Like it or not, the virtual public meeting to discuss the proposed injection wells at the corner of U.S. 331 and U.S. 40 will continue as recently scheduled for this Friday.
This Friday being Good Friday, also a workday, at midday, during a pandemic. The Belmont County Commissioners, if they could congregate in one spot, likely looked at each other and uttered a collective ‘now’ simultaneously.
As it were, they did issue an official letter of opposition to the planned meeting Monday that was sent via email to Ohio Division of Natural Resources Director Mary Mertz, with Gov. Mike DeWine, State Sen. Frank Hoagland, State Reps. Don Jones and Jack Cera along with the Richland Township Trustees copied for good measure. The full content of that letter will be visible below.
In short, the commissioners don’t approve.
“We have serious concerns about the appropriateness of this meeting,” the letter stated. “… we in terms of date and time, those still employed and actively working away from the home have contacted us about their inability to be available … we do not understand why this meeting would not be held in the evening during the work week as which seems to be customary. In any event, it should not be held on a day that many in our community consider a religious holiday.”
Omni Energy Group’s building, left, is pictured on U.S. 40. 
This is an aerial view of the proposed well site utilizing Google Maps. The red marker signifies Pickering Road. The open land west of Pickering is Omni’s proposed site.
Contextual Background Info in Short
For those out of the loop or preoccupied with the day’s more pressing events, Omni Energy CEO Gerard Russomagno notified residents within 500-feet of the proposed two saltwater injection wells his company wished to place at the site. This occurred in April 2019.
In speaking with The Times Leader, Russomagno mentioned that truck traffic should be lighter than expected, ballparking 6-to-8 trucks per hour once the site is operational. If the permit is approved, he also guessed a roughly 30-day construction period.
Local opposition began to mount quickly. It began when township residents voiced their concerns at a Commissioners’ meeting in June. Later Ohio University Eastern’s Shannon Hall hosted a Q&A session with researchers from Yale University, along with Duquesne’s director for the Center for Environmental Research and Education. The fracking process, along with any potential hazards were topics of discussion.
Soon after, a meeting of the Richland Township Trustees moved to the St. Clairsville rec center because of anticipated crowd overflow, saw trustees Greg Reline, Kathy Kaluger and Rick Ferrel officially statedtheir opposition. The trustees also permanently tabled permits seeks (a) use of an ingress from U.S. 40 onto Pickering Road; and (b) road use maintenance agreement allowing Omni to use 265 feet of Pickering for the purpose of construction on the site, drilling the wells and any ongoing operations.
Friday’s virtual meeting will be the first “official” public meeting the DNR hosts regarding the permit. Adam Schroeder, public relations officer for the DNR, noted that the public comment period has seen hundreds of comments reach his office.
“Last fall, the Division planned to host a public meeting to provide an extra opportunity for members of the public to comment, but this is the first public meeting,” Schroeder said via emailed correspondence with LedeNews. “This is in addition to the written public comment period, outlined in Ohio law and rule. That period resulted in several hundred responses, all of which were reviewed by staff and each and every one is included as part of our permit review process.”
More Current Events
On Tuesday, March 31, the DNR released a press release detailing the hosting of a “virtual public meeting regarding two pending Class II Injection Well permit applications in Belmont County.” The meeting will run from 12:30 p.m. until 2:30 p.m. Friday. WebEx will be used for the meeting. The original release stated that the first 200 people will be able to sign up and participate using WebEx while the overflow will have to use a call-in only feature, along with anyone that doesn’t have Internet access.
Monday, the DNR released updated information on how and where to go to access the meeting on its website. The release asks that all participants wanting to comment call (614) 265-6937 or email oilandgas@dnr.state.oh.us before 11:30 a.m. Thursday. That way, meeting moderators will know whom to call on during the Friday meeting.
The updated meeting info now states that, if the 200-person maximum is reached, participants will be asked to drop out of the WebEx portion of the meeting after commenting in order to allow other participants an opportunity to be heard.
Schroeder addressed both questions about the date and the format.
“Friday is a scheduled workday for state employees and holding the event during the day provides us with the information technology support, should we need it,” Schroeder said. “The Division provided 12 days’ notice before the meeting to allow for interested individuals to adjust their schedules as necessary. The Division planned to hold an in-person meeting in Belmont County, and it had entered into discussions with two venues when some of the initial health guidelines were issued. Under the restrictions currently in place, we are prohibited from hosting an in-person public meeting.”
He continued.
“At this time, the Division has determined that the WebEx solution with a call-in option is a way to conduct a meeting in today’s environment,” Schroeder said. “The meeting is open to any member of the public, regardless of their place of residence. Our hope is that after people ask their question or make their comments and that they leave the call to allow others to join and participate.”
The commissioners noted in their letter that they felt having this meeting at this time only discouraged the residents. They asked that it be canceled in favor of a meeting held in Belmont County “at a more appropriate time” and that if it continues as scheduled, they “…request that a public meeting be held in Belmont County before a final decision is made.”
The commissioners closed by stating again in writing their strong opposition to the project location as proposed by Omni Energy.
What of social distancing?
Schroeder noted that while the oil and gas industry is classified as an essential business under the orders of Dr. Amy Acton, its workers are still required to adhere to social distancing guidelines. Doing so on a construction site might prove difficult.
However, if the plan is approved, Omni Energy would have “one or two years, depending on location” to complete the project from the date of the permit’s issuance.
Schroeder also relayed that Division had reviewed studies done by the Ohio Department of Transportation that related to traffic impacts at the proposed site.
“We recognize this is a unique situation, and we appreciate everyone’s patience and flexibility under these extraordinary circumstances,” Schroeder said.
