Take Action Oil and Gas Permits - Listening Session p3 Oppose Ohio SB171 and Ohio HB282 Anne Caruso p6
FaCT Updates Speaker Series Anne Caruso p1 Brine Committee Ron Prosek p6 Board of Director Nominations Marlene Blatnik-Freeze p5 From the Treasurer Ron Prosek p8
In this month's newsletter
July 2022 Newsletter
News & Views Muskingum Water Conservancy Dr. Randi Pokladnik p2-3 Fixing Ohio's Farms Linda New p4-5 Restore the Ohio River Basin Dr. Randi Pokladnik p6
Fact Ohio Faith communities together for a sustainable future
Distinguished Speaker Series: Ross MacPhee: Mammalogist, Paleontologist, Anthropologist
The End of the Megafauna, The Fate of the World's Hugest, Fiercest, and Strangest Animals Through the connections and efforts of FACTOhio Vice-President Ted Auch and our valued former Director John Elder, we have been able to present outstanding authors in our FACTOhio virtual Distinguished Speaker Series. On September 10th we’ll hear from acclaimed nature writer and scientist, Ross MacPhee, author of The End of the Megafauna, The Fate of the World's Hugest, Fiercest, and Strangest Animals. Dr. MacPhee is a paleo-mammalogist and curator of mammals at the American Museum of Natural History in New York City. The focus of his work is extinction biology. Only a few thousand years ago our planet was full of megafauna, animals weighing 100 pounds or more. There were wooly mammoths, saber-toothed tigers, 500 pound birds, crocodiles that weighed a ton, and many others. Together with award winning illustrator, Peter Schouten, Ross MacPhee brings to life this early world and examines the various theories of what happened that brought it to an end. Descriptions of that environment and discussions of its mysterious disappearances with meticulous scientific information, wit, and insight make reading this book an adventure. We are looking forward to hearing Ross MacPhee speak on September 10th at 3 pm. We hope you will join us. The program is free. Please register in advance using this link.
Fossil Fuel Sacrifice Zones
Muskingum Watershed Conservancy District: Making money at the expense of our environment Dr. Randi Pokladnik, PhD Environmental Studies
{{page}}
Yellowstone National Park in Montana experienced massive flooding last month. “Water devoured roads, swept away bridges, isolated entire towns and shut down one of America’s busiest parks.” The flooding was blamed on a cool-wet spring which was equivalent to 200 percent of the normal moisture from snow melt. Warmer temperatures and more rain caused the Yellowstone River to overflow its banks with a flow of nearly 50,000 cubic feet of water per second. USGS data shows that over the past 130 years, the river only reached 32,000 cubic feet three times. This was a 1 in 500-year flood event. Kansas is one of the major cattle-producing states in America. Farmers witnessed cattle dropping dead as heat spiked from 79 degrees on June 9th to 101 degrees on June 11th. Over 2000 cattle were lost in the intense heat wave triggered by climate change. These recent events along with the storms that hit Ohio last month are evidence that the climate is changing and severe weather will soon be the new norm. Still, the oil and gas industry continues to cling to the very fuel that is driving this climate crisis. It is estimated that in 2021, extreme weather caused by climate change cost US taxpayers close to $100 billion dollars. We know from scientific studies that global methane levels have significantly increased since fracking exploded in North America. Also, low producing wells that are allowed to leak contribute to large amounts of methane emissions in North America. Tracy Sabetta of Ohio’s Moms Clean Air Force said, "If you look at prices from 2019, there's more than $700 million in wasted natural gas. That is enough to supply over 3.6 million homes in the U.S. annually, or to power every single home in Ohio." Fracking is fueling the climate crisis but this fact is ignored by many including the Muskingum Watershed Conservancy District. The MWCD recently signed a lease agreement with Encino Energy to frack 7,300 acres of property at Tappan Lake