Ohio House OKs use of oil and gas brine for road d...

COLUMBUS, Ohio—The Ohio House of Representatives on Thursday passed legislation allowing brine from vertical oil and gas drilling to be used for road de-icing, despite concerns that the salty liquid contains dangerous and radioactive chemicals. House Bill 393, which heads to the Senate after passing the House 52-31, is touted by supporters as a way to promote the use of a product that is a safer and less corrosive...

A Dangerous Secret That Could End Fracking

Investigative Journalists Justin Nobel and Joshua Pribanic come together in this explosive podcast to discuss one of the hottest topics to come out of fossil fuels. The idea of “safe” fracking transformed oil and gas in America for the 21st century and helped create a worldwide resurgence for an otherwise dying industry. But as we hear in this episode of newsCOUP, a dangerous secret protected by regulators threatens the...

Science journalist to give talk about radioactive ...

The presentation will be Friday, Jan. 24 from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. at Ohio University Eastern, Shannon Hall Theater, 45425 National Road West, St. Clairsville. ST. CLAIRSVILLE — On Friday, Jan, 24, Justin Nobel, science journalist writing for the Rolling Stone Magazine, will have an informational meeting regarding the radioactive risks associated with the oil and gas industry at Ohio University Eastern in Belmont County. Nobel...

Colorado Fracking Study Shows Toxic Chemicals Up t...

Data from a Colorado study finds that people living near oil and gas fracking sites may have heightened risk of nose bleeds, dizziness, headaches and other short-term health effects, according to The Denver Post. Right now, state regulators have set a 500-foot minimum setback distance for residences. Evidence from the study finds that residents living between 500-2,000 feet of fracking sites are exposed to benzene and other...

Babies Born Near Oil and Gas Wells Are Up to 70% M...

Researchers at the University of Colorado studied pregnant women who are among the 17 million Americans living within a mile from an active oil or gas well “Looking at where mothers lived immediately before pregnancy and during the first critical weeks after conception and what was going on at nearby fracking wells, researchers found startling patterns,” said public health advocate Dr. Sandra Steingraber. (Photo:...

After a decade of research, here’s what scientists...

“This should be of serious concern to policymakers interested in protecting public health.” Fracking has been linked to preterm births, high-risk pregnancies, asthma, migraine headaches, fatigue, nasal and sinus symptoms, and skin disorders over the last 10 years, according to a new study. Fracking, also known as hydraulic fracturing, is a process of extracting oil and gas from the Earth by drilling deep wells...

Radioactive road deicer rules under review by Ohio...

CLEVELAND, Ohio – Ohio Department of Transportation snowplows had been spreading AquaSalina, a deicing solution, on the state’s roadways for years when an environmental group last year obtained an unreleased Ohio Department of Natural Resources report that found high levels of radioactivity in the product. After the 2017 report became public, state government and company officials attempted to debunk it, criticizing the...

CDC, state officials investigating multiple cases ...

Many in the Canon-McMillan School District first learned about Ewing sarcoma, a rare childhood bone cancer, when Luke Blanock of the village of Cecil was diagnosed on Dec. 5, 2014. The media did stories about the community rallying around the smart, handsome teenager and his family, then returned on Feb. 19, 2016, to cover Mr. Blanock — pale, thin and having just been told he had only two weeks to live — when he married his...

Study Finds Health Threats Posed By Oil And Gas Wa...

Unpaved roads are large sources of dust in the U.S., which can contribute to heart and lung disease. Photo: Center for Dirt and Gravel Road Studies STATE IMPACT PENNSYLVANIA – Spreading oil and gas wastewater has been a common and cheap way for municipalities to suppress dust on unpaved roads in parts of Pennsylvania for years. But a new study found the practice — which the state recently ended — could threaten environmental...

It’s Official: Injection of Fracking Wastewa...

The largest earthquake ever recorded in Kansas—a 4.9 magnitude temblor that struck northeast of Milan on Nov. 12, 2014—has been officially linked to wastewater injection into deep underground wells, according to new research from the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS). The epicenter of that extremely rare earthquake struck near a known fracking operation. LINK to video: https://youtu.be/0p1sTZ0MpU0 The Wichita Eagle noted from...

Group files suit against ODNR for details about pe...

Columbus, OH. Buckeye Environmental Network (BEN) has filed a lawsuit against the Ohio Department of Natural Resources (ODNR) for withholding critical public information, violating Ohio law. Under public records law ORC 149.43, Ohio Department of Natural Recourses should have granted, but instead denied, a file review request by the group’s Executive Director of ODNR files on AquaSalina, a product of oil and gas waste. The...

Study Finds Health Threats Posed By Oil And Gas Wa...

STATE IMPACT PENNSYLVANIA – Spreading oil and gas wastewater has been a common and cheap way for municipalities to suppress dust on unpaved roads in parts of Pennsylvania for years. But a new study found the practice — which the state recently ended — could threaten environmental and public health by leaching metals, salts, and radioactive materials into surface or groundwater, nearby soil, and even the air. The study, from...

Study: Water near fracked Wyo gas field disrupts h...

A study has found that polluted groundwater near a fracked Wyoming oil and gas field is more disruptive to human cells than tainted groundwater sampled near conventional oil and gas operations. The study by researchers at the University of Missouri and other institutions is believed to be the first to compare the effects of fracking-linked pollution to those of conventional oil and gas development pollution. Research found...

From Asthma to Cancer, ‘Blistering’ Ne...

A team of researchers on Tuesday released a “blistering” report on the serious public health threats—from headaches to asthma to cancer—posed by hydraulic fracturing, or fracking, a process of injecting a mix of water and chemicals into rocks to release oil and natural gas. The study—described as “the most authoritative” of its kind—was published by Concerned Health Professionals of New York and...

The Pebble Mine Is Too Toxic Even for the Trump Ad...

In a stunning reversal, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) said it is suspending its effort to reverse an Obama-era plan to restrict mining in Bristol Bay, Alaska based on a controversial mine project’s risks to the region’s important salmon fisheries and natural resources. The unexpected move from President Trump’s pro-business administration was a blow to Pebble Limited Partnership, a...