Hydraulic fracking provides the opportunity to tap into massive natural gas reserves which is located deep beneath the earth.  In Ohio and Pennsylvania, Marcellus and Utica Shale is sedimentary rock which contains huge quantities of natural gas.

Hydraulic fracking uses water injected at high pressure to break up the rock allowing the gas to be released into wells.  The process uses

On December 17th, Ohio EPA re-issued a huge set of rules that impact industry, developers and the farming community.  The surface water quality rule package includes interrelated sets of rules dealing with the following areas of regulation:

  • Stream Mitigation–   Contains an entirely new proposal for how to determine the amount of mitigation required for stream impacts.

On November 23, 2009, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) finalized new rules intended to control stormwater pollution from construction sites.  The rule takes effect on February 2010 and will be phased in over four years. 

The most significant new requirement is the imposition of numeric discharge limits from larger construction sites.  In the past, U.S. EPA required construction site owners/operators to

On April 1st, the U.S. Supreme Court issued its decision in Entergy v. Riverkeepers which examined whether a cost benefit analysis is appropriate under certain provisions of the Clean Water Act, specifically Section 316(b) of the Act. As detailed below, there has been wide ranging debate over the significance of the decision.

At issue are large

Senators Stabenow and Feingold are trying to build support for Great Lakes funding in the economic stimulus package being developed.  The following letter is being circulated as a way of showing support for inclusion of funding. 

The letter highlights the traditional areas identified for Great Lakes Restoration- contaminated sediment, combined sewer overflows and eco restoration. 

Dear