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Closed Shale Forum for Business Attracts Protesters
YANKEE LAKE, Ohio – As some 200 business leaders and public officials filed into the Yankee Lake ballroom here, two protesters attempted to enter the by-invitation-only forum, refused to leave, were arrested for trespassing and were taken away in handcuffs by the Brookfield Police Department.
At this hour, five protestors are gathered on public property a short distance from the venue.
Among others turned away from the forum were two landowners who left peacefully, saying they were surprised entry was denied.
The forum, “Ohio Shale: Economic Impact and Opprotunities,” was convened by state Rep. Sean O’Brien, a Democrat from Brookfield. As O’Brien, leaders of the Youngstown/Warren Regional Chamber, the Ohio Shale Coalition and other members of the Mahoning Valley’s legislative delegation welcomed the businesspeople to the event, a spokesman for FrackFree Mahoning Valley, Susie Beiersdorfer, emailed a statement to local news organizations decrying the lack of transparency, and calling for “televised, open public debates on the topic of fracking and related processes.”
Today’s forum is scheduled to end at 4:30 following closing remarks by Ohio Gov. John R. Kasich. The agenda includes panel discussions moderated by legislators. Among the panel participants are representatives of Anadarko Petroleum Corp., Cheseapeake Energy Corp. and BP. The final panel discussion is titled “Protecting our Environment.” Its participants include representatives from the Ohio Department of Natural Resources and the Ohio Oil and Gas Association.
Said Beiersdorfer in a written statement, “As the controversy surrounding risks of fracking and related processes accelerates nationwide, the public needs more openness, more transparency, and more answers – not less. The general public, the very people and families whose health and safety are directly affected by official decisions regarding fracking, should have a say and an important seat at the table. They do not at this meeting. Officials are not getting the whole picture of the risks of fracking by refusing to allow public feedback in this setting.”
As of this posting, oil and gas exploration company executives are explaining their holdings in eastern Ohio’s shale play. Matt Hammond, senior director of government affairs for Chesapeake, noted his company has paid more than $2 billion in lease signing bonuses to landowners in eastern Ohio. Chesapeake controls some 1.3 million acres in the Utica shale play.
The economic impact of the emerging shale industry in the years to come will boost housing prices and generate more demand for home improvements, Hammond said.
“Car dealers will have some of their best years ever,” he said “Local banks have more cash now in their banks than ever.”
Copyright 2012 The Business Journal, Youngstown, Ohio.