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ODNR director may get special delivery
(by Joan Demirjian - March 26, 2009)
ODNR director may get special delivery
By JOAN DEMIRJIAN
Bainbridge residents whose water wells were contaminated by a gas- and oil-well leak could be sending some bottles of their water to Ohio Department of Natural Resources Director Sean Logan to sample.
State Sen. Timothy J. Grendell, R-Chester, told property owners from English and Scotland drives and the surrounding area Monday that he would personally deliver the water to Mr. Logan "and make him drink it."
Mr. Grendell's suggestion to deliver the water came after he told the residents that Mr. Logan could not appear at the public meeting.
ODNR has jurisdiction over gas- and oil-well drilling in the state. That authority once belonged to local governments but was taken away by Ohio House Bill 278 in 2004.
Residents met with Mr. Grendell at the Bainbridge Trustees meeting to talk about their concerns.
Property owners in the area of English and Scotland drives off Bainbridge Road and the surrounding area were affected when a gas and oil well owned by Ohio Valley Energy, of Austintown, leaked methane gas into the water aquifer in December 2007. It caused one house to be blown off its foundation on English Drive, and some residents have not been able to use their wells for household use since.
Mr. Logan was scheduled to be at the meeting with residents and Township Trustees Monday, according to Mr. Grendell. The meeting would have been an opportunity for those impacted by the situation to talk to him, Mr. Grendell said.
After a Feb. 21 incident in which oil and brine escaped from a well off Snyder Road in Bainbridge, Mr. Grendell said, "Mr. Logan took offense with some of the remarks concerning ODNR in newspaper accounts of the incident."
"Director Logan will meet all 37 property owners, as long as Township Trustees and I aren't in the room," Mr. Grendell said.
He said he would help set up a meeting with residents and Mr. Logan, if the residents want one.
Mr. Grendell also offered to try to arrange a meeting of residents with Ohio Gov. Ted Strickland. He would ask the governor to bring along "his employee," meaning Mr. Logan, he said.
Bainbridge Trustee Matthew Lynch said, "It's very unfortunate that Director Logan was not here to face those citizens who have been so damaged by the failure of his ODNR regulators.
He said he is concerned about reports that the oil and gas industry is meeting with ODNR to hammer out new gas- and oil-well legislation that would serve to undercut what Mr. Grendell is proposing.
Trustee Linda White said the offer by Mr. Grendell to bring the contaminated water to ODNR for the director to drink reminds her of the movie "Erin Brockovich," concerning the true story of major contamination of water in a California town.
On Tuesday, Mr. Logan, through his staff, conveyed the message that he did not attend the meeting because of a scheduling conflict. He said he met March 5 with Mr. Grendell, and they agreed to set up a meeting with residents, with the understanding that Mr. Grendell would schedule the date.
While Mr. Logan did not want legal counsel at the meeting, he did not place restrictions on anyone else, including the media, his staff representative said.
Mr. Logan said he is awaiting further details on the meeting with residents.
At Monday's meeting, Mr. Grendell described new legislation being proposed for gas and oil well operations in the state.
However, residents said it could be too little and too late for them.
Scotland Drive resident David Komocki asked, "What about us?" Proposed legislation will help others, "but we're without water," he said.
The problem should be taken care of in the immediate area, "and it's not happening. Nothing is being done," Mr. Komocki said.
"Someone has to step up to the plate and take responsibility," he said. There are rules in place, and they were not followed with the English well, Mr. Komocki said.
Irvin Mesmer, of Scotland Drive, said he was out of town last October, when his house started filling with methane gas. Fortunately, an alarm alerted the fire department before it exploded, he said.
"OVE never called once to say they were sorry," he said of Ohio Valley Energy. And ODNR has done nothing, Mr. Mesmer said.
Mr. Grendell said, "In my opinion, ODNR works too close to the industry." It is fee-based, with ODNR depending on the revenues, he said.
While the ODNR director said the government should work with business, Mr. Grendell said he does not believe it should happen at the expense of residents.
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