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Citizens Gather To Protest Dumping Of Fracking Waste
By: Lindsey Zimmerman
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The Athens County Fracking Action Network (ACFAN) say they will not let Ohio be "the nation's toilet."
A protest Monday afternoon outside the Athens County Courthouse called on citizens to help protest the recent dumping of 250,000 gallons of toxic, radioactive frack waste into a tributary of the Mahoning River.
Protestors also drew attention to a recent petition to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, which calls on the agency to do a full audit of Ohio's underground injection control program and to suspend Ohio's right to control the program.
The petition was signed by over 200 organizations and individuals who believe that the Ohio Department of Natural Resources is "not doing its job."
Speakers at the rally specifically cited the long violation history of Athens County's Ginsburg injection well.
ACFAN member Grace Hall clarified the severity of the problem when she said that in 2011, over 500 million gallons of frack waste was dumped in Ohio.
According to Hall, over half of that waste came from out of state.
"We've become the nation's toilet. They just want to dump it all here, and we want to protect our state. We want to protect our home," Hall said.