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To urge the Congress of the United States to request | 1 |
the United States Government Accountability Office | 2 |
to update its 1989 study and report on injection | 3 |
wells and drinking water contamination. | 4 |
WHEREAS, Underground injection wells are utilized in Ohio for | 5 |
a variety of purposes, including the disposal of wastes derived | 6 |
from the hydraulic fracturing process used at oil and gas | 7 |
production operations; and | 8 |
WHEREAS, The disposal of wastes by means of deep well | 9 |
injection raises significant questions regarding the safety of the | 10 |
process and the impact that the injection of wastes may have on | 11 |
ground water sources that are used for drinking water; and | 12 |
WHEREAS, In 1989, the United States Government Accountability | 13 |
Office (GAO) conducted a study and issued a report, entitled | 14 |
Safeguards Are Not Preventing Contamination From Injected Oil and | 15 |
Gas Wastes, that addressed the regulation of injection wells used | 16 |
in oil and gas production operations. The study focused | 17 |
specifically on: (1) whether evidence existed of drinking water | 18 |
contamination from injection wells and, if so, the causes and | 19 |
actions that were taken to prevent similar occurrences, and (2) | 20 |
the degree to which states had implemented program safeguards to | 21 |
protect against drinking water contamination; and | 22 |
WHEREAS, The 1989 GAO report concluded that injection wells | 23 |
were the source of drinking water contamination in numerous | 24 |
circumstances. Further, the report recommended specific actions | 25 |
that should be undertaken by the United States Environmental | 26 |
Protection Agency to address contamination and potential | 27 |
contamination of drinking water by injection wells; and | 28 |
WHEREAS, The GAO has not conducted a follow-up study since | 29 |
1989; now therefore be it | 30 |
RESOLVED, That we, the members of the 129th General Assembly | 31 |
of the State of Ohio, in adopting this resolution, strongly urge | 32 |
the Congress of the United States to request that the Government | 33 |
Accountability Office update its study and report examining the | 34 |
impact that injection wells have on drinking water supplies in our | 35 |
nation; and be it further | 36 |
RESOLVED, That the Clerk of the House of Representatives | 37 |
transmit duly authenticated copies of this resolution to the | 38 |
Speaker and Clerk of the United States House of Representatives, | 39 |
the President Pro Tempore and Secretary of the United States | 40 |
Senate, the members of the Ohio Congressional delegation, and the | 41 |
news media of Ohio. | 42 |