Home rule goes up against the fracking industry - and the political system. The fight against fracking in Ohio comes at a time when the state is approving new wells at a rapid pace. Local activists are organizing in an environment where the ground is constantly shifting under their feet - sometimes literally. Anti-fracking activism has been influenced by developments both inside the state and beyond. At a recent public anti-fracking meeting a representative from the Community Environmental Legal Defense Fund (CELDF) described the experience of activists in western Pennsylvania several years ago.
Residents there began seeing lots of drilling sites, processing plants and other fracking infrastructure pop up. The wins were only temporary though. The regulatory process may not be a suitable one for anti-fracking activists for other reasons as well. If you do not want the fracking to occur at all - if you think it is too unregulated, too opaque, and generally too hazardous - then fighting over regulation is a sucker's game. Go big instead.
New York Court Affirms Towns’ Powers to Ban Fracking. New York communities gain new authority to determine who can frack in their town. Opponents and supporters of fracking walk into the last of four public hearings on proposed gas drilling regulations in New York state on Nov. 30, 2011. (Spencer Platt/Getty Images) In a decision that could set a national precedent for how local governments can regulate gas drilling, a New York state court yesterday ruled for the first time that towns have the right to ban drilling despite a state regulation asserting they cannot.
At issue was a zoning law in Dryden, a township adjacent to Ithaca and the Cornell University campus, where drilling companies have leased some 22,000 acres for drilling. In August, Dryden's town board passed a zoning law that prohibits gas drilling within town limits. The next month, Denver-based Anschutz Exploration Corp. sued the town, saying the ban was illegal because state law trumped the municipal rules. "The argument is simple," said Goldstein. Letter: State leaders ban fracking where they live and work - Hornell, NY - Hornell Evening Tribune. Ohiofracktion: to save the land and people | no drilling! no compromise! Fracking. The Power of Community Organizing: Pittsburgh’s Ban on Fracking. Activism Published on October 7th, 2011 | by Lynn Fang Most people don’t realize that it is they, the individual, that has the power to make real change. No one person can make a huge difference, but when a small group of caring individuals bands together to organize in favor of the change they wish to see, real, lasting transformation can happen.
In fact, this is the only reason social movements have succeeded in the past. Few of these success stories are told in mainstream media. On November 16, 2010, the Pittsburgh City Council voted unanimously, 9-0 to pass a local ordinance banning natural gas drilling in the city. “Pittsburgh’s Community Protection from Natural Gas Extraction Ordinance” is the first of its kind to exercise the authority of a local community over the wishes of a corporation. The Marcellus Shale formation is a natural gas deposit that runs through four states in the Northeastern United States, including Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Community Willpower. Canadian Police Use Military Tactics to Disperse Indigenous Anti-Fracking Blockade. Romanian Parliament Fails to Pass Pro-Mineral Extraction Law. Pittsburgh Bans Natural Gas Drilling. The explosion in San Bruno sent shockwaves across the country felt by anyone who uses natural gas. generic CBS Pittsburgh became the first city in gas-rich Pennsylvania to ban natural gas drilling after city council members, citing health and environmental concerns, unanimously approved the measure Tuesday.
The council received a standing ovation after voting 9-0 to approve the ban within city limits. Pittsburgh sits atop part of the Marcellus Shale, a large rock formation in West Virginia, Ohio, Pennsylvania and New York. Drilling companies have been flocking to those states to tap into the vast natural gas reserves underneath. The companies use what's called fracking to break up the rock; opponents say the chemicals used in the process can contaminate water and air.
City Council President Darlene Harris said her biggest concern was people's health. "They're bringing jobs all right," Harris said. Shale Gas Drilling: Pros & Cons Energy: The Pros and Cons of Shale Gas Drilling. Hydraulic Fracturing of Oil & Gas Wells Drilled in Shale. What is Hydraulic Fracturing? Hydraulic fracturing is a procedure that can increase the flow of oil or gas from a well. It is done by pumping liquids down a well into subsurface rock units under pressures that are high enough to fracture the rock. The goal is to create a network of interconnected fractures that will serve as pore spaces for the movement of oil and natural gas to the well bore. Hydraulic fracturing combined with horizontal drilling has turned previously unproductive organic-rich shales into the largest natural gas fields in the world. The Marcellus Shale, Utica Shale, Barnett Shale, Eagle Ford Shale and Bakken Formation are examples of previously unproductive rock units that have been converted into fantastic gas or oil fields by hydraulic fracturing.
How Long Has Hydraulic Fracturing Been Used? The first use of hydraulic fracturing to stimulate oil and natural gas wells in the United States was done over 60 years ago. Successful Use of Hydraulic Fracturing in Shale. Peters Township Citizens Prevail: Local Bill of Rights and Fracking Ban to Appear on Ballot | Marcellus Shale Protest. (Monday, October 3, 2011) Washington County Judge Paul Pozonsky turned down a request by Peters Township Council to bar a referendum question from appearing on the ballot in November that, if approved by the voters, would create a local Bill of Rights and ban fracking. Judge Pozonsky ruled that the court lacks jurisdiction to impose an injunction against the proposed home rule charter amendment, and that allowing the voters to approve or deny the adoption of the amendment did not create an immediate harm to the township.
The citizens’ group, Peters Township Marcellus Shale Awareness (PTMSA,) circulated petitions to local citizens in accordance with the Pennsylvania Home Rule Statute to place an amendment to the City Charter on the November 8th ballot, but at their September 12th meeting the Council voted unanimously to ask the Washington County Court of Common Pleas to enjoin the Washington County Board of Elections from posting the proposed charter amendment to the ballot.