Washington County Residents Escalate Two Day Action from Marietta to the Ohio Statehouse
Photos by Washington County For Safe Drinking Water
In a historic two day escalation, a coalition representing nine local entities from Washington County arrived at the Ohio Statehouse on Thursday, March 5 to hand deliver resolutions demanding a three year moratorium on Class I and Class II injection wells. This movement follows a massive gathering in Marietta on Wednesday evening and a two part action in Columbus today that included a protest of the Ohio Oil and Gas Association awards and a press conference at the Statehouse.
The day began with community members protesting outside the Hilton Easton of Columbus where State Senator Brian Chavez received the "Oil Field Patriot Award" from industry groups. Residents highlighted the jarring disconnect of a sitting Senator receiving awards from the oil and gas industry while his own constituents are forced to travel to the capital to demand basic water safety and a pause on the injection of toxic waste. Senator Brian Chavez has been accused by his constituents in a recently filed ethics complaint of having a conflict of interest and close ties to the same companies who are injecting the waste under the ground he represents, while he sits as the energy chairman and has sponsored and fast-tracked legislation that could benefit the injection well industry and his family businesses while weakening oversight of the regulatory body.
Marietta City Council President Susan Vessels spoke at the Marietta press conference on Wednesday, emphasizing the unprecedented nature of this local unity.
“This is the first time in Ohio, and maybe in the nation’s history, that this many water districts have gotten together to fight for our future,” Vessels said. “And so, I think that there is hope, in this sort of ground swell, and we are showing what the community wants--we want safety--and we just have to hope that they listen to us in Columbus.”
The coalition is calling on Governor DeWine and the Ohio Legislature to formally acknowledge and enforce a pause on new permits and current waste injection until a comprehensive study of the impacts on local geology can be completed. The urgency is driven by staggering data showing that over 2.8 billion gallons of oil and gas waste, which is the equivalent of 4,313 Olympic sized-swimming pools, were injected into the county between 2010 and 2024 and the plethora of injection wells failures that have happened in Southeast Ohio recently.
Local leaders and residents emphasized the current brine migration issues and the state’s lack of accountability and proper oversight, allowing toxic waste to infiltrate oil and gas wells without proper investigations in the area. “Dozens of production well owners in Washington County have lost their home heating and their businesses. Some totaling millions of dollars in losses,” said Bev Reed of Buckeye Environmental Network. “The Ohio Department of Natural Resources and the state legislature are doing NOTHING to help these people who have been impacted by these failing, leaking waste injection wells, and are instead rapidly rubber stamping MORE injection wells way too close to drinking water sources under outdated regulations. It’s absolutely tragic what’s happening.”
Hillary Royster, a member of Washington County for Safe Drinking Water, addressed the regulatory exemptions that have left the community vulnerable.
“The radioactivity brought to the surface in oil and gas development was never federally regulated and remains unregulated. The industry was granted a federal exemption in 1980 that legally defined their waste as nonhazardous, despite containing toxic chemicals, carcinogens, heavy metals and all the radioactivity,” Royster stated.
The group hand delivered the nine official resolutions alongside a petition signed by over 300 residents to the Governor's office. This physical delivery is intended to ensure that Governor DeWine and the state senate acknowledge the unified local voice so that these protections can be formally enforced.
“Some industry lobbyists will tell you that injection wells in Ohio never leak. Well, our lived reality and ODNR’s own documents will tell you otherwise,” said Hillary Royster with Washington County for Safe Drinking Water. “Every single injection well failure that we know of in Ohio documented by ODNR has been in Southeast Ohio.”
The delegation remains committed to a transparent investigation into well migrations and a complete hydrologic review to ensure the 32,000 people who rely on these aquifers are safe.
About Washington County for Safe Drinking Water: We are a group of neighbors and local leaders dedicated to ensuring that our community has access to clean, safe drinking water for generations to come.
Watch the Video of the Press Conference in Marietta on March 4th
https://youtu.be/Fb-55ynhgcQ
Watch the Video of the Press Conference in Columbus on March 5th:
https://youtu.be/62MCTr8eYrI
Watch the Video of the protest of Senator Brian Chavez receiving the Oilfield Patriot Award Outside of the Ohio Oil and Gas Association on March 5th
https://youtu.be/yLjmxWr9i-g
All of the nine signed moratorium resolutions are now posted to the City website for public viewing: the City of Marietta, Warren, Putnam, Highland Ridge, Little Hocking, and Tri-County water districts along with Muskingum and Waterford Townships, and the Village of Beverly. The resolutions are at the end of the list at the filling link: https://www.mariettaoh.net/government/city_council/agendas_and_minutes.php#outer-2077
