Failure of government to protect residents from toxins at injection wells prompts citizens to start inspections.

Members of Appalachia Resist! along with other Southeast Ohio and West Virginia citizens are learning to take our own air quality samples Saturday 5/11/13 through a Bucket Brigade training provided by Global Community Monitor http://gcmonitor.org/ and organized by Athens County Fracking Network www.ACFN.org   According to ACFAN’s Heather Cantino  “In response to the presence of documented toxics in local injection well open pits and to the headaches and throat irritation experienced by residents who have ventured near the well sites, Athens Fracking Action Network has invited GCM to offer their “Bucket Brigade” program to our region. The Bucket Brigade originated in 1995 with Edward Masry, the attorney who worked with environmental activist Erin Brockovich.  Upset about a release of toxic fumes from a local oil refinery, Masry tried to find a way for ordinary people to document air pollution.  The result is a user-friendly device, housed inside a 5-gallon bucket that can “grab” and store air samples for analysis.  Communities that have established a Bucket Brigade are able to challenge polluters and increase enforcement of environmental laws.”  Monitoring air quality around injections wells will be added to water testing Appalachia Resist! members are already doing near well sites.   The hazardous waste that is produced by fracking is not treated as toxic because Halliburton, one of the corporations controlling congress, got it exempted from the Safe Drinking Water Act in 2005.  Let’s see if any of “our” representatives have had a change of heart and are ready to protect people from Halliburton – give them a call and ask they support the FRAC & BREATHE Acts.

Landowner Unable to Prevent Construction of Injection Well on Private Property

ODNR issued the permit for the Atha injection well despite the landowner’s and others opposition.  This will result in frack waste being dumped in Mrs. Frost’s land.  What do you think, is ODNR working for the fracking industry or for us?

http://www.athensnews.com/ohio/article-38298-county-commissioners-supportive-of-injection-well-opponents.html

Obama’s Being Sneaky

Despite all your hard work contacting Cmdr Mike Roldan, the Coast Guard apparently decided to approve barging frack waste on the Ohio, pending a decision by the Office of Management and Budget. Sh! There’s not supposed to be any publicity!

Here’s the Reuters article, reproduced on HuffPo

Support Nate at his pre-trial

Nate Ebert, who locked himself to a monopod at Green Hunter’s proposed barge facility will be in court on Tuesday, April 9th, at 8am at the Municipal Courthouse in Marietta OH. Come support him in the courtroom!

Appalachia Resist! World Water Day Fundraiser

Appalachia Resist’s World Water Day and fundraiser will be held March 23 at Arts West from 2-5 p.m.. There’s a Facebook page for the event on our group page.

World Water Day is a means of focusing attention on the importance of freshwater and advocating for the sustainable management of freshwater resources.

In honor of world water day, Appalachia Resist invites you to learn more about our local water sources while participating in an art sale, silent auction, games to test your knowledge about water and good old fashion fun. Local and organic refreshments will be served and activities for all ages will be provided.

Talented artists from our region have donated oil paintings, prints, pottery and more. Whether your new to art or have been collecting for years, there’s something for you.

Location: Arts/west, 2-5pm March 23rd

Tickets: Ages 5 and up $5 and 4 and under FREE!

The Silent Auction 2-4:30pm:

Tinctures and salves from Ancient Roots

Week of free tuition to a youth summer camp by Rising Appalachian Warriors.

$50 to Jenkinsonfarms

One Massage with Jennifer Cochran

Free herbal consultation with Caty Crab

Handcrafted Items from Hanna’s Handmades

One hour photo shoot with Laura Post

All proceeds will go to Appalachia Resist for education, testing and preservation of our local water resources.
For more details please contact Laura Post @ theholisticmama@gmail.com

Sponsors include:

Athens Wellness Cooperative

Holistic Birth Prep

Meigs CAN Demands Environmental Impact Study of Green Hunter Site

Meigs Citizens Action Now (Meigs CAN), a Southeastern Ohio grassroots community group, wants the United States Coast Guard to conduct a full environmental impact study (EIS) of Texas-based GreenHunter Water LLC’s proposed transfer station in New Matamoras. If approved, the facility would transport produced frack waste from out-of-state fracking sites on the Ohio River by barge. You can read their demand letter here.

Photos from Lobby Day 6 March

Don’t Let Ohio Be the Nation’s Toilet!

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Join ACFAN this Monday, March 18 at noon for a rally on the courthouse steps in Athens. The Ohio Department of Natural Resources is not doing its job! ODNR should be protecting Ohioans from carcinogenic, radioactive frack waste.  Instead, the ODNR allows waste injection wells to operate after they have failed safety inspections. For 25 years ODNR continuously issued permits for new injection wells to D&L Energy, a company with a history of at least 120 citations, violations and injection well suspensions. We now know that D&L’s owner, Ben Lupo, recently ordered the illegal dumping of hundreds of thousands of gallons of radioactive, carcinogenic frack waste into the Mahoning River.  It’s time to tell the EPA to investigate ODNR’s failure to protect Ohioans from carcinogenic, radioactive frack waste.

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For more info and updates go to ACFAN.org

GreenHunter 10 trial update

Eight of the GreenHunter 10 decided to take the plea deal offered by the prosecution. They were offered 30 days suspended jail time, and each was ordered to pay a $250 fine, $280 in court costs per person. In addition, the group must pay $2,383 collectively in restitution to GreenHunter. That brings our legal costs for those eight up to $6,623 including bail.

Help!

You can donate by clicking on the “Donate” Tab to the right. The kicker is that these defenders of our water also can’t put themselves in arrest-able positions at actions for a year without risking 30 days in the pokey. Stay tuned for updates on Nate Ebert’s trial, the prosecution wasn’t ready for him.

Call The Authorities!

If you haven’t yet called Cmdr. Michael Roldan USCG, Chief of the Hazardous Materials Division at 202-372-1420 to ask him not to approve the barging of frack waste on the Ohio River, now would be a great time.

IMPORTANT: Hearing Switched to 3PM

The hearing today for the Green Hunter Ten has been moved to 3PM at the Municipal Courthouse at 259 Butler (between 2nd & 3rd street) See you there!