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Athens Courthouse Protest
By: Seaira Christian-Daniels
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Athens County residents carried bullhorns, drums, and banners in front of the Athens Courthouse Wednesday to protest for the removal of a waste injection well.
Appalachia Resist, an anti-fracking organization, said they sponsored the demonstration because they think there is "imminent danger" to the area.
Nate Ebert, a spokesperson for Appalachia Resist, said while it is the responsibility of the Ohio Department of Natural Resources to protect the citizens of Ohio, he said he believes the department is being negatively influenced by corporate oil money.
Appalachia Resist has been lobbying for two years, and the group says it will continue its efforts until the well is shut down.
"I'm here to demand the well gets shut down. It's failed a lot of tests, nobody's regulating it, and it's polluting the nearby area," said Laura Post, a spokesperson for the group.
"The frack waste coming into this county from out of state has been tested by the U.S. Geological survey, and is 3,000 times that of the drinking water standard set by the Federal government, " Ebert said.
The demonstration follows the arrest of Madeline ffitch, who chained herself to barrels in protest outside the well this past June. ffitch pleaded guilty Wednesday to misdemeanor charges of aggrevated trespass.