COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH)– A local group collected thousands of signatures for a ballot petition spelling out community rights to protect water, air and soil.
The group called Columbus Community Bill of Rights, spent a year collecting 13,587 signatures handed in to the Columbus City Clerk’s Office this morning. Their hope is to amend the city charter with specifics related to oil and gas exploration and its waste products. The group needed 8,957 signatures equal to 10 percent of the Columbus voter turnout (89,571) from the November 2103 general election for an amendment to be added to the November 2015 ballot.
“Radioactive and toxic waste are being dumped into our watershed and we currently have no voice in that,” said co-organizer Carolyn Harding.
Ohio Senate Bill 59 part of the 2013 budget bill, allows solid waste from oil and gas production wells that might have radioactive content deregulated. “This means that radioactive shale drill cuttings are authorized to be disposed of in landfills across Ohio without any form of testing required,” said Greg Pace with the Columbus Community Bill of Rights group.
NBC4 has contacted the Ohio Oil and Gas Association for a response to the amendment and allegations of drilling contamination.