HHN is an online directory, network, and online events calendar for leaders working to protect their communities and environment from the harms of oil & gas industry. Join for updates, to hear about our webinars series, and updates to the network.
July HHN Newsletter
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Hi Reader, It's been 12 years since my home state of New York banned fracking. That ban has held strong, but this month, a legal challenge stands to compromise it. The ripple effects could reach far beyond New York's borders. Meanwhile, Ohio's fracking footprint keeps expanding onto public lands, and communities from the Delaware River Basin to Washington County are proving that persistence pays off. There's a lot happening right now, so let's get caught up. Click here to view this email in your browser. What We're Following Fracking footprint keeps expanding in OhioThe U.S. Bureau of Land Management announced a September lease sale for 2,800 acres of Wayne National Forest, Ohio's only national forest, which could open it to fracking for the first time. Meanwhile, the state's Oil and Gas Land Management Commission approved $242 million in bids from Texas and Oklahoma companies to drill beneath 15,000 acres of state wildlife areas and parkland in eastern Ohio, including Egypt Valley and Jockey Hollow wildlife areas and Salt Fork State Park. Both moves come despite overwhelming public opposition, and advocates warn that even more public land is on the table. Read more about Wayne National Forest. Read more about the state land leases. 16 months of organizing, four injection wells shut downIn more Ohio news, organizers notched a hard-won victory this month: after releasing a report documenting years of climbing underground pressure near fracking waste injection wells, regulators ordered four Class II wells in Washington County to cease operations amid concerns about toxic brine migrating through the rock and compromising drinking water aquifers. The Buckeye Environmental Network is still pushing ODNR for a comprehensive investigation, but the shutdowns show what community organizing, science, and persistence can accomplish. Delaware River Basin fracking ban survives congressional challenge—for nowAn effort to strip the Delaware River Basin Commission of its authority to regulate fracking fell short in Congress this month, leaving the basin's landmark ban intact. The prohibition, in place since 2021, protects drinking water for some 15 million people across New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and Delaware. Environmental advocates celebrated the win but warned that industry allies are likely to try again. Event Recap All event replays can be found in the Recordings Space in the HHN Network. Oil & Gas Wells Near Schools: The Data and the Health RisksLiveable Arlington recently released a new analysis mapping oil and gas wells near schools in Arlington, Texas. Tens of thousands of Arlington public school students attend campuses within close proximity to active oil and gas operations. Their recent webinar walked through the data in three parts: how the research was compiled, a summary of peer-reviewed research on the health risks of fracking for children, and an interactive custom map from FracTracker Alliance showing the distance between drilling sites and schools across the community. This isn't just a Texas story—it's a model for any community that wants to use data to illustrate the harms of fracking, particularly on infants and children. Behind the Toxic Chemical Recycling CurtainHazardous chemicals on site at plastics “chemical recycling” and other types of industrial facilities put workers and communities at risk. For this webinar, we were joined by Eve Gartner, Director of Cross-Cutting Toxics Strategies at Earthjustice, who discussed the Emergency Planning and Community Right to Know Act (EPCRA) and making public records requests for facilities in your community. We were also joined by Shannon Goff, who walked us through the new NRDC brief, “Chemical Recycling” is a Toxic Trap. Watch the replay and get the slides here. How Regulators Could Protect Residents from Radioactive Leachate in Landfills (but are they?)Landfills across Pennsylvania take in radioactive fracking waste, and it’s not just in Pennsylvania either. The leachate produced at these landfills is harmful and raises important questions for communities bearing the risks. How can regulators protect communities instead of buckling to the pressure from industry? For this webinar, speakers presented on the science, health, and resources we need to protect communities from the harms of fracking waste. Closing Comment The work of protecting communities from fracking never really stops. But alongside those threats, we see what happens when people organize, document the data, and refuse to back down: four wells shut down in Washington County, a basin-wide ban that held in Congress, and people of all walks of life taking action. That's the kind of persistence this network was built to support. If you're working on something in your own community and could use help, reach out. And if you have wins to share, we want to hear about those, too. Hope to see you in the network. Sincerely, Ryan Clover |
Halt the Harm Network
HHN is an online directory, network, and online events calendar for leaders working to protect their communities and environment from the harms of oil & gas industry. Join for updates, to hear about our webinars series, and updates to the network.
Hi Reader, A few days ago I posted a request in the network for photos or examples of clever messaging that communities are using to organize against data centers and got a couple entertaining replies. Thanks to Lynn Handlin for sharing this photo of the World on Fire Department Fire Truck wearing a data center “costume.” We are told that the outfit is complete with annoying sound effects. The truck was accompanied by ERpdx’s theater troop, Zany Bits, also dressed as data centers. 😜 I also...
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