Our annual member meeting and board election is coming up! Join us Nov. 7 in Newark. For $20 or more a year, you can become a BEN member and help guide our work for clean air, clean water, and protected forests. Join or renew: benohio.org/give/
Buckeye Environmental Network
@buckeyeenviro.bsky.social
BEN is committed to empowering grassroots organizations, individuals, and local communities to advocate for environmental justice. Learn more at benohio.org
Public comment period open on draft permit on gas power plant for data center near Columbus, OH oilandgaswatch.org/alert/4f561f... @buckeyeenviro.bsky.social
Freepoint closed, but pollution risks remain in Hebron. Ohio EPA cited it for mishandling waste containing benzene. BEN and Earthworks support workers’ calls for paid lifetime medical monitoring and residents’ calls for soil testing. benohio.org/ohio-plastic...
Ohio Plastic Pyrolysis Facility Receives Violation for Improper Hazardous Waste Management – Buckeye Environmental Network
benohio.org
Ohio Power Siting Board takes in-person testimony Oct. 6 on Meta bid for 500 MW gas plant to power gargantuan New Albany data center. NEO plant alone will spew 3.5 M tons of greenhouse gases yearly. Here's what to do: bit.ly/3Thycfq @ccbecker271.bsky.social @wosupublicmedia.bsky.social
Tell Ohio NO on two polluting gas plants
Two major new gas combustion plants have been proposed to power data centers at the New Albany Business Park in Licking County.
bit.ly
We’re collecting samples from these Ohio Counties: Licking, Coshocston and Ashtabula
Save the date! BEN’s Annual Membership Meeting is Nov. 7 at 11am in Newark. The meeting is open to BEN members.
Meeting set for Sept. 30 on pollution control plan for chemical plastics recycling plant in Akron, OH oilandgaswatch.org/alert/43ec18... @buckeyeenviro.bsky.social @beyondplastics.bsky.social
“Radium has a half-life of 1,600 years.” Our organizer Anton Krieger spoke to Morrow County Commissioners about oil and gas waste brine containing radium being spread on Ohio roads. www.morrowcountysentinel.com/2026/09/23/c...
morrowcountysentinel.com
To see the map we’ve made highlighting impacted areas and fill out the interest form go to linktr.ee/buckeyeenvironmentalnetwork
To see the map we’ve made highlighting impacted areas and fill out the interest form go to linktr.ee/buckeyeenvironmentalnetwork
Our Forest Committee put together some resources to assist Ohioans in drafting comments on the Department of Forestry’s Annual Work Plan! Deadline to submit comments is Oct 5! docs.google.com/document/d/e...
Data center moratoriums are a growing trend across Ohio! Has your city or township passed one? ohiocapitaljournal.com/2026/09/18/o...
Ohio passes over 125 active data center moratoriums
At least 136 Ohio municipalities and townships have active moratoriums on data centers as of Sept. 16, local government records and news reports show.
ohiocapitaljournal.com
We’re holding a virtual Letter to the Editor training this Thursday at 6 PM. Learn how to write an LTE and what can help get it published in your local paper. No writing experience needed. RSVP: bit.ly/training924
Why is toxic brine migrating out of zone in Washington County? Why are geologists warning that drinking water is at risk? Why is ODNR relying on voluntary shutdowns? @nytimes.com is paying attention. Ohio’s leaders should too. www.nytimes.com/2026/09/17/c...
Toxic Fracking Waste Becoming a Political Issue in Ohio (Gift Article)
The Democratic candidate for governor backed restrictions on disposal of fracking wastewater around a hard-hit town, and called for a “thorough investigation” of the dangers.
nytimes.com
Columbus residents showed up to @cbuscitycouncil.bsky.social last night and made their voices heard! www.dispatch.com/story/news/l...
Data center opponents press Columbus for moratorium at public hearing
Data center critics want Columbus to enact a moratorium. A council member hopes to regulate them but admits the city’s power is limited.
dispatch.com
We’re tabling at the Franklin County Courthouse today for Earthshare’s Combined Charitable Campaign Kickoff! If you’re in the area, say hi and get a copy of Heartwood Network’s latest paper featuring two stories about our work!
Columbus City Council is holding another data center policy hearing Sept. 16 at 5:30 PM. At the last hearing, 24 people testified and overwhelmingly called for a moratorium and stronger protections. Instructions to sign up are on the flyer. Planning to testify? Let us know at info@benohio.org.
