written by Jackie Schmitz
The Boulter 1-17 Hydraulic Frack well in Carlton Twp. is the first frack well in Barry County. Unfortunately, it will probably not be our last. Most of our state land and much of our farmland has been leased for fracking. Interstate Exploration is an oil company out of Houston, TX. After they reach their depth (6500 feet), DEQ gives them 90 days to reveal if they found oil. We are still waiting to hear. For now, they’ve completed drilling and removed the equipment.
We know we cannot stop fracking in our rural community. But we are not going to give up without a fight. Maybe we can delay it and maybe they will tire of complying with ordinances. We’re focused on counties and townships developing, enacting, and then enforcing protective ordinances. Our request to be on the county commission meeting agenda was denied! Eight water protectors commented at the county commissioner’s September biweekly meeting. A poll in the September 14th Hastings Banner read…
‘Should county commissioners bring the fracking issue to the forefront of their agenda?’ 53% of the respondents said ‘Yes’.
We need to keep reminding elected officials what their constituents demand. Rise Up!
The Carlton Township Board has been developing a package of local protective ordinances. We hope they will be voting on this at their next meeting Monday, December 13 at 7:00 PM. The Board adapted a 6 month moratorium!
We are also trying to soften our local elected officials. We’re gathering signatures for the Ban Fracking in Michigan petition. We pass out handouts at tables and meetings about possible ordinances. Our literature has phone numbers to call and even a little example of what to say. We are focusing on a township at a time while reaching out to county commissioners. We prefer a countywide package of ordinances rather than piecemeal township by township. Rising Up!
Click here for more information on Injection Wells.
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Also published on Medium.