in Harrison County. The deal will place $40 million dollars into the MWCD coffers. The MWCD has a long history with oil and gas extraction, leasing thousands of acres for Utica shale drilling and selling water from MWCD lakes to be used by drillers for fracking. It was once stated that the MWCD is the “number 1 beneficiary of drilling in Ohio.” The Muskingum Watershed Conservancy District includes parts or the entirety of 27 Ohio counties. All of these counties have seen some impact from oil and gas development, however, the counties of Carroll, Harrison, Belmont, Noble, and Guernsey have been significantly impacted. The watershed made $200 million on Utica Shale wells from 2009 to 2015. Even though local citizens expressed concerns about water sales, in 2012, the MWCD sold 11 million gallons of water from Clendening Lake in Harrison County to Gulfport Energy. Water has also been sold to the oil and gas industry from Seneca Lake and Piedmont Lake. Gordon Maupin, the President of the MWCD Board of Directors, said this recent lease agreement reflects “our desire to renew and increase our focus on improving the watershed and water quality and protecting our resource by requiring enhanced environmental protections”. Those “enhanced environmental protections” Maupin speaks of are superficial at best and include walls to block noise and visuals, some water testing and erosion protection. It is impossible to protect land, air and water from the pollution of fracking since this industry is basically exempt from all major federal environmental laws and regulations such as: Clean Air Act, Clean Water Act, Safe Drinking Water Act, National Environmental Policy Act, and Emergency Planning and Community Right-to Know Act. Citizens living near oil and gas activities have expressed concerns about drilling operations which include: the chemicals/additives used to drill/frack, the radionuclides brought up to the surface in produced water, drilling in ecologically sensitive areas, contamination from spills, leaks, blowouts, and deliberate releases, subsurface migration of contaminants among aquifers, and increased levels of radon gas in homes near fracking. Workers and nearby residents can be exposed to air contaminants like nitrogen oxides, benzene, ozone, toluene, methane, and fine particulate matter during the fracking process. Run-off of toxic compounds from the well pads can enter Tappan Lake, the drinking water source for Cadiz, Ohio. Should the lake become impaired, where will Cadiz get its water supply? The U.S. EPA and Department of Energy said that an average of seven million gallons of water and over 70,000 gallons of chemicals are used for each well fracked. Over 80 percent of these compounds have never been reviewed by the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC). Many of those reviewed are known carcinogens and hormone blockers. Accidents happen. The XTO Energy well blowout in Belmont County in February 2018 spewed out 120 tons of methane an hour for twenty days. Methane is 84 times as potent a greenhouse gas as carbon dioxide. You cannot claim to be a good steward of the land and ignore all the externalities visited on the landscape from fracking. I live on Tappan Lake and have seen the effects of fracking in the county. Pipelines crisscross the forested hills, fracking trucks congest the rural roadways, water is being withdrawn from local creeks, and even the night skies are obliterated by fracking flares. I can see the new $6 million dollar Tappan Lake Marina from our boat docks and wonder how profitable that marina would be should the lake become contaminated. How much will our property values decrease? Will the fish from the lake be safe to eat if frack wastes as well as brine from fracking contaminates the watershed of the lake? How can the MWCD justify financing improvements by allowing the fossil fuel industry to destroy the very landscape they (MWCD) are supposedly conserving? The definition of conservancy is: a body concerned with the preservation of nature, specific species or natural resources. The Muskingum Watershed Conservancy District is no conservancy.
