We did it! We defeated the toxic, radioactive oil and gas waste (hydraulic fracturing) facility in Martins Ferry. Thank you for following this situation, and if you signed our petition to the state of Ohio "No Toxic Waste Near Martins Ferry's Water Source", thank you! This is regarding the Austin Master facility, which handled oil and gas waste along the banks of the Ohio River and just over 1,000 feet from the drinking water source for 15,000 people. Read on to see how we did it, what this means, and what happens next.
This is a major victory for the citizens of the Ohio Valley, activists, stakeholders, and even elected representatives who were taking action, coming together, and organizing around this issue. As you know, the Ohio Attorney General filed suit against Austin Master and it's parent company, American Environmental Partners, earlier this year after the company stored 10,000 tons of toxic waste in the facility and then released their employees, creating a concerning situation. Then it flooded in April, bringing flood waters inside of the front doors of the facility. People have been becoming increasingly aware of the potential threats of the facility for years, and the lawsuit just cemented concerns.
So, why are we declaring victory now? It was announced recently by the property owners, 4K Industrial LLC, that they will no longer lease to any company who operates an oil and gas waste facility. 4K industrial, a local company who owns the complex that Austin Master was a tenant of, stated in court documents, and in the Pittsburgh Post Gazette article that they just want the facility cleaned up, and to move on and eventually rent to another entity in a different line of business. This victory comes after years of educating the community and elected representatives, activism, partnerships, and hard work and dedication. CORR worked closely with the City of Martins Ferry council and mayor in order to accomplish this. It is unfortunate that the situation had to get dire before it got better, however as the saying goes, better late than never. We could've had a major disaster that was avoided due to our efforts. This is an example of citizen activism at work.
*If you like our work, please consider donating to Concerned Ohio River Residents. We are a grassroots group and your contributions go a long way in supporting us! Click here to donate online: https://gofund.me/0b7056b6
The interesting and chilling part is that the Ohio Dept of Natural Resources, the state agency overseeing the operations, wasn't the entity that stated that no future operations would take place. Why didn't ODNR assure citizens and elected officials, including the City of Martins Ferry who wrote letters to ODNR, that they would deny any future permit transfers? These are the questions that remain and show that clearly there is still work to do in advocating for better protections and better laws in Ohio. There were various issues at the facility over the years, and ODNR could have done a better job at regulating. They could have not permitted this facility in that location in the first place. They could have not allowed the roof to leak for years. They could've required better protections for workers. They could've had stricter oversight.
What is next? The state hired a contractor to clean the facility up. This is another victory. The clean-up began last week, and it will likely take months of time and according to the Post Gazette article, millions of dollars to complete. Who will pay for the clean up? Will it be tax payers that foot the bill? The Ohio Attorney General's office is attempting to recoup some of the cost of clean-up from the owner, Brad Domitrovitsch, in the lawsuit. The court stated that he must pay a $1.2 million bond or face 30 days in jail, however the court allowed him to post a $25,000 bond to avoid jail time while the court processes his appeal to the ruling from May, which held them in contempt of court for not cleaning up the waste, which was far beyond permitted levels. The company is stating that it does not have the money to pay for the clean up. What happened to the money that was made from taking in the 10,000 tons? Corporations and LLCs need to be held accountable when they leave behind messes. Better protections need to be put in place to protect taxpayers. We need to learn lessons from this situation and from this victory. This situation is unfolding and it is to be determined what the ultimate result will be. One thing is for certain though, the facility is getting cleaned up, and residents can celebrate that this facility will no longer exist.
Again, please consider donating to Concerned Ohio River Residents. We wouldn't be able to do this work without community support. Click here to donate online: https://gofund.me/0b7056b6
Please also consider writing to your elected officials and sharing your personal concerns for this situation, your reason for taking action if you did, and ask that the state of Ohio has more strict oversight over waste facilities in the future. Community involvement matters. Education and knowledge is power. Let's keep pushing forward to a more healthy and sustainable future. We will continue to update folks on this situation. It will be interesting to see how much it ultimately costs to clean up the mess, and again who will pay for it.
Images from ODNR inspection reports:
