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Fracking Protesters Speak Out

Tuesday January 10, 2012 7:07 PM
UPDATED: Tuesday January 10, 2012 8:21 PM

Approximately 175 protestors took their voices to the steps of the Ohio State House Tuesday, many of them from Youngstown. 

Fracking and the issues it causes is once again front and center in Ohio. 

Jaime Frederick of Coitsville was one of the many protestors there.
 
"I'm still hopeful I have a few years left in me," Frederick said.

After moving to Coitsville in Mahoning County, Frederick became very sick and blames the drinking water, reported ONN's Stephanie Mennecke.

"At the time when I was most sick , drinking the most water, I lay on the bathroom floor night after night thinking I would surely be dead soon, throwing up until the blood vessels in my
eyes and cheeks would burst," Frederick said.

Frederick is one of many from the Youngstown area who travelled to the state's capital. 

The "No Frack Ohio Coalition" is asking for a statewide ban on fracking. 

The group also wants a ban on deep injection wells that hold drilling wastewater. 

Susie Beiersdorfer is a geology instructor at Youngstown State University and helped organized Tuesday's rally.

 "The regulations need to be strong enough so there is no impact to our air, to our water, to our soil which translates to our food supplies," Beiersdorfer said.

 Representatives from the Ohio Oil and Gas Association and many state officials said that injection wells have operated around Ohio for decades without problems and argue the correlation between the recent Youngstown earthquake and fracking is debatable.

 A statement issued by the Ohio Oil and Gas Association said that in part, the situation in Youngstown is a rare and isolated event that should not cast doubt about the effectiveness or
usage of Class II Injection wells, which have been used safely and reliably as a disposal method for wastewater from oil and gas operations in the U.S. since the 1930s.

Stay with ONN and refresh ONNtv.com for the latest information concerning fracking in Ohio.

©2012 by by ONN.. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

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