If Oxford wants to be a major player then they need to start acting like one!

This is from the Barnesville Enterprise.

Letter to the Editor
Concerns over gas/oil companies

Published: November 23, 2011 12:58PM

Editor:

The other day I saw an Oxford oil tanker truck spewing smoke by the stream below Barnesville’s waste water treatment plant. It was either pumping water out of the creek or dumping something into the creek. The truck driver would not say which it was.

This is disturbing on a number of levels. If he was dumping, it is simply unacceptable due to the potential damage to aquatic life and the livestock that drink from the stream. Likewise, pumping will decrease stream flow and could be equally harmful. But what is most troubling is that Oxford, a company that would appear to be in line for a gigantic windfall with its $5 per acre leases, is operating on the cheap. I would suggest that they support the local economy by buying water from Barnesville as other gas and oil companies do. Or if they want to keep pumping water out of our streams (the water does belong to the citizens!), pay the townships for the water. Either way the money can be well spent repairing the roads that are already suffering from heavy truck traffic.

It appears that gas and oil is about to boom in SE Ohio. The good news is that our economy will benefit. The bad news is that the state is unlikely to get serious about regulating the industry for fear of discouraging them from investing here. It’s up to us to ensure that, in extracting a resource from two miles below our feet, the industry doesn’t do damage to the resources right here at our feet - our fields, forests, and streams.

Leonard Guindon,

Barnesville

 

Views: 1531

Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by Finnbear on December 1, 2011 at 9:32am

So what was that truck doing? Pumping out of the stream or emptying into it?

Permalink Reply by Philip Brutz on December 1, 2011 at 9:45am

The driver would not say when Leonard Guindon asked him.  Leonard is a member of your land owners group.  If you see him at your next meeting you should ask him about it.  

 

 

 

Permalink Reply by Finnbear on December 1, 2011 at 10:06am

I don't know him but I certainly would like to talk to him.

Permalink Reply by Philip Brutz on December 1, 2011 at 10:37am

Friend me and I will send you his contact info.

Permalink Reply by time will tell on December 1, 2011 at 4:47pm

Everyone one needs to watch like a hawk for this kinda thing . Don't rely on the people hired  to protect us from this kinda bull crap to always do that .

Trust me you don't want to find out the hard way PERIOD .

No i'm not a enviro -wacko just a victim . 

Permalink Reply by deron on December 3, 2011 at 5:22am

i seen a red tanker truck pumping water either in or out at the crick near st rt 800 and Mt. olivett road twice now. 

Permalink Reply by time will tell on December 3, 2011 at 5:30am

That was H-L water hauling and they have been picking up water . They are a good company .

thanks for watching .

This is the kinda things we have to do to keep all honest .

Let produce our minerals and do it right !!!

Permalink Reply by Mickgyver on December 3, 2011 at 9:34am

that was still probably for Oxford oil ,if it was near Barnesville.There doesn't seem to be any other companies active near there

oxford was still only offering $10 per acre  this year for land that is close to what they have already leased

This is an increase of the $5 that was paid  only 5 or 6 years ago

This is also for land near where they have installed oil wells as I was told .

0i7okn54zwbdoPermalink Reply by 0i7okn54zwbdo on December 3, 2011 at 3:42pm

Since when did Oxford even pretend to be a major player?

Permalink Reply by Finnbear on December 3, 2011 at 4:50pm

I always thought of them as a small-mid size, local producer of vertical wells.

Permalink Reply by Mickgyver on December 3, 2011 at 5:12pm

Oxford  could become a fair size player if they get a jv partner as well as some of the others with the amount of property they hold under lease .

they have popped in several wells in a short period of time .

I was told they will probably remain in the shallow areas ,but who knows what will happen in the next few years .

Permalink Reply by Philip Brutz on December 4, 2011 at 2:22am

This is from the Barnesville Enterprise.  It looks like Oxford is starting to re-permit shallow wells into deep wells.

Council hears request from gas and oil drilling company

Cathryn Stanley Editor Published: November 16, 2011 11:04AM

The potential impact of a gas and oil company’s “fracking” of a Bailey Road property on Barnesville’s infrastructure was discussed at the Monday, Nov. 7 Barnesville Village Council meeting.

