Thanks to financial support to Ohio Citizen Action Education Fund from the Winslow Foundation, the Patagonia Foundation, the Puffin Foundation West, the New World Foundation, and Ohio Citizen Action members Ohio Citizen Action released a report today highlighting the failures of state and federal agencies to operate the state’s oil and gas waste disposal well program. The Ohio Department of Natural Resources (ODNR) and U.S. EPA share the blame for inadequate oversight, inconsistent practice, non-enforcement and even disdain and disrespect of citizens attempting to get answers about oil and gas injection wells in their communities.
To prepare this Citizens’ Audit, we trained 16 citizen investigators to read thousands of pages of documents, including inspection reports, permit applications, permits, well completion reports and well histories. They used this information to compile profiles of 43 injection wells that have been permitted and drilled since the last U.S. EPA audit in 2009.
The audit paints a picture of neglect that endangers public health and natural resources. It fills a void left by regulators at U.S. EPA who have failed to produce a thorough audit of ODNRs oil and gas waste disposal program since fracking activity ramped up in 2010.
Read their report http://ohiocitizen.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/12/Citizen-audit-12-12.pdf
http://ohiocitizen.org/wp-
