We hope you can join the Sierra Club for our annual Chapter Retreat. As one of the largest and most influential environmental organizations in the state, this is the time each year where we celebrate our victories, renew our spirits, and make our plans the year ahead. All are welcome, and meals will be provided for members who register.
Join us at Mohican State Park Lodge for the Annual Chapter Retreat on Jan 31st- Feb 1st!
Click here to submit public comments to Ohio EPA by November 19.
1.) Insist algae toxin standards be created for Ohio drinking water supplies
2.) Request mandatory testing to occur at community water systems
Carbon pollution rolls from Sammis Coal-fired Power Plant. Utilities are asking PUCO to approve passing costs for outdated plants like Sammis onto customers. credit: Akron Beacon Journal
In June 2014, Governor Kasich signed into law a bill that guts Ohio’s clean energy and efficiency standards. Passing this new law was not enough for Ohio’s utilities, though.
Now, Ohio’s largest electric utilities, AEP, Duke, and FirstEnergy are seeking to keep a number of Ohio’s oldest and dirtiest power plants open for years to come.
And they want you and me to pay for it.
For more information see our:
Gas and Oil Fracking Committee Page
The Ohio Chapter Gas and Oil Fracking Committee is comprised of a core team of Sierra Club members from across the state working in cooperation with partner organizations to protect Ohio’s air and water from the impacts of Hydraulic Fracturing Drilling “Fracking”. We empowers citizens to protect their communities locally while supporting a statewide moratorium until fracking’s impacts are studied and until we believe that safe and effective regulation will prevent unacceptable harm to wildlife, human health, water, air, and property values.
June 25th, 2014
UPDATE: one of these facilities has exploded, injuring three workers.
In 2013, the Ohio legislature quietly inserted a provision in the budget (HB 59) that modified state oil and gas laws in ORC 1509.22(B)(2)(a) to read as follows:
On and after January 1, 2014, no person shall store, recycle, treat, process, or dispose of in this state brine or other waste substances associated with the exploration, development, well stimulation, production operations, or plugging of oil and gas resources without an order or a permit issued under this section or section 1509.06 or 1509.21 of the Revised Code or rules adopted under any of those sections. For purposes of division (B)(2)(a) of this section, a permit or other form of authorization issued by another agency of the state or a political subdivision of the state shall not be considered a permit or order issued by the chief of the division of oil and gas resources management under this chapter.
This has allowed over 20 facilities to exist in Ohio that can handle dangerous (explosive, toxic chemicals and radionuclides present) without a permit, rather simply with an “order by the chief” of Ohio DNR. For an explanation of this issue, see Terry Lodge’s letter to Attorney General Mike DeWine raising concerns about worker safety and environmental contamination below. Also see the testimony where Patriot advocated for this “grandfathering clause” in ORC 1509. It should be noted that this is the very same non-regulatory strategy that lead to the tragic contamination of water in West Virginia earlier this year.
April 3rd, 2014
February 19th, 2014
Columbus, OH – In an attempt to bury a story about a planned administration spanning conspiracy to promote fracking in public parks, a secret communications plan was leaked by Ohio Gov. John Kasich’s administration to reporters late Friday afternoon.
image: Toledo Blade
November 7th, 2013
Citizens, groups, call on US EPA to hold ODNR accountable during audit for poor administration of injection wells.
An Injection Well site near Youngstown, Ohio
Columbus, Ohio – a coalition of groups and individuals submitted reviews, testimony, and key documents to the US EPA, calling on them to hold Ohio Department of Natural Resources (ODNR) accountable for poor oversight of the state administered Underground Injection Control (UIC) program. The US EPA is auditing ODNR after the groups issued a complaint letter in March. Read More
September 17th, 2013
Fracking waste tanks at Hardrock excavating were implicated in confessions by employees that they were being ordered to be emptied into the Mahoning River by Ben Lupo, who has denied the allegations. Image: Cleveland.com
The Ohio Chapter of the Sierra Club filed a lawsuit with the Ohio Supreme Court today against the Ohio Department of Natural Resources for failing to comply with Ohio’s public records law. Six months after ODNR acknowledged receipt of the Sierra Club’s request for documents related to ODNR’s investigation into the illegal dumping of fracking waste,ODNR has yet to provide the Sierra Club with the requested public documents.