Ohio House Democrats Call for Ban on Fracking Waste

Ohio House Democrats introduced a bill on Wednesday that would make it illegal to dispose of oilfield waste, also known as brine, in any of Ohio’s 179 active Class II injection wells. Under current state law, brine must be either reused at another well site or disposed of underground.  Should the bill pass, the use of brine on roads, used as a pre-treatment for ice in the winter and to suppress dust on dirt roads in the summer, would also be prohibited.  However, given the track record of other similar and unsuccessful attempts at legislation, the possibility of such a ban passing the Republican-controlled legislature is remote.