While cause remains unclear, earthquake prompts new look at Ohio fracking

Regardless of how regulators resolve their investigation into an April 2 earthquake in southeastern Ohio, drilling and well operators in the area will almost certainly need to do more careful monitoring and reporting in the future, now that there’s a known seismic risk.

http://midwestenergynews.com/2017/04/07/while-cause-remains-unclear-earthquake-prompts-new-look-at-ohio-fracking/

Anti-fracking demonstrators protest at Chesterfield company

Anti-fracking demonstrators have this morning staged a protest at a Chesterfield company. Twelve protesters have shut down drilling company PR Marriott in Danesmoor by blockading the entrance with banners dropped from the company’s drill rig and main gate. The anti-fracking activists targeted Marriott because of their links with fracking company, Cuadrilla, and their storage of the proposed fracking rig for use in Lancashire.

http://www.derbyshiretimes.co.uk/news/anti-fracking-demonstrators-protest-at-chesterfield-company-1-8480779

$5.2 million fracking bid sets its sights on Wayne National Forest

New drilling wells may dot the landscape of Monroe County following a $5.2 million bid in March for the rights to explore and drill for oil and gas on 1,180 acres of land in the Wayne National Forest.

The Wayne National Forest, which covers over a quarter million acres of Appalachia, has seen such bids before; the U.S. Bureau of Land Management previously leased more than 1,600 acres of the forest to private oil and gas companies in December 2016.

http://thenewpolitical.com/5-2-million-fracking-bid-sets-sights-wayne-national-forest/

ODNR: Was earthquake connected to fracking?

Anti-fracking activists are linking a 3.0 magnitude earthquake that shook the earth early Sunday in Monroe County to nearby oil and gas horizontal fracturing operations and waste-injection wells. They claim that such hazards will only increase if and when oil and gas development begins on the surrounding national forest.

http://www.athensnews.com/news/local/odnr-was-earthquake-connected-to-fracking/article_583d0304-1a24-11e7-8b35-8f8a28d57995.html

‘People in the road’ halt traffic close to fracking site

Preston New Road in Little Plumpton was blocked in both directions earlier because of ‘people in the road’, police said. Motorists were told to find alternative routes because of the obstruction, close to Cuadrilla’s fracking site, at around 11.20am.

http://www.blackpoolgazette.co.uk/news/transport/people-in-the-road-halt-traffic-close-to-fracking-site-1-8476821

Bowen: Push for fracking ban is no joke

It’s not easy being a mayor or any locally elected officeholder these days. The contempt from Tallahassee is never-ending. There are bills to restrict community redevelopment agencies, curb future revenue for local governments via larger property tax exemptions, gut home rule authority and even to take away the local ability to regulate vacation rentals.

Remember when the Republican mantra was local control? Not anymore.

http://www.tampabay.com/news/environment/bowen-push-for-fracking-ban-is-no-joke/2319075

Oklahoma Drinking Water at Risk from Oil and Gas Injection Wells

Read the full report here.

Locating and protecting underground sources of drinking water is a critical part of addressing the long-term drinking water needs of communities across the country. It is an equally important aspect of siting oil and gas injection wells, in order to avoid potential contamination of these water sources. Oil and gas operators who are dependent on the injection of wastewater and other fluids underground must know the location and depth of current or future sources of drinking water in order comply with federal regulations. However, this is not always the case.

New research shows that the Oklahoma Corporation Commission (OCC) may have permitted oil and gas wells to inject into potential underground sources of drinking water that are supposed to be protected by federal law and off limits to fossil fuel activities.

http://www.cleanwateraction.org/publications/oklahoma-drinking-water-risk-oil-and-gas-injection-wells