in their homes. Who could afford to lose that? As people of faith, we too are called upon to do our part--to pray, reflect, and take action. FaCT together with the Ohio Council of Churches is calling for an all-Ohio effort among all faith communities of all faith persuasions. On Earth Day Weekend, April 22-23, let’s get informed, assemble in our places of worship, and pray for the people of East Palestine. We must reflect: What can we do to help? What can we do to prevent disasters like this from happening again? Finally, we must act by extending real material help to East Palestinians and undertaking real concrete action to get our local, state, and federal governments to do their jobs by holding railroads, petroleum, plastics and other industries accountable for their actions. We must act to help safeguard EVERY small and large community in Ohio and throughout the nation. Clergy & Lay Congregation Leaders, Click here for your Congregation to participate in the Day of Prayer, Reflection, & Call to Action: JOIN
King Coal Cleveland International Film Festival March 25 & 26 FaCTOhio ~ Community Partner page 2 Cleveland International Film Festival Community Partner FactOhio King Coal Academy Award®-nominated documentarian Elaine McMillion Sheldon takes us into the heart of contemporary Appalachia with KING COAL, where she examines the psyche of the region defined by the omnipresence of the coal industry. Poetically told with stunning cinematography, the film captures, with rich detail and curiosity, both the landscape and daily life within the region. Often told through a child’s perspective, this soulful, elegiac documentary details how Appalachia’s coal mines are central to the identity of its citizens and history and what happens to a society when it begins to lose that identity. But the film also addresses the future, as the death of the coal mine in this part of the country awakens possibilities for a new beginning and a new story to be told about American life. Saturday - March 25 - 9:35 AM Sunday - March 26 - 12:00 PM Movie Tickets can be purchased online or at the door. Use Discount Code FACT After Sunday's screening, join King Coal director Elaine McMillion Sheldon and panelists in a discussion on sustainability initiatives in Ohio’s 32 Appalachian counties. Sunday's panel discussion will take place in Westfield Studio Theatre ~ Idea Center ~ Playhouse Square 1:45 PM on Sunday, March 26 Panelists will include Dr. Randi Pokladnik. Born and raised in eastern Ohio, Dr. Pokladnik has lived in the strip-mined coal counties of Jefferson and Harrison for over 60 years. An environmental scientist and retired research chemist, Dr. Pokladnik earned an associate degree in Environmental Engineering, a BA in Chemistry, and MA and PhD in Environmental Studies. She did her dissertation on threats to medicinal plants in Appalachia. Dr. Pokladnik is also certified in hazardous materials regulations and holds teaching licenses in science and math. She worked as a research chemist for National Steel Corporation for 12 years and taught secondary and post-secondary science and math classes for more than 20 years. Her research includes an analysis of organic farming regulations and environmental issues impacting the Appalachian region of Ohio, Kentucky and West Virginia. Dr. Pokladnik is a member of FaCT Ohio, Mid- Ohio Valley Climate Action, the Citizens Climate Lobby, and Climate Reality Project. Learn how FaCTOhio helps educate community members on the impact of resource exploitation on the health and safety of Appalachian communities, as well as infrastructure bills and policies designed to provide a new future for people living on the lands. Amanda Rabinowitz, host of All Things Considered will moderate this conversation.
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Flaring burns off excess methane, releasing greenhouse gasses into the air. Harrison County. 2023
HB507 continue from page 3
Frack Pad. Harrison County 2023
MAKE A PHONE CALL TODAY: Contact US EPA Administrator Debra Shore’s office, 1-888-445-5134 Phone Script: i, this is (insert name), I live in (insert city in Ohio), and I’m calling today to ask Administrator Shore to begin actions to remove Ohio’s authority to manage the class II oil and gas waste Injection well program. The program managed by the Ohio Department of Natural Resources (ODNR), continues to endanger underground drinking water sources and public health.
From the Treasurer Ron Prosek
Thanks to everyone who donated to FaCT since the last issue. We appreciate your support, which is vital for FaCT programming. Currently, FaCT programming includes brine spreading education, education about injection wells, our popular Distinguished Speakers Series, the development of our new program on climate change, and our new podcast, Just the FaCTS! With your support, we have been developing activities for Earth Day Weekend in support of East Palestine and for reform of freight rail operations in Ohio and the nation. Recently, we have participated in the ASA Conference in Athens, Ohio. This is an annual event that includes academics and activists focused on the challenges and opportunities for Appalachia. Since 32 Ohio counties are in Appalachia and since these counties are heavily impacted by fracking and petrochemical operations, we felt that it is important for FaCT’s perspective to be represented in the Conference and for FaCT to learn from the other conference participants. We will also be participating in the Faith and Community in Appalachia Conference March 24-25. Your donations to FaCT support our representatives’ travel and lodging expenses as well as registration fees for these important conferences. THANK YOU! Do you prefer an e-version only of the FaCT Newsletter? If you are currently receiving a paper copy of the FaCT Newsletter via U.S. mail but would prefer to receive an e-version only, please let us know by emailing Ron Prosek at rprosek.factohio@gmail.com On the other hand, if you are currently getting only the e-version but would also like the paper version, which comes out every other month, please email Ron Prosek at the email address above. Please include your full mailing address.