Climate Change Resists Narrative, Yet the Alphabet Prevails (A to Z): Now F!

(new) Dolls Run Well Pad for Drilling & Fracking in Monongalia County, WV (click on photo to expand)

>>> Technical Article on Fracking by Randi Pokladnik, Submitted January 1, 2023

The Republican dominated Ohio Senate and House recently passed the Amended HB 507 bill. It now awaits a signature from Gov. DeWine who can veto the bill or allow it to go into law after a ten-day period. The bill was originally intended to address poultry sales and food safety, however, at the last minute an amendment, (134-3853) was added to HB 507 in the Senate. Basically, the amendment will force state agencies to open their land to oil and gas drilling with no exceptions. The amendment creates an atmosphere where citizens are basically locked out of any public review process and refused the ability to make comments on the leasing process. It by-passes any considerations of impacts to the environment and recreation.

Pre-19th century, Ohio was 95 percent forested. Today only 30 percent of forested land remains (8.0 million acres) and only 11 percent is owned by state and local governments. The Ohio State Park system encompasses about 170,000 acres of land and over 31 million visitors come to Ohio parks each year.

For many people, both in and out of the state, state parks and forests remain a sanctuary; a place for them to escape their hectic lives and find the peace that nature offers. It also provides a space for recreating, bird watching, fishing, hunting, hiking, canoeing and biking. Additionally, a study by The Ohio State University determined that outdoor recreationalists’ trips bring in $8.1 billion to Ohio’s economy and the sector employs 133,000 workers.

Fracking and all the build-out that this industry requires will dramatically change the landscape of Ohio’s parks and forests. Who wants to hike through a park with frack pads and fracking infrastructure? Who wants to ingest wild game and fish taken from areas where fracking is occurring?

Since 2005, and the passage of the Energy Policy Act, also known as the Haliburton Loophole, fracking remains virtually unregulated. Who will guarantee that every stage of the process will be conducted in a way so as not to disrupt the state lands that supposedly belong to Ohio’s citizens?

A study in West Virginia showed forest ecosystems are negatively affected by forest clearing, erosion, and road building during fracking. Vegetation death was also noted after frack fluids were sprayed on the surrounding trees. Peer reviewed studies show that watersheds surrounding frack well pads test positive for the radioactive substances found in frack waste water, which consists of fracturing fluid and salts, heavy metals, hydrocarbons, and radioactive material accumulated from natural underground sources.

Fracking well pads and infrastructure will require clearing areas (cutting trees and vegetation). This will require areas of anywhere from four to twenty-five acres. Not only will this fragment the forest it will cause other effects that to date are still not clearly understood or studied. This includes additional fragmentation that could affect plant reproduction. Fracking can also introduce and encourage the spread of invasive species via the gravel delivered to build pads and roads, and in mud on the tires and undercarriages of trucks traveling those roads.

Traffic in the region will increase tremendously, becoming a maintenance burden on roads, and also a hazard to local citizens and visitors. Each well drilled requires approximately 592 one-way trips, with a truck that carries between 80-100,000 lbs. The traffic from the development of one well is equivalent to 3.4 million car trips.

The process of high-pressure hydraulic fracking necessitates the use of 4-6 million gallons of water per well. This surface water will no doubt be withdrawn from the local streams, resulting in harm to aquatic organisms. Fracking fluids contain chemical additives, e.g. friction reducers, biocides and surfactants, many of which are known carcinogens and endocrine disruptors. Very little is known about the potential effects of the chemicals, metals, organics or other contaminants once they enter terrestrial or aquatic food webs.

Climate change, the elephant in the room, is being exacerbated by our reliance on fossil fuels. Fracking operations release fugitive methane emissions and are much higher than the industry reports. Methane gas is about 86 times as potent as carbon dioxide in magnifying heat related to climate change. The aesthetic beauty as well as biodiversity of the forest will be impacted by allowing fossil fuel companies to frack the landscape.

Once again, Ohio’s politicians place the interests of the oil and gas industry ahead of Ohio’s citizens. In a word, “fracking”!

>>> Randi Pokladnik is a Scientist residing at Tappan Lake, Uhrichsville, Ohio 44683. She was born and raised in Ohio. She earned an associate degree in Environmental Engineering, a BA in Chemistry, MA and PhD in Environmental Studies. She is certified in hazardous materials regulations and holds a teaching license in science and math.