Letter Message from the Headwaters Defense for Fayette County, WV
Hey all,
Last month, we all came together as a group for the It’s a Gas – O&G Meet-Up. I wanted to reach out to you all to let you know some exciting news!
On Tuesday, January 12th, Fayette County will become the first county in West Virginia to enact a ban on oil and gas waste. This is the culmination of many months of hard work by members of Headwaters Defense and citizens of Fayette County. Collectively, we have gotten 5,000 petition signatures, pressured the County Commission into action, and worked alongside the County Prosecutor to draft a strong, enforceable ordinance against frack waste disposal.
At 9 am next Tuesday, January 12th the Fayette County Commission will have Second Reading and passage of the “ORDINANCE BANNING THE STORAGE, DISPOSAL, OR USE OF OIL AND NATURAL GAS WASTE IN FAYETTE COUNTY, WEST VIRGINIA.”
Headwaters Defense will be delivering a petition of 5,000 hand-written signatures in support of passage of this ordinance. After the Commission meeting, members of Headwaters Defense will be having a press conference where local leaders will talk about the health impacts of living near fracking waste injection wells, and the importance of local enforcement.
That evening, at 7 pm Headwaters Defense will be having a rally at the Brethren Fellowship Center (125 Central Ave, Oak Hill WV). There will be speakers, music, food, and a great opportunity to have conversations about moving forward. We will be discussing the provisions of the ordinance that grant each citizen the power to enforce our law in both civil and criminal court. Our primary goal right now is to shut down the frack waste injection wells operated by Danny Webb Construction in Lochgelly, WV. The people wrote this law, we organized for its passage, and we will enforce it!
We would love to have support from other individuals and organizations from across the state. Can you join us on Tuesday, January 12th at the County Commission meeting or at our Rally that night? We believe that local laws can help protect our water and rights against the fracking industry and we’d love to share this strategy with other people from across the state.
I’ve attached the text of the local ordinance to this email if you’re interested in the language of our law. [Contact Robin Blakeman below.] We hope to see you there on Tuesday!
Thank you, Jackson Kusiak, Headwaters Defense
>>> Alternate Contact Person: Robin Blakeman, rbrobinjh@gmail.com, 304-840-4877
Ohio Valley Environmental Coalition, www.ohvec.org
Stewardship of Creation Enabler, Presbytery of West Virginia
www.wvpresbytery.org/ministries/committees-affinity-groups/stewardship-of-creation-ministry-team/
<<< When we heal the earth, we heal ourselves. ~ David Orr >>>
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Update on Fayette County Waste Disposal in WV, January 15, 2016
On 12 January 2016, an ordinance to prohibit disposal and dumping of hazardous wastes, especially drill cuttings and fluids from hydrofracturing, passed unanimously after its second reading before the Fayette County (WV) Commission.
The WV Mountain Party’s grassroots guidance led the way to the passage of this historic law. Since the inception of this ordinance, the West Virginia Mountain Party has been the principle leader on this issue. From authoring the petition and original draft of the ordinance, to aiding Headwaters Defense members and other local citizens distribute leaflets and circulate the petition to collect over 5,000 signatures urging countywide passage, the Mountain Party was instrumental in getting it done.
While the WV legislature toys with devices to reduce wages of working citizens, and figures out ways to reduce of corporate taxes to let public infrastructures further deteriorate, and even grant companies the power to unilaterally dishonor legitimate contracts, MOUNTAIN PARTY leaders have been preparing and shepherding this historic ordinance to help keep water safe for the residents of Fayette County and those downstream.
Tom Rhule, Environmental Justice Committee, WV Mountain Party