COLUMBUS, Ohio – It's a first-of-its-kind meeting of the minds when it comes to fracking in the Buckeye State.
Today and Saturday, scientists, doctors, attorneys, researchers and other experts are gathering in eastern Ohio to present and discuss the impacts of hydraulic fracturing, or fracking.
The process involves injecting water and chemicals into deep underground wells to break up rock and release natural gas, which some experts say poses risks to the environment and public health.
Alison Auciello, an organizer in Ohio for the advocacy group Food and Water Watch, claims Ohio has forged ahead with fracking without fully investigating the impacts.
"We're rolling out the red carpet for the oil and gas industry, galvanized by promises of riches,” she says. “But we're not really thinking about what the long-term legacy of this industry is going to be, and addressing those issues before we just go head-on into it."
Meanwhile, the oil and gas industry says the process is safe, will reduce dependence on foreign oil and will be a boost for the economy.
According to the website fracktracker.org, as of the end of March 2012, there were 160 permitted Utica wells and 13 Marcellus wells in Ohio. Since then, there have been an additional 453 Utica and an additional seven Marcellus wells permitted. At the start of this month, nearly 50 were reported as producing.
Vanessa Pesec, president of Network for Oil Accountability and Protection, says the detrimental effects of fracking on the land, water and human health are often downplayed or disregarded. She says the industry needs to be held more accountable.
"The people of Ohio have been only told half-truths by the industry,” she adds. “And I think it's critical that people understand the full impacts upfront, at the back-end, long-term, before they even lease their land."
The conference in downtown Warren features guest speakers from across the country, discussing matters including the history and known effects of unconventional shale drilling, as well as the local impacts, policy implications, required protections and projected future costs to Ohioans.