Tappan Lake, Muskingum Watershed
Guernsey County is in the center of beautiful Ohio with rolling fields and a historic state park. Kevin and Marlene Young have owned property in Guernsey for 47 years, investing time, savings, and labor into their 21 acres. They built their home here, with space for horses, stables, a half-mile race track, and workspace to modify street rods. As the Youngs neared retirement they looked forward to enjoying the land that they worked on for so long. In 2016 Caithness Energy took over the land across from their home. The massive Guernsey Natural Gas Power Station is now under construction in their front yard. Read More
Important Opportunity for Action Stop Fast-Tracking Oil and Gas Permits The Army Corps of Engineers is responsible for permitting oil and gas pipelines and other dirty infrastructure through their Nationwide Permit 12 and Clean Water Act Section 404 permits. As part of a long-term strategy to revoke NWP 12, ensure a robust review process, and keep communities safe from fossil fuel infrastructure, please show up and demand better from the Army Corps. What: Army Corps Listening Session on Environmental Justice - Public Virtual Meeting When: Tuesday, July 26th from 2:00 - 4:00 Eastern Where: Online Register here Talking points on Nationwide Permit 12 and environmental review are linked here. For more information contact Eric Engle, Chairman, Mid-Ohio Valley Climate Action ericengle85@yahoo.com
Muskingum Watershed, continued from page 3
Rows of grapevines, wild daisies, Queen Anne’s lace, phlox, and clover reveal the healthy soil and productivity of Vermilion Valley Vineyard. A graduation party is underway at a nearby pavilion, picnic tables placed across the grassy yard are filled, and smaller tables on the covered patio provide space for more intimate lunches and gatherings. All are signs of a thriving agricultural operation in north central Ohio. Owners Joe and Kristi Juniper employ 12 people in their vineyards and more in the tasting rooms, they farm their own fields, they sell wine at their own bar, and they spend time advocating for small farms and local fruits and vegetable growers in Ohio. Joe is working closely with state senators to create regulations that will promote our state grape industry, keep tax dollars in Ohio, and develop an authentic Ohio brand. You would think that Joe, Kristi and other young agriculturalists would be seen as a boon to our economy, by reviving Ohio small farms. However, the hurdles they face are indicative of state regulations that bow to big AG commodity farming and hinder the fruit and vegetable farmers that we all depend on for healthy, locally sourced foods. The Junipers have been outspoken about challenges and hurdles facing produce farmers in Ohio. Joe has written about herbicide drift that adversely affects his grape crops and cuts into the profitability of his agricultural work. Herbicide drift happens when chemicals that have been applied to commodity crops evaporate and are carried through the air for miles, damaging produce on other farms. Crops such as wheat, corn, and soy, grown in Ohio largely for animal feed and for export overseas, are subjected to large amounts of herbicides to maximize harvest of the underpriced grains. Herbicides currently being applied to many grain fields include Dicamba, a volatile herbicide, and 2,4-D, widely known as a component of Vietnam-era defoliant Agent Orange. Both poisons are derived from petrochemicals, and neither are needed by farmers who practice regenerative agriculture, diversify their farming, and use cover crops. Although food farmers can report damage done by herbicide drift to the Department of Agriculture and request an investigation, follow-through by the department is rare, and expensive lawsuits are often needed to gain any kind of compensation for lost crops. Despite the atmosphere that has proven unfriendly to small Ohio fruit and vegetable farmers, the Junipers fight on, using scientific training and research-based practices to improve the landscape for produce in Ohio. Bart Elmore, Associate Professor of History and Core Faculty in the Sustainability Institute of The Ohio State University writes, “if federal agencies really want to help farmers solve weed problems, they would do well to look to agricultural innovators who are demonstrating that crops can be grown productively and profitably without relying so heavily on synthetic pesticides.” Elmore points out that regenerative farming practices can lessen our dependence on petrochemicals and increase crop yields while maintaining a safe, healthy environment. Part of the success of Vermilion Valley Vineyards is the owners’ awareness of state regulations that stand in the way of expanded local grape production. Ohio offers small tax breaks and grant opportunities to fruit and vegetable farmers. However, these supports are undercut by regulations that incentivize out of state grape purchases for Ohio wines. Currently 89% of grapes that are used for Ohio wines are purchased from Washington and California. Juniper has developed language for legislation that would require Ohio wines to be made with at least 51% Ohio grapes. This hard-won change would help Ohio grape growers increase their production, build local business, develop a unique, authentically regional product, and keep Ohio dollars in Ohio. Fruit and vegetable farmers like the Junipers face daunting opposition to regulations that might get in the way of oversized factory farms and the petrochemical industry whose lobbyists work with members of the Ohio General Assembly. How do we fix this? Buy local and in-season produce. Contact your state legislators in support of bills that incentivize local produce farming and support regenerative farming practices. Vote for legislators that act in the best interest of Ohioans and small farms that provide us with the food we all need.
Fixing Ohio's Farms - Vermilion Valley Linda New
Fixing Ohio's Farms, continued from page 4
FaCT Board of Directors Nominations Marlene Blatnik-Freeze The Annual FaCT meeting is scheduled for the end of September, 2022. Board elections take place at this time. FaCT Board of Directors positions up for election this year are: President Treasurer Three Directors Each position is for two years starting October 1, 2022 and ending on September 30, 2024. Board responsibilities include setting general policies, planning statewide meetings, supervising committees, building strategies for the growth and development of FaCT, overseeing the recruitment of volunteers and paid staff, developing the annual budget, shaping long-range plans and attending monthly Board meetings. The Board of Directors meets on Zoom. If you would like to run for a Board position, please contact one of the FaCT Nominating Committee members: Dan Philipps (dgphilipps@yahoo.com) Marlene Blatnik-Freeze (mblatnik3@hotmail.com) Ginnie McNeil (cleanngreen138@gmail.com) FaCT Bylaws also provide for nominations from the floor during the Annual Meeting.
FaCT’s Brine Education Committee has made presentations to several faith communities in Ohio and is in the process of scheduling many more throughout the state. Members of faith communities need to get the facts so that they can be part of a faith-inspired response on this critical issue. Faith communities like yours represent strong and caring individuals with the power to effect change. Help your faith community become part of the solution to the problem of toxic and radioactive gas/oil well brine waste being spread on roads and other surfaces in Ohio. We invite you to schedule a presentation from FaCT’s Brine Education Committee by emailing me at rprosek.factohio@gmail.com. We can present to your faith community via Zoom or, depending on Covid conditions, in person.
What's wrong with this picture? Everything!
A resource for your faith community: Learning about radioactive brine spreading in Ohio Ron Prosek, Chair, FaCT Brine Education Committee
The Danger of Spreading Brine Waste on Our Roads Anne Caruso Two bills, SB171 and HB282, have been introduced in the Ohio legislature that would allow the sale of oil and gas waste brine from conventional drilling as a commodity. That means it would be sold in stores without labeling as a dangerous substances. Our neighbors could spread it on their driveways and sidewalks. However, in 2018 ODNR tested brine from 118 Ohio conventional and unconventional oil and gas wells. They found that the brine contained Radium 226 and Radium 228 in all but one well. The amounts of Radium were much higher than the safe limits set by the US EPA. Radium is the leading cause of lung cancer in the US. It is bone-seeking so it causes bone cancer also. Recognizing the danger of spreading radioactive material in our environment, ODOT has stopped buying waste brine as a deicer. Citizen groups, including FaCTOhio, are educating the public and public officials about the danger of spreading radioactive brine in the environment. The oil and gas industry is the most profitable industry in history. It uses that wealth to lobby our legislators and other political leaders and to contribute to their political campaigns. Our health and safety depend on public agencies that respond for the public good not to the highest bidder. A large outcry from the public is needed to get the attention of our legislators. If you can, please call your state representative and state Senator in Columbus and urge them to oppose SB171 and HB282.
Restore the Ohio River Basin Dr. Randi Pokladnik Several years ago, I attended a meeting in Pittsburgh sponsored by the Ohio River Sanitation Commission (ORSANCO). This agency consists of members from all of the 15 states that are a part of the Ohio River watershed. Since 1948, ORSANCO has worked to improve water quality in the Ohio River Basin. The meeting was part of a new initiative to create a basin-wide watershed plan for the Ohio River Basin. Currently the Ohio River Basin has no watershed plan and no funding to implement a plan. In order to help further the restoration of the river and to protect it from further degradation, the Ohio River Basin Alliance or ORBA, the National Wildlife Federation and ORSANCO joined forces to start the process of writing a basin-wide plan. Some of the areas that will be addressed in the plan include: barge traffic, clean drinking water, healthy ecosystems, and river recreation. Several other watersheds in the United States have written plans to help improve their water quality. For example, there is the Chesapeake Bay Water Agreement that was signed in 2014. This agreement represents the partnerships of federal, state and local government agencies as well as academic institutions, non-profits organizations and local citizens. Additionally, the Great Lakes has a similar program called the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative (GLRI) which uses federal grants to address pressing issues such as toxic substances, invasive species and non-point pollutants. Recently the GLRI received $1 billion from the Infrastructure and Investment Jobs Act to aid in their work. The Ohio River Basin is home to over 25 million people and the Ohio River; the drinking water source of over 5 million people. The 981-mile river faces threats from sewage contamination, invasive species, toxic pollution, algal blooms, acid mine drainage, habitat destruction and climate change. Some parts of the river are designated as “unsafe to swim in, fish unsafe to eat and water unsafe to drink.” The river has been called the most polluted river in the USA. There are solutions that can help restore the river’s health and the populations of wildlife and fish that call this ecosystem home. With the help of citizens and other agencies we can ensure that every stakeholder in the region has access to safe, clean, affordable drinking water. The National Wildlife Federation (NWF) is collaborating with other organizations “to secure a strong ecosystem restoration plan for the Ohio River and the federal funding to implement it.” They are holding stakeholder meetings around the Ohio River Basin to gather input from those citizens living in the region. Several meetings have already been held in Ohio and West Virginia. I attended the July 13 meeting in Marietta, Ohio. Stakeholders in the Marietta region expressed their concerns as well as possible solutions to help remediate the watershed and prevent further damage. The concerns included: effects of fracking on water, water affordability, toxic compounds, lack of enforcement, health impacts, lack of public awareness, polluted drinking water, and inefficient sanitation and wastewater systems. Some solutions were: encourage renewable energy, K-12 education on water, address climate resilience, strengthen state and federal permit regulations that affect water, and habitat restoration. The Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act has secured money primarily from the US Fish and Wildlife and US Environmental Protection Agency to fund many of the watershed plans. In total, 15 geographical regions across the USA will get funding needed to restore and protect their water. The Ohio River Basin will get $0. Citizens can urge “the Co-Chairs of the Congressional Ohio River Basin Caucus - Rep. John Yarmuth (KY) and Rep. Bill Johnson (OH) to engage the federal legislators with districts in the Ohio River Basin to get their help to address this gap.” Once the Ohio River Basin plan is complete, it will be delivered to the US Congress to request the necessary funding to implement the plan. For more information on how to participate in the comment process you can visit the National Wildlife Federation page to attend a listening session or examine the data site for The Ohio River Basin Alliance.
From the Treasurer by Ron Prosek
Thank you for your generous donations to FaCT. They are really helping FaCT to confront the environmental challenges facing Ohio families. To make a donation, please make your check out to FaCT. Please mail with check to: FaCT, P.O. Box 1235 Mentor, OH 44061 Or donate via FaCT’s secure PayPal link at: www.factohio.org -------------------------------------------Clip and mail with your check----------------------------------------- Name:_______________________________________ Phone:_____________________________________________ Email:___________________________Address:__________________________________________________________ Amount of this donation: $____________ THANK YOU! [July 2022] Contributions to FaCT are tax-deductible as FaCT is an IRS-designated 501c3 public charity I would like to make an ANNUAL PLEDGE of $________________. THANK YOU!
As always, we thank you for your continued financial support. Each month you have provided support that has kept our programming strong and effective. I want to assure you that we are watching over and using your dollars carefully and responsibly. The FaCT Finance Committee meets at least quarterly to review our income and expenses and the handling of our funds. The FaCT Board meets every month and receives a thorough financial report from me, as treasurer, and from our accountant. This month the Finance Committee will be meeting and will start work on putting together our annual budget for Fiscal Year 2023, which begins October 1. The proposed budget will be submitted to the Board of Directors for their revision and approval in advance of the Annual Meeting in September. We humbly ask that you keep sharing your financial resources with us so that we can broaden and strengthen our efforts to protect the Creation and the health and safety of Ohio families. FaCT has been designated at a 501c3 “public charity” by the IRS. Donations and bequests are tax-deductible under IRS rules.
FaCT Membership