Gabby Brown, gabby.brown@sierraclub.org
Columbus, OH -- Yesterday, a bill that would allow oil and gas waste, including fracking fluids, to be sold as a “commodity” passed through the Ohio House Energy & Natural Resources Committee. The bill -- HB 393 -- would allow fracking waste to be sold in local stores without meeting any safety standards or requirements to protect public health, and would expand the use of this hazardous waste as a road deicer by the Ohio Department of Transportation.
The bill passed without any Democratic support in the committee, which also rejected an amendment that would have required the state’s Department of Natural Resources to test for radioactive materials in the waste. The bill is expected to come for a full vote in the House in the coming weeks.
In response, Sierra Club Beyond Dirty Fuels Organizer Cheryl Johncox released the following statement:
“Every Ohioan should be concerned that this dangerous idea is one step closer to reality. Fracking waste contains hundreds of toxic pollutants and high levels of radioactivity. The idea that it should be sold in stores and sprayed onto more of our roadways is shockingly misguided. We should be stopping this dangerous practice altogether, not expanding it across our state. We urge our representatives to protect Ohioans’ health and reject this toxic legislation.”
About the Sierra Club
The Sierra Club is America’s largest and most influential grassroots environmental organization, with more than 3 million members and supporters. In addition to helping people from all backgrounds explore nature and our outdoor heritage, the Sierra Club works to promote clean energy, safeguard the health of our communities, protect wildlife, and preserve our remaining wild places through grassroots activism, public education, lobbying, and legal action. For more information, visit www.sierraclub.org.