Jury Awards $2.9 million in fracking case

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Lisa and Robert Parr of Plano, Texas, were awarded $2.9 million by a jury for personal injuries and property damages sustained as a result of fracking operations conducted by Aruba Petroleum. According to CNN, Lisa suffered migraine headaches, nausea, dizziness, and her doctor found that her body had absorbed a number of chemicals. There were 22 wells within a two mile radius of the Parrs’ house, the closest being 791 feet away.

No surprise, the attorneys for Aruba stated that Aruba ...

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Time for a tough talk on fracking’s inevitable danger

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Some weeks back, the news carried reports about a newly discovered by-product of hydraulic fracturing—radioactive waste. While the oil and gas industry vigorously promote the safety of fracking, as it is commonly known, we need to be concerned about several things.

First, the industry has done its best to downplay the dangers. When speaking before the Downtown Kiwanis Club two years ago, Tom Stewart, executive director of the Ohio Oil and Gas Association, stated that all chemicals used in the process ...

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Ohio lawmakers must remain vigilant over fracking

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“All that glitters is not gold.” Shakespeare’s warning in The Merchant of Venice may apply to fracking, where large quantities of high-pr essured fluids are discharged underground in order to dislodge natural gas. Fracking’s glitter is the promise of bountiful energy and jobs.  So seductive is this promise that people can easily be persuaded to rationalize the significant environmental risks that the drilling companies will always minimize.

The two most significant risks appear to be contamination ...

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Utility deregulation not so good for consumers

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Last January, the Public Utilities Commission of Ohio issued a ruling that may result in standard service for Columbia Gas being phased out by 2017. Will gas deregulation be good for Ohio residential consumers? Perhaps the better question is whether residential consumers benefit from the regulatory change process.

In theory, the commission considers all views when making regulatory changes, but commission hearings provide little opportunity for residential consumers to learn or be heard. According to Joseph V. Maskovyak, staff attorney for the ...

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