Crystal LaMonica, a representative of Oxford Oil, the company leasing land owned by T.J. Jefferis, attended the meeting to discuss options for use of a village road to access the property and the possible purchase of water.

The use of Michelli Street by company trucks to haul fracking fluid out of Jefferis’ property behind Emerald Pointe was requested. Village officials had recently met with the company rep at the property.

LaMonica said if the company could purchase water from the village, it would reduce the amount of truck traffic on the road. She estimated they would need 2.2 million gallons of water throughout the fracking process of Jefferis’ property.

An estimated 218 gallons per minute of water would be used during the fracking process. She said that process could be stretched out over a period of time. Jefferis said he was told by company reps that his property could be fracked up to 10 times.

The cost of water for out of city customers is $9.75 per thousand (up to 2,000). She proposed paying an estimated $27,000 in additional water usage fees in lieu of being bonded for use of the road.

Village Solicitor Marlin Harper said co-mingling of the funds (water and road) is prohibited.

Another issue, according to Barnesville Fire Chief Bob Smith, is the effect the water usage would have on hydrant pressure for Emerald Pointe and Bethesda water customers. Smith said the fire alarm system at Emerald Pointe is set up to go off when hydrant pressure drops below a certain point.

Councilman Ron Bischof suggested the company could draw water from the hydrant at non-peak times. Smith said any major water pressure change at the hydrant would set-off Emerald Pointe’s alarms.

Smith said the fire department was against the sale of village water to the company. Councilman Terry McCort said Chief Smith should check into using the Bailey Road hydrant and contact Emerald Pointe’s alarm company to see if there was a way to work around the alarm.

“It is to our benefit to figure this out so that we don’t damage our roads and cause water pressure issues,” said Councilman Brad Hudson.

McCort also wondered how the truck traffic would affect Emerald Pointe residents.

It was noted that Michelli Street was four years old and does not have heavy traffic usage. Oxford is requesting access to approximately 1/10 of a mile of the road.

Warren Township Trustee Jimmy Grear said township roads in that area would get even heavier usage by the company.

“The township also has concerns because the truck traffic will tear up township roads more,” he said.

Solicitor Harper and Mayor Tom Michelli both felt all oil and gas companies should be bonded to use village roads.

“We don’t want to stop these gas companies from doing business here,” Michelli clarified.

“We will do our best to work something out,” McCort said.

Published: November 30, 2011 9:20AM

Bailey Road resident T.J. Jefferis asked if council had made a decision about allowing Oxford Oil to use Michelli Street for mining operations at his Bailey Road property. Deal said council had not made a decision as of the Nov. 21 meeting, however, the work session was scheduled to discuss the request made by a representative of the company at the Nov. 14 meeting. Oxford is leasing land from Jefferis to be “fracked”. Jefferis indicated that he would attend the work session, which is open to the public.

In a related matter, Barnesville Fire Chief Bob Smith said he spoke with the someone from RWJ in Cleveland, the company that provides the alarm system for Emerald Pointe. Smith said there was no way to reduce pressure at the hydrant there without setting off the nursing and rehabilitation center’s fire alarms. Smith said he recently opened the first hydrant on the left of Bailey Road and it did not affect Emerald Pointe’s alarm system. Smith said using that hydrant would be an option if the village wanted to sell water to the mining company.

“We have to be careful how much water is drawn from the hydrant,” said council president

Dale Bunting.

Warren Township Trustee Jimmy Grear said residents of the Bailey Road area recently attended a township trustee meeting and expressed concerns about the water usage and increased traffic on Bailey Road. The road is already used by a trucking company there. Grear questioned the wisdom of allowing gas and oil companies to purchase water, fearing that allowing one company to do so, would encourage all future companies to expect the same. Smith noted that there was not “much pressure” on the Bailey Road hydrant.

“We can’t deprive the residents,” Bunting said. “We serve a lot of other communities, too.”

Deal said, “We need to review [the issue] a little more.” “We need to investigate the water flows and pressures a little more and proceed cautiously.”

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