Fracking Recommendations to be Presented at Council Wednesday

Members of Kent City Council will hear several recommendations for regulating the controversial practice of hydraulic fracturing for oil and gas drilling at tonight's meeting.

The Kent Sustainability Commission, a citizen board which has spent the past several months researching the issue, will present their suggestions for local laws and practices designed to regulate drilling on the local level.

It won't be the first time city council has heard from residents about fracking.

Most recently, members of the group Concerned Citizens of Ohio attended a council meeting last month to urge action on the issue. Their goal is to see local laws adopted to protect residents and the city from potential damages caused to infrastructure, water resources and other property as a result of fracking operations.

Some of the recommendations council will hear tonight from the sustainability commission include:

• Withholding mineral rights on city-owned land when "unconventional drilling practices are employed."
• Establish background levels for certain chemicals present in city water supplies prior to drilling.
• Promote clean drilling by offering reductions in roadway maintenance bonds when closed-loop drilling practices and engineered surface water empoundments are used.

Look for coverage of tonight's meeting Thursday on Kent Patch. The meeting starts at 7 p.m.

RECENT COVERAGE:

• “Fracking: Promise or Peril?” Forum to be held at Kent State University
• Fracking Opponents Urge City Council to Act