Oil and gas waste has already traveled miles underground in Washington County and ended up in wells where it was never supposed to be. Holly Kellums of MASH Focus has been doing some great local reporting on what’s happening there. Give her latest a read: medium.com/@hollykellum...
Washington County Injection Wells: What We Know, and What MASH Focus Is Investigating Next
The state already confirmed brine left one well. Four more later went idle. The record is still incomplete.
medium.com
Worth a read from Tappan Lake resident Dr. Randi Pokladnik on Tenaska’s plans to store CO₂ underground in eastern Ohio, and what that could mean for pipeline safety and private property. www.yourohionews.com/harrison-cou...
Letter: Concerns raised over Ohio carbon dioxide pipelines
A Tappan Lake writer discusses proposed CO2 wells and pipelines in Harrison, Carroll and Jefferson counties.
yourohionews.com
The Cool Down takes a look at what’s happening with injection wells in Washington County and why residents are concerned about their drinking water. www.thecooldown.com/green-tech/i...
Washington County, Ohio, rejects injection well moratorium amid oilfield waste fears
A proposal to pause a type of injection well used for oil drilling failed in Washington County, Ohio, but the debate made clear that fears over oilfield waste disposal and drinking water safety are no...
thecooldown.com
Join @saveohioparks.bsky.social Sept. 15 in Cincinnati for drinks, community & conversation as we fight to protect Ohio state parks from natural gas fracking. bit.ly/4xlYWtb Each donation helps us hold lawmakers accountable to keep Ohio's parks pristine. bit.ly/4xlYWtb @ccbecker271.bsky.social
Our partner @fairshake.bsky.social is hosting a free virtual legal clinic Oct. 7 for communities working on data center issues in OH, PA, and WV. Get guidance on zoning, permits, public records, utility rates, moratoriums, and more. Register: fairshake-els.org/events
Where has oil and gas waste brine been spread in Ohio? Our new blog post takes a closer look at what it shows, how brine spreading continues in Ohio, and what it means for communities. Explore the map and read more: benohio.org/where-has-oi...
Where Has Oil and Gas Waste Brine Been Spread in Ohio? Explore the Map - Buckeye Environmental Network
The disposal of toxic and radioactive oil and gas waste brine has improved dramatically over the centuries of oil and gas extraction. Before oil and gas waste disposal saw any type of regulations, it ...
benohio.org
A voluntary shutdown is not the same as a formal order. Washington County residents are calling on ODNR to issue Chief’s Suspension Orders, starting a 120-day process that could require these injection wells to be plugged, and to act on the requested three-year moratorium.
Washington County residents renew demands for action on injection wells after meeting with ODNR
Washington County residents are making renewed demands for action and answers on injection wells from state officials.
wtap.com
Fracking wastewater is bubbling up from wells near Marietta, Ohio. Jeanne Briskin explains: Underground injection pushed it to the surface, prompting 4 disposal sites to shut down. But thousands more old wells could create pathways upward, raising questions about disposal safety.
Dr. David Jeffery recently wrote in the Ohio Capital Journal that Ohio must treat migrating radioactive fracking waste as an emergency. Our latest blog shares excerpts from his op-ed and more on the evidence and local organizing behind it benohio.org/dr-david-jef...
Dr. David Jeffery on What Ohio Must Do About Migrating Fracking Waste - Buckeye Environmental Network
In a recent op-ed published in Ohio Capital Journal, Marietta College petroleum geologist Dr. David L. Jeffery explains why the Washington County injection well crisis demands an emergency response. P...
benohio.org
Ohio State University created this map from annual public reports showing where radioactive oil and gas waste brine is spread on local roads. Ohio legalized the practice in 1985 despite concerns from staff at ODNR and the Ohio Department of Health.
There is a boil order in place in Nelsonville until 3 p.m. Thursday, Aug. 28: athensindependent.com/boil-order-n...
The Great Lakes give millions of us clean drinking water, but plastic waste keeps piling up in them. Big plastic makers need to step up and fix this. Read the full report from the Chicago Tribune: www.chicagotribune.com/2026/08/23/g...
As microplastics pollute every corner of the Great Lakes, scientists push governments to combat threat
Plastics just keep getting smaller, and potentially more harmful to humans, fish and wildlife. Even the most remote areas of the Great Lakes aren’t spared.
chicagotribune.com