Kent State: No Fracking Plans for Airport

State official says locals control ability to permit, deny hydraulic fracturing on university land

Here's some good news for neighbors and environmentalists — Kent State University officials say there are no plans for hydraulic fracturing at the Kent State Airport or other university owned land. The question of whether or not fracking for oil and gas wells can or should be allowed on university land — essentially public property — is one that's been raised multiple times, particularly in neighboring Kent, as area residents and communities seek to prevent harmful side effects sometimes associated with the drilling practice. For now, it's an issue Stow residents living near the 300-acre airport don't have to worry about. "Unless otherwise determined by the state, the university's current administration has no plans to initiate drilling on…

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Owner of Mineral Rights Could Decide Future of Gas Well on Church Property

Fracking appears to have started at a well at the Church of New Hope and the city is looking at options to stop the operation.

Stow City Council decided in August that it would not accept a contract to lease mineral rights for eight-tenths of a piece of city land needed to make a PEP Drilling hydraulic fracturing well deeper at the Church of New Hope. But the current well that was already dug prior to council's decision remained on the property and it seems as if the drilling company has decided to begin fracking despite council's decision in August.  Law Director Brian Reali said he found out last week that the state of Ohio approved a new application for the driller. He said it was obtained because the company got leases from property owners on Ritchie Road.  The application was also obtained because PEP Drilling is now claiming that the city merely owns the …

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Rasor's Blog: Gas Well Drilling, LaTourette's Retirement, Church Near City Hall Discussed

Councilman Mike Rasor shares his thoughts from the Aug. 6, 2012 City Council meeting.

UPDATE: Council Decides to Not Lease Land for Gas Well Drilling Purposes at Church of New Hope

Council decided the contract with PEP Drilling was not acceptable.

The well can remain at its current depth, but Stow City Council decided Aug. 6 that it will not accept a contract to lease mineral rights for eight-tenths of a piece of city land needed to make a PEP Drilling hydraulic fracturing well deeper at the Church of New Hope. Council's chambers were filled with clapping residents who opposed the drilling and were happy the legislation will die in committee. (Meaning, council decided it will not even vote on anything.) The last known contract offered to the city by PEP was $20,000 plus royalty money.  Fill-in Law Director Amber Kerek said she could not go into detail about the contract that was presented to council Monday evening because she could not breach attorney-client privileges. But, she …

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Blog: Should Stow City Council Lease to PEP Drilling Company?

At the end of the day, drilling utilizes scarce resources to extract scarce resources. Is this something Stow residents want in their backyard?

POLL: Should Fracking Be Permitted Under Cemeteries?

A gas company wants to drill for gas under a cemetery in eastern Ohio. Should that be allowed?

Trustees in an eastern Ohio town are considering an offer from a gas company that wants to drill for gas under a cemetery, according to a story on Cleveland.com. But it's not just happening in Lowellville, OH. It's been considered elsewhere. On one side of the debate is the prospect of making money for cities that need it. On the other is the mess, noise, the smell and the idea of disturbing the ground under the graves of loved ones.   With gas drilling -- via fracking -- increasingly being pursued in our neighborhoods, what do you think of the idea? 

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Debbie S.

7:54 pm on Tuesday, July 17, 2012

Bob - you are very mistaken about the process being safe and effective. Fracking involves injecting a highly polluted mining by-product slurry into the ground so forcefully that it can travel through the already-broken (by the mining process) rock layers. It is a proven source of the earthquakes last year in Youngstown among other environmental problems. There are several states which have …   more ›

Service Director Doesn't Link Seismic Testing to Fracking

But some readers are skeptical the seismic testing done on Norton Road last week may lead to fracking.

Several readers have brought up the "f-word" after Patch posted a story about sets of cords placed down Norton Road. The odd-looking cables seen snaking alongside Seasons/Norton Road represent just 3.5-miles of a 500-mile exploration mission for natural gas reserves under way in Ohio through at least October. Mike Martin, project manager for Nicholson Land Services of Tyler, TX, said the cables and related equipment in Stow are part of a seismic testing process that “basically provides us with a road map of the subsurface.” Martin said the Ohio testing locations were chosen “by geophysicists and we are not privy to that information.” Testing in Stow already wrapped up in a week. But, many have speculated that fracking may be on its way. "…

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Watch: Panelists Discuss Fracking Pros and Cons

The Akron Area League of Women voters organized a fracking forum Thursday night in Fairlawn.

Hydraulic fracturing, or fracking, has been happening in Ohio since the 1950s, according to experts, and it's been a hot topic of conversation for several years. Oil and gas companies are moving closer to home, knocking on doors in Bath Township to gain access to mineral rights; and requested access to drill under a lake in Kent. The Akron Area League of Women Voters held a forum Thursday night in Fairlawn and invited representatives from four big-name corporations to discuss the pros and cons of fracking. Watch the videos above to hear what each panelist had to say. To make this easy, we're going to break down what each panelist had to say about fracking, for and against. Gene Chini, Ohio Department of Natural Resources, Division of …

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