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Letters to the Editor

Letter to the Editor: Review candidates’ forums, written positions on injection wells

I am writing as a former ODNR geologist who worked in Washington County from 2003 to 2021. My duties included routine oil and gas inspections, complaint investigations, and all matters involving injection wells. I wrote numerous violations and occasionally recommended fines or stronger action, but enforcement from Columbus was rare. Later I was assigned the orphan well program. The least favorite part of the job was injection wells. Failures were common—sometimes from poor cement jobs, more often from tubing or packer problems that let pressure drop and brine leave the intended ...

Letter to the Editor: $30 from 3000

The journey started in 2020 during COVID, when the Washington County Homeless Project, a 501c3 since 2017, engaged city government and community churches to open the first Drop-in Center to assist those who are homeless or at -risk of homelessness. The need since 2020 has not diminished but successes have been achieved with a collaborative effort from churches, local treatment facilities and the general public. The lives of numerous individuals and families have been impacted in a positive way. Many more people struggling with homelessness or at -risk of it remain hopeful that working ...

Letter to the editor: Community deserves answers on injection wells

Injection wells are one of the issues I have been asked about most this election season. While the concern may be new to some, I have worked on it for more than six years. The last time the Ohio Department of Natural Resources — the licensing and monitoring authority for Class II injection wells — held a public meeting in Washington County, it did so at my urging as president of the Board of County Commissioners. When the Ohio EPA held a public meeting here last year, it again came at my urging, this time as a newly elected legislator. To my knowledge, I am the only elected ...

Letter to the editor: Vote for Sherrod Brown

Jon Husted (Republican) and Sherrod Brown (Democrat) are our candidates for United States senator of the state of Ohio in a special election this November. Husted was appointed two years ago by the governor to fill the seat vacated when JD Vance became vice president. He has only two years of experience there. Sherrod Brown is running again for senator — and I am just assuming here — because he knows that he can provide greater representation for us than Husted. He was our senator from 2006 until 2024 when Bernie Moreno was elected. Both candidates have been in government in some ...

Letter to the Editor: Ohio Oil & Gas Association opposes proposed moratorium

Kevin Ritter, member of the Ohio House of Representatives for District 94, is running for re-election this November. Still, he doesn’t seem concerned with one issue facing the people in District 94. In the Sept. 19th article titled “Ohio Oil & Gas Association opposes proposed moratorium,” Ritter questions the need for a pause in new injection well activity. The issue with this stance is that residents are less concerned with "new injection well activity" than with the continuing injection. The continuing injection of toxic brine into over-capacitated wells is a pressing concern. ...

Letter to the Editor: Basic needs come first in Marietta

As the November midterm election approaches, candidates are competing for voters’ attention with arguments about foreign policy, cultural disputes, and the latest national political controversy. Those issues matter. But candidates seeking votes in Marietta and Washington County should remember something much closer to home. Before people worry about the top of the pyramid, they worry about its foundation. I learned that lesson in Marietta more than half a century ago. I came to Marietta College as a student and graduated in 1969. That same year, I began teaching history and civics in ...