Sierra Club Responds To Columbiana County, OH Gas Well Leak

FAIRFIELD TOWNSHIP, OH -- It has been reported that a gas well in Columbiana County, Ohio has sprung a leak after a contractor hit the wellhead. More than 450 people have been evacuated. 

Governor Mike DeWine announced the Ohio Department of Natural Resources (ODNR) Division of Oil and Gas Resources Management is working with local officials to mitigate the situation. The other 12 surrounding wells were all shutdown following this incident. This incident occurred in the same county that was impacted by the toxic train derailment that  prompted thousands of residents to evacuate and exposed residents to dangerous carcinogens and dioxins.

In response, Shelly Corbin, Campaign Representative for the Sierra Club’s Beyond Dirty Fuels Campaign, issued the following statement: 

“Every person living in this country has the right to live safely in their communities without the risk of toxic pollutants contaminating the air, water, and ground. This county has experienced irreparable damage following a toxic train derailment that could have and should have been avoided. Now, another climate disaster has put homes, schools and communities at risk due to these dirty, dangerous fossil fuel operations. There is no such thing as a safe fossil fuel infrastructure and this is another disaster that continues to prove we must put our climate and our communities first. We are now looking at ODNR and the well operator to ensure that proper steps will be taken to minimize the risk of any future incident.”