The Ohio Department of Natural Resources is expected to release a report sometime in February on injection wells after recent earthquake activity in Youngstown.
Residents concerned with oil and natural gas drilling and injection wells met Thursday night at the First Unitarian Universalist Church in Youngstown. Their goal is to put pressure on state leaders and government regulators to make sure the drilling process is safe.
Columbiana County resident Karen Bertolasio fears what oil and natural gas drilling may soon do to her community. She lives next to Beaver Creek State Park.
"A lot of my neighbors are already talking about signing up," said Bertolasio. "There's nothing I would rather see happen in our state than for us to pick up and become very prosperous again, but not because people are going to be unsafe."
Bertolasio and others have unanswered questions related to drilling. They wanted to know more about injection wells, drilling, the recent earthquakes and the likelihood of water contamination as well as other topics centered on public safety.
State Representative Bob Hagan, D-Youngstown, is pushing his moratorium on injection wells and is urging the public to stay vocal.
"The reverberations are starting to reach Columbus. They're starting to understand that we're serious about our political action," Hagan said.
This month, ODNR is releasing a report in the wake of the 12 earthquakes centered near D & L's injection well in Youngstown. The report is expected to contain recommendations suggesting more regulation and inspection of injection wells, including language limiting how deep wells can be dug.
The agency said that of the 80,000 vertical drilling wells, there's never been a case of ground water contamination.
Dave Sabine of Poland Township is gearing up for the debate about to happen in the village of Poland on whether to lease a large piece of land near Western Reserve Road for shale drilling.
"Well, I think the most important thing is that we bide our time and that we wait for the state legislator to catch up with what might be a problem," said Sabine.
A majority in this group hope that action comes before it's too late.
