Athens is a progressive force for environmentalism. The solar panels at the Athens Community Center, recently revamped public bus service, strong local food culture and finely maintained bike paths are testaments to our civic pride and our eco-awareness.
In the same spirit, we should continue urging ourselves and one another on to further positive changes.
First, we must take a firm stand and ban fracking in Athens County and oppose the recently proposed injection well. If we fail to do this, our community will have joined the unfortunate camp of fair-weather environmentalism. Do we want to get a reputation for standing by enlightened practices only when they cost us little? Will we show ourselves weak-kneed before opportunities for additional tax revenue? The costs of fracking in terms of water usage, water pollution and human health are greater than the short-term benefits.
According to a previous Post article, the Athens County Board of Elections denied a fracking ban initiative from appearing on the November ballot. Youngstown and Bowling Green succeeded in placing such initiatives on their ballots, thanks to the efforts of the Community Environmental Legal Defense Fund. However, voters in Bowling Green and Youngstown rejected the fracking bans, according to National Geographic.
Did the members of our Board of Elections act contrary to the democratic process and the interests of their community? The Athens County Fracking Action Network plans to reword the initiative and place it on a ballot in the next election. I am cheering for them and think Athens can serve as an example even though ultimately it’s the state’s decision to regulate, permit or ban fracking.
Second, we should push for renewable energy at Ohio University. But, unfortunately, OU plans to add to the demand for fracking. OU’s Lausche Heating Plant will receive a $70 million dollar replacement in 2014, according to a previous Post article. It will run entirely on natural gas, the very resource fracking extracts.
Though it is admirable that the plant will produce 89,000 fewer metric tons of CO2 on a yearly basis, as stated in a January 2012 article in The Post, we must remember that this only takes into consideration one kind of environmental cost at one stage in the energy production process. When we take into account the environmental costs of natural-gas production methods, including fracking, the plant does not look like quite as much of an improvement, even if it is still better overall.
Last year, Ohio State University announced it would purchase about 25 percent of its Columbus campus’ energy from an Ohio wind farm. If we follow suit, or even strategized to eventually power our campus with an even higher percentage of renewable energy, I believe it would be a selling point for many students.
I hope the municipality stops dragging its feet and allows the issue of fracking in our county to receive a fair and democratic vote. I also hope the university moves not only beyond coal but beyond fossil fuels. And I expect that if these hopes are realized, our progressive image as a community will be stronger than ever.
Zach Wilson is a senior studying philosophy. What environmental changes would you like to see in Athens? You can tell him at cw299210@ohiou.edu.
