Youngstown Places Fracking Ban Proposal on May 7 Ballot
Friday, February 22, 2013
Frack Free Mahoning Valley, a Youngstown-based group of anti-fracking citizens, collected 4,000 signatures to place an anti-fracking charter-amendment on the city’s May 7 primary election ballot, according to the Vindicator.
City council members approved the petition. It was then sent to the Mahoning County Board of Elections to determine if the charter-amendment petition contains enough signatures. 1,562 valid signatures are needed to officially put the amendment in front of voters.
The amendment includes language that would make it illegal to drill for oil and gas within city limits.
But, the amendment may not be enforceable.
Read it:
“Because the state has complete control over regulating fracking, however, Farris [Law Director] and other city officials said the charter-amendment proposal is ‘unforceable.'”
» Via: The Youngstown Vindicator › Fracking-ban amendment for Youngstown heads to May ballot
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Shale FAQ
What is fracking?
Fracking is a slang term for hydraulic fracturing. Fracturing is a process by which highly pressurized fluid is pumped thousands of feet into the ground to fracture rock formations. The goal is to release the natural gas that’s locked inside the rock.
Is it safe?
What most concerns people about fracturing is ground water contamination. The worry is that fractures underground, caused by the process, will extending upwards and into aquifers, releasing gas and chemicals into the ground water supply. There’s been no confirmed reports of such a thing happening. Though surface spills and drill site blowouts can lead to localized environmental concerns.
Will my water catch on fire?
Flammable water is caused by the release of methane gas into a drinking water supply. Methane gas occurs naturally and can be released by any kind of drilling, including water wells. In Pennsylvania officials fined Chesapeake Energy $1 million for contaminating ground water with methane. It was determined that the company had not properly cemented it’s boreholes and gas migrated up the well, between rock and into aquifers.