State Rep. David Hall, who represents all of Holmes County and portions of Ashland and Medina counties of the 97th District, may be serving his first term in the Ohio House of Representatives, but he has wasted no time in establishing himself as a leader in speaking up for the interests of his constituents.

He is serving as Chair of the Agriculture and Natural Resources Committee, and is a member of the Finance and Appropriations and Local Government committees. Hall is well aware of the issues facing Ohio’s more rural communities, and as head of the Agriculture and Natural Resources Committee, he is particularly concerned about the oil and gas drilling boom hitting Ohioans full force.

Hall addressed members at the annual