A group of Athens County residents are slated to meet with the County Commission on Tuesday to present a revised draft resolution meant to implement community protections from the impacts of oil and gas "fracking."
The controversial drilling technique is at the epicenter of local environmental attention, as it is across the country, and the group slated to present the revised resolution traveled to Wetzel County, W. Va., earlier this month to witness the process in action and its effects on that area northeast of Marietta, Ohio.
The group met with the Athens County commissioners last week to discuss the resolution and are coming back with an altered proposal.
According to a report submitted by the group on their experiences, they were hosted by the Wetzel County Action Group in their tour. Many Athens area residents have been taking the Wetzel tour, and have submitted descriptions of what they've observed as op-eds to The Athens NEWS.
"Northern Wetzel County is home to 33 Marcellus Shale gas wells and three compressor stations installed by Chesapeake (Energy) in a six-square mile area of the county since 2007," the report states. "Chesapeake has a total of 140 wells permitted in Wetzel, and many additional wells and permits exist with other companies. What was once miles of bucolic forested and agricultural West Virginia countryside is now a rural industrial petrochemical complex."
The report was provided by local resident Al Blazevicious. Other members of the group included Ann Brown, Ken Edwards, Jane Jacobs, Bruce Kuhre, Loraine McCosker, Celia Wetzel and Athens City Council member Michele Papai. Some of these individuals, including McCosker and Wetzel, have been outspoken critics of horizontal hydraulic fracturing.
"We saw numerous ridgetop drill pads and compressor stations, and spoke to several farmers who experienced significant impacts on their water, air, land, livelihoods, property values, personal health and quality of life," the group reported.
That change in landscape was a major thrust of the group's report.
"The life and viewscape in Wetzel County has changed from rolling agricultural hills, woods, streams and ponds, to an industrial landscape," they said. "The ridgetops are now filled with gas wells, storage tanks, compressor stations, huge storage ponds with slipping dams, while the trucks, noise, pollution and frack waste roll on (into southeast Ohio)."
They wrote that responsible citizens have an obligation to themselves and the community to view the impacts of the drilling technique firsthand.
"If plans for extensive hydraulic fracturing in our area materialize, we must prepare and plan for the consequences in advance, and take coordinated action to mitigate the negative impacts on our water, land, air and quality of life," the group stated in the report.
The group has proposed to the Athens County commissioners that they create an advisory group.
The commissioners had varying reactions to the presentation but thanked the group for their efforts.
"I appreciate the time they have taken to get informed on the issue and their offer of help," said Commissioner Lenny Eliason. "We will be discussing how to best work with their desires for an advisory group."
Commissioner Larry Payne said that the previous meeting with the group was productive.
"Concerning the findings of their trip, I believe we were already aware of most of the issues they reported," he said. "They stated concerns about safety, damage to roads and the environment. I informed them that the county was already being proactive on the issues we actually have authority to take action on."
One such action deals with the county roadways and the potential damaging impact on them. Payne said that the county is reviewing the option of a Road Use Maintenance Agreement (RUMA).
Ohio Gov. John Kasich is also planning to propose a tax increase on oil and gas development in Ohio, with some of the proceeds going to communities to help with road and bridge repair and maintenance related to fracking.
The group reported that truck traffic has overwhelmed the structural integrity of the road system in Wetzel County.
"While on our tour, a Chesapeake Energy heavy-duty pickup wrecked off the steep side of a road," the report states. "The road edge had given away. The tow truck sent to pull it out was undersized. Chesapeake was paying for constant, repeated road improvements. Although roads were widened to accommodate large rig vehicles, the steep road shoulders were insufficiently stable to support the weight and volume of trucking traffic."
The group also reported that the community in Wetzel County hasn't appeared to gain much economic benefit as a whole from the operations, although some jobs have been created.
Oil and gas companies, including Cunningham Energy of Charleston, W.Va., have been buying up mineral rights in Athens County, in preparation for hydraulic fracturing for oil in the deep Utica/Pt. Pleasant shale layer. Many landowners who have signed leases are waiting apprehensively to see whether they'll get the payoff on the leases, in both signing bonuses and royalties.
The companies are researching county land records to make sure that landowners signing leases actually own their mineral rights, and also have made it clear that if test wells don't show positive results, significant oil development probably won't happen in Athens County.
The county commissioners have been trying to tread a careful balance on this controversial issue. While Athens County has many bitter opponents of hydraulic fracturing, it also has many landowners who stand to benefit financially if their leases get paid off.