<body><div><figure><img src="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?type=thumbnail_580x000&amp;url=3ciWjG_1FWWMwB700" alt="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?url=3ciWjG_1FWWMwB700" width="1100" height="638" ></figure>This is in response to the article "Ohio Oil and Gas Association opposes proposed moratorium" published in the Sept. 21 edition of your newspaper. There are multiple misleading statements made by the Ohio Oil and Gas Association (OOGA), as well as Rep. Kevin Ritter, which should be clarified for readers.OOGA President Rob Brundrett stated, "The path forward is to allow Ohio's regulatory process to work as designed while protecting the conventional production ..." The regulatory process that Brundrett is referring to is the woefully inadequate and fundamentally flawed oversight by the Ohio Department of Natural Resources Oil and Gas division. Let's start in Athens County. In the case of the leaking injection wells owned by K&amp;H Partners, it took the ODNR seven years after the initial finding of production wells mysteriously filling up with foreign oil and gas wastewater to shut down the K&amp;H wells. ODNR was aware of wastewater migration as far back as 2016. Incidents occurred at production wells in 2016, 2019, 2020, and 2021, yet the suspension order for the wells did not come until 2023 -- seven years later. A similar situation happened at the Frost injection well. The agency took three years to suspend Frost after the initial incident.In Noble County, a similar trend happened. Two injection wells had migrated toxic wastewater into production wells over five miles away. Various incidents happened in 2010, 2013, and 2019. Then in 2021, a blow-out at a wellhead occurred, resulting in a massive $1.3 million clean-up that ODNR had to undertake. But even that wasn't what prompted the suspension of the wells. The suspension didn't come until 2 years later, when a different production well was impacted. This time it took the agency 13 years to shut down the leaking/problematic injection wells. Washington County is no different. Oil and gas wells have been bubbling up and becoming pressurized with mysterious briny fluids near injection wells for years in Washington County. The Redbird injection well near Belpre migrated its wastewater when it first opened in 2019. The fluid showed up at production wells over 5 miles away. The solution was to drill into a deeper formation and continue operating. That's what they did. The problem is now getting worse. More production wells are filling with fluid, and the ones that were already full are increasing in pressure. The DeepRock-owned American Growers 1 injection well is another issue. Multiple times, salty fluid leaked into the environment and into nearby streams near that well. ODNR's own records show this ongoing pattern since around 2020, yet no real investigation into the source of the issue has been undertaken by the agency until a couple months ago. Delay after delay after delay is ODNR's pattern. This leaking is not a one-off problem. Southeast Ohio has been plagued with problematic injection wells for many years.Does the above track record sound like a regulatory process that is working? Everything advocates have been discussing is based on scientific facts, real reports, and ODNR's own data. Injection wells are leaking. The damage is done. People are now losing the gas to heat their homes. A reputable scientist with a Ph.D in geology has stated that the drinking water is being put at risk due to these injection wells. This could have been avoided. ODNR's history is that of a reactive approach, rather than a proactive one. Of course Mr. Brundrett would be in favor of a reactive approach. It means his industry gets to inject blindly into the geology and continue to make as much money as possible until years of damage is done and disaster strikes. And when disaster does strike, the LLCs can walk away from the mess and file bankruptcy. Mr. Brundrett also mentions "protecting conventional production" as a "path forward." Obviously Mr. Brundrett was not one of the 160+ people who received a letter recently stating their gas was getting shut off this winter and instructing them to find another source of heat. Surely he has read the many reports describing the irreversible damage done to local conventional producers. Surely he has read the accounts from these producers who say their businesses are ruined and they are losing money daily.It is unfathomable that the Ohio Oil and Gas Association would be taking this stance, defending the injection well industry while the harms continue to mount to the conventional producers, property owners, and now tax-paying citizens in the form of losing their home heating. The very people who have paid dues to the Oil and Gas Association for decades have been tossed aside, forgotten about, ignored, and treated poorly by the very industry that is supposed to be representing them. Rep. Kevin Ritter's claims that there is "already a nearly four-year pause at this point" since new rules went into effect in 2022 is wildly inaccurate and incredibly misleading to his constituents. Washington County ranks number one in the entire state for Class II injection waste since 2010. ODNR's own records reveal that over a billion gallons of oil and gas wastewater has been pumped into the county at high pressure since 2022, despite new regulations taking effect. Eight or so injection wells are effectively active in the county. Rep Ritter has not advocated on behalf of Washington County residents. Instead, he has refused to meet with ODNR directly, despite being asked to do so by his constituents, nor has he been present at local meetings to listen to constituents' concerns. Rep. Ritter should be telling ODNR to enforce Ohio laws, not play games with them. Representative RItter's job is to protect the lives, health, and clean drinking water of the people in their district; saying he has done his job by making a couple of phone calls when our drinking water is at risk proves nothing except he isn't doing his job. Furthermore, his false statements and lack of proper advocacy on this subject should not go overlooked by residents this election season. Washington County deserves better than this. People are tired of the political rhetoric and the games that the industry and lawmakers play. Tanya Wilder is with Washington County for Safe Drinking Water.</div></body>

Block Source: Parkersburg News & Sentinel

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This is in response to the article "Ohio Oil and Gas Association opposes proposed moratorium" published in the Sept. 21 edition of your newspaper. There are multiple misleading statements made by the Ohio Oil and Gas Association (OOGA), as well as Rep. Kevin Ritter, which should be clarified for readers.

Op-ed: Industry, lawmakers not protecting Washington County

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This is in response to the article "Ohio Oil and Gas Association opposes proposed moratorium" published in the Sept. 21 edition of your newspaper. There ar

Op-ed: Industry, lawmakers not protecting Washington County

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