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Regular Council Meeting Minutes <br />6-15-09 <br />Page 31 <br /> <br /> <br />use a gravity trench system, you have to put in a$35,000.00 mechanically hydraulically-driven <br />trench system to protect the groundwater table from untreated human waste because it might <br />pollute the groundwater and he has the ODNR giving out 1388 permits for people to drill the tar <br />out of the ground and put aquifers at risk all over the place. He can't justify it, other than the <br />Ohio Department of Health makes lots of fee money over here and the Department of Natural <br />Resources makes a lot of fee money over there. That's the only constant that is between those <br />two because both science and logic dictates that they are completely inapposite of each other. <br />Dr. Parker said if we did something that affected the aquifer, the EPA would be right <br />down on us shutting us down. They are not doing anything to these people. <br />Senator Grendell said the EPA doesn't get involved. That's the part that is so amazing. <br />Up in Bainbridge they are not screaming bloody murder. You would think they would. But they <br />don't. Senator Grendell does not disagree with Dr. Parker, this is not driven by science or logic, <br />it is driven by, Senator Grendell believes on one level an industry that's looking for business and <br />on another level a government that's looking for fees. Senator Grendell would love to tell you <br />otherwise. He has been fighting this battle since 2004. It hasn't gotten any more fun. The <br />problem is we are disproportionately hit up here. There's no question about it. We have more <br />well permits applied for than any place else with residential areas. That's a problem. We have <br />houses here. Drive around Gates Mills. It looks like there's an oil well on every corner. It's <br />going to get worse because they hit. <br />This whole thing started when they hit at the cemetery on 91. That darn well came in and <br />was outrageously successful. Once that happened, it was like the '49 Gold Rush in California. <br />Everybody saw visions of sugar plums and the wells started popping up everywhere. <br />Senator Grendell stated, he looks forward to working with you. He would be glad to help <br />on the regulatory side. He looks forward to you testing that. The problem is, it's never been <br />fully tested. The issue of how far you can go versus this preemption issue is a problem. By the <br />way, there's a hole in the ODNR situation. When they pushed this thing through, they said we <br />will protect the local communities. They couldn't get enough inspectors to do it at the time. Five <br />years later, they realized they are not even close. Senator Grendell is not even sure if the safety <br />premise of the original position ever came to fruition. <br />Council President Buckholtz stated, there would be the countersuit. <br /> <br />Senator Grendell, said another gas industry would not go lightly into the night. They are <br />mean. They are nasty and they've got tough lawyers floating around out there. So, if you are <br />going to go that route, just make sure you know that they are not going to go away. They are <br />going to come in swinging. <br />Council President Buckholtz and Mayor Rinker thanked Senator Grendell for coming.