Fracking

The federal government has plans to open up thousands of acres in Ohio's only national forest. The plan involves 2,800 acres in Wayne National Forest.

The federal government took a major step forward Friday toward opening more than 2,800 acres of Ohio’s only national forest to oil and gas development.

The owners of four injection wells in southeast Ohio’s Washington County agreed to voluntarily stop their operations in early July, following a request from the Ohio Department of Natural Resources’ oil and gas division.

An Ohio commission gave the green light Monday for several bidders to frack under state lands, almost exclusively in southeast Ohio.

The Ohio Oil and Gas Land Management Commission has put over 12,000 acres of a remote wildlife area, called Egypt Valley, out to bid for fracking.

A total of 8,749 acres at the Salt Fork State Park and Egypt Valley Wildlife Area are being considered for fracking approval in late March or early April.

In Washington County, local officials have passed resolutions in an attempt to protect drinking water from fracking waste. State officials haven’t taken heed.

Washington County in southeast Ohio has more injection wells storing wastewater from oil and gas drilling than the entire state of Pennsylvania.

Ohio has hundreds of injection wells that store waste from oil and natural gas production. In one southeast Ohio city, they’re causing concern.

Two Democrats want to change Ohio law and ban any drilling for oil and gas, although the bill is unlikely to secure backing from the majority caucus.