Saturday, February 23, 2013
Journalists, geologists talk about controversial drilling method
A recent forum at Kent State University, Fracking: Promise or Peril?, offered area residents a chance to hear about the potential benefits and concerns related to the oil and gas drilling method hydraulic fracturing. Paul Haridakis, the director of the School of Communication Studies at Kent State, said the forum offered a wider perspective on fracking than just what's happening in the Midwest, KentWired reported. "We shouldn't just think about how fracking effects us in Ohio, but around the world," Haridakis said. Panelists included: Dimiter Kenarov, a Pulitzer Center journalist; Bob Downing, environmental reporter for Ohio.com; Donald Palmer, Ph.D. emeritus professor of Geology at Kent State; and Yoram Eckstein, Ph.D., a professor of …
Wednesday, February 20, 2013
State official says university has control over fracking on campus.
For now it looks like officials at Kent State University, and not state administrators in Columbus, have authority to permit or deny drilling for gas and oil on university land. And university officials are saying there are no immediate plans for hydraulic fracturing wells on the university's hundreds of acres spread across Northeast Ohio. Click here to see what university and state officials are saying about authority over fracking on public university. We want to know what you think. The controversial method of extracting natural gas and oil from underground shale formations has been connected to negative environmental effects in Pennsylvania and Ohio. Take our poll below. Do you think Kent State should permit fracking on any of its …
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Thursday, February 7, 2013
City council hears recommendations from sustainability commission on dealing with controversial drilling method
Members of Kent City Council quizzed residents who have been studying fracking for months whether the city can regulate, ban or even promote the controversial drilling method Wednesday. After an hour of talks council took no formal action on the issue. Dan Schweitzer, chairperson of the Kent Sustainability Commission, presented the group's recommendations to council for addressing the issue after spending the past several months studying the practice. In the end, Schweitzer said the issue may be less critical for Kent residents, who live in densely populated neighborhoods with the majority using city water service rather than natural wells. "I don’t think at this point in time it’s likely anyone’s going to buy property in Kent and drill a …
Wednesday, February 6, 2013
Kent Sustainability Commission will make recommendations for regulating the controversial drilling practice locally
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 …
Friday, April 20, 2012
Last-minute vote pushes back action a minimum two months; city to invite state industry regulators
City officials in Kent want to wait and gather more information about hydraulic fracturing before weighing in on the issue in a formal letter to state leaders. Kent City Council voted Wednesday to wait two months before sending a letter to Gov. John Kasich, members of the Ohio legislature and regulatory officials at the Ohio Department of Natural Resources expressing concerns about the controversial process of drilling for natural gas hundreds of feet beneath the ground. The vote delays action previously approved by council that followed several hours of discussion at a capacity-crowd meeting held in March on the issue. After that lengthy meeting, council agreed to send such a letter on behalf of those residents who spoke out with concerns…
Thursday, April 5, 2012
Council votes to send letter to state legislators urging fracking oversight; continue conversation
The question of whether or not Kent can ban fracking within city limits became a question of state government versus local government at Wednesday's Kent City Council meeting. Residents pleaded with council members to adopt an ordinance banning hydraulic fracturing, a controversial method of drilling for natural gas, by urging them to lead by example and challenge state authority. In the end, after three hours of talking with a capacity crowd, council took two steps forward. First, council members voted to send a letter regarding fracking to state legislators and officials at the Ohio Department of Natural Resources — the agency that regulates oil and gas drilling in Ohio — on behalf of Kent residents. Councilman John Kuhar said the letter…
Monday, March 19, 2012
The Civic Commons is holding a three-day online conference about the future of fracking and features three experts from the field.
Thursday, February 23, 2012
Public invited to 6:45 p.m. event at Kent Free Library to plan campaign to ban fracking.
- THE NEIGHBORHOOD FILES
- Kasha Legeza
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Thursday, February 23, 2012
A meeting to plan a campaign to ban hydraulic fracturing in Kent will be held at 6:45 tonight at the Kent Free Library. George Sosebee, a former Kent resident who is one of the meeting organizers, said the gathering is sponsored by several local grassroots organizations, including Concerned Citizens Ohio. Those attending the meeting, he said, "will plan how to educate themselves and others about banning fracking and, more important, about returning local control to local people." "Right now, the Ohio Department of Natural Resources decides what happens to Kent lands. No one voted for those officials. Why should they be able to choose for people of this area? People from Kent want Kent to have the chance to decide for themselves," Sosebee …
Friday, February 17, 2012
Event sponsored by grassroots organizations to feature three speakers.
- NEWS
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Friday, February 17, 2012
A "town meeting" to discuss hydraulic fracturing and what citizens of Kent can do to protect their city will be held at 7:30 tonight at Kent United Church of Christ. The meeting, sponsored by several local grassroots organizations, will feature three presenters: The meeting will be introduced by Harold Walker, longtime Kent resident, and moderated by former Kent resident George Sosebee. Attending the meeting will be many area residents who participated in the Feb. 11 "March Against Fracking" in Kent, organized by Sosebee. “When 100 people drive from as far away as Mahoning Valley and Cleveland to help Kent march, you know that anger at our loss of rights has risen to a significant degree,” Sosebee said. “We truly believe the Constitution …
Monday, August 22, 2011
Letters to the editor may be emailed to matt.fredmonsky@patch.com
- OPINION
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Monday, August 22, 2011
To the Editor: As a retired property owner in Portage County, I dread the arrival of the oil and gas industry’s rush to fracking. Although we haven’t signed a lease for our land, we know that in this rural area, the industry only needs 65 percent of owners to agree — then they can drill even if we say no. And when drilling is planned near homes, most banks, HUD, and FHA won’t give loans, so we can’t expect to sell and move elsewhere. Also, as soon as a drilling permit is signed, property values will be cut in half — money home-owners planned for old age. In the event of an accident causing surface or well contamination, our property will be worth nothing. Fracking is on its way to Portage County. Already chemically laced frack fluid waste …
Brandi A.
8:21 am on Monday, February 25, 2013
Where there is a university, there is housing and neighborhoods. Even in Stark, there are residential areas VERY close by that use wells (ahem... me) and that's a threat that I would hope the university officials would consider if they ever HAVE to consider it. I can't see it happening at Stark because the land is so beautiful, they've invested in installing a pond, take pride in caring for the … more ›