UPDATE: Activists are protesting outside the Easton Hilton Hotel in Columbus, Ohio, as the 79th annual meeting of the Ohio Oil and Gas Association unfolds today. Local residents from Washington County, led by environmental groups, are voicing their outrage against State Senator Brian Chavez, who received the association’s Oilfield Patriot Award amid a heated debate over injection wells.
The protest, organized by Washington County for Safe Drinking Water and the Buckeye Environmental Network, targets Chavez’s ties to the oil and gas sector. Notably, Chavez is the former CEO of DeepRock Disposal Solutions, a company that operates injection wells in Southeastern Ohio. Activists claim he still has significant connections to the company despite asserting he has stepped back.
“We deliver this award for writing laws to shield the injection well industry from liability,” stated Kat Finneran, Co-chair of Buckeye Environmental Network. “His former company’s brine is migrating miles underground, threatening our neighbors in Noble County and the drinking water of 32,000 people in Marietta, Ohio.” The activists displayed a mock award, the “Corporate Crime Award,” highlighting their concerns over environmental safety.
The urgency of the protest coincides with local governments and water boards pushing for a moratorium on injection wells, emphasizing the critical nature of the issue for community health and safety.
In response to the protest, John Fortney, Communications Director for the Ohio Senate Majority Caucus, dismissed the demonstrators’ claims. “This is nothing other than a publicity stunt funded by radical organizations that have a mission to kill the oil and gas industry by scaring the public with junk science,” he said. Fortney has previously labeled dissenters as “radical” groups influenced by “California special interests,” pointing to tax records suggesting external funding for the Buckeye Environmental Network.
However, organizer Bev Reed countered Fortney’s claims, asserting, “We are an Ohio-based organization. We’re Ohioans. We’re Appalachians. We’re all over the state… It’s easier to call names than it is to face the facts.”
As the protest continues, all eyes are on the ongoing debate surrounding the safety and regulation of injection wells in Ohio. The implications for local communities are profound, with potential risks to drinking water and public health at stake.
With tensions rising, the situation remains fluid. Activists are demanding immediate action, and the response from state officials could shape the future of energy policy and environmental safety in Ohio.
Stay tuned for further updates as this story develops.
