Injection Well Victories
The History Behind Our Oil and Gas Waste Injection Well Campaign.
“The story of how Athens County closed six injection wells in our county is about the collective efforts of scores of concerned people who knew the dangers of fracking and injection wells and put their energies together to stop these wells from being permanent structures in our communities.”
“Former Executive Director of Buckeye Environmental Network, the late and sorely missed Teresa Mills (who had researched a cancer cluster years before around a much more highly regulated hazardous waste injection well in northern Ohio), taught a few of us how to ask for and read agency injection well permit, inspection, and violations records. We found sloppy paperwork, inadequate geological evaluations, and numerous violations, suspensions, and agency permits for well re-openings over decades. Athens County commissioners passed a resolution in October 2013 requesting that ODNR shut down and plug the Ginsburg well, due to its 25-year history of violations.”
Water districts in Ohio join call for injection well moratorium
Following a series of historic actions on March 4th and 5th, a unified coalition from Washington County held a press conference and delivered a letter to Governor DeWine and the Ohio Legislature asking for a three year moratorium on Class I and Class II wastewater injection wells in the county. They began the two day escalation by hosting a press conference at the Armory in Marietta on March 4th.
STATEWIDE COALITION DEMANDS SWIFT ETHICS PROBE INTO SENATOR BRIAN CHAVEZ
The letter, spearheaded by Washington County for Safe Drinking Water and signed by leading statewide groups, including Buckeye Environmental Network, Save Ohio Parks and FaCT Ohio, argues that the Senator’s alleged conflicts of interest and voting record—specifically within the Senate Energy Committee—suggest a pattern where personal financial gain was prioritized over the public good.
300+ residents in Washington County, Ohio gather to learn about risks with injection wells.
In December, residents from across Washington County filled Graham Auditorium for a public forum on injection wells, hosted by Washington County for Safe Drinking Water and supported by Buckeye Environmental Network. Three keynote speakers share new information that hadn’t been shared yet.
Lawsuit Filed Over Ohio Dept of Natural Resource’s Use of Outdated Rules for Dangerous Injection Wells Near Marietta
Marietta, Ohio – Buckeye Environmental Network (BEN), represented by Earthjustice, has filed a lawsuit against the Ohio Department of Natural Resources (ODNR) and its Division of Oil and Gas Resources Management for unlawfully approving two new Class II oil and gas waste injection wells proposed by DeepRock Disposal Solutions, LLC near Marietta.
Marietta City Leaders Deliver Historic Injection Well Moratorium to Governor’s Office
On October 24th, city leaders in Marietta made it clear they’re not waiting around for change. After the City Council’s unanimous vote earlier this month, they took their call for clean water straight to the Governor’s Office. The resolution they hand delivered asks the state to pause Class II injection well activity in Washington County for three years and to take a serious look at the risks these wells pose to the community.
Marietta City Council Passes Major Resolutions On Injection Wells
On October 2, the Marietta City Council passed three major resolutions responding to public concern over injection wells and their threats to drinking water. Among them was a historic resolution asking the state for a three-year moratorium to pause injection well activity within Washington County, Ohio until further study is completed.
Washington County Fights Back Against Proposed Class I Injection Well
200+ people filled the Marietta High School auditorium for a Class I injection well meeting and asked Ohio EPA tough questions in Sept 2025.