Ohio has seen a boom in the storing of fracking wastewater, much of it from neighboring states. This wastewater includes a mix of toxic chemicals—many of which are harmful to human health. Some communities have responded by trying to limit wastewater dumping, but the Ohio Supreme Court ruled that municipalities have no power to regulate or limit the disposal of fracking waste. Many of the Ohio Supreme Court justices who made this decision received large campaign contributions from fracking companies and other fossil fuel interests.
This is the story of the communities that will have a difficult time protecting their quality of life and drinking water from harm resulting from fracking wastewater.
Billy Corriher is the Director of Research for Legal Progress at the Center for American Progress. Lauren Malkani is a co-founder of Seven Mile Media.