http://blog.cleveland.com/metro/2010/03/federal_epa_to_look_at_environ.html
"This information is critical to Ohio, since our legislators have yet to require any minimum distance requirements between drilling sites and watersheds or any body of water, for that matter, as most other states do," said NEOGAP Director Kari Matsko.
Matkso said she was also glad to see the opening of the Ohio EPA's new "Eyes on Drilling" Tipline for citizens to report non-emergency suspicious activity related to oil and natural gas development.
The Ohio EPA is asking citizens to call 1-877-919-4EPA or send an e-mail to eyesondrilling@epa.gov if they see illegal disposal of drilling wastes or other suspicious activity. Tips may be given anonymously.
The Ohio legislature's revamping of regulations on drilling, meanwhile, is apparently about to move from a House committee and could be voted on by the full House within a week or so.
The Ohio Senate has already approved a bill that revises the state's oil and gas drilling laws, though not to the degree desired by groups like Matsko's or the Cuyahoga County Mayors and Managers Association.
"We gave a luke warm endorsement of (Senate Bill 165, the title of the proposed regulation) because while it's way better than what we had, it's not as much as we'd prefer," said Bratenahl Mayor John Licastro, president of the mayors and managers group.
"We didn't really address fracking, though any time there's an effort to pump millions of gallons of fluid under high pressure into a rock formation is an obvious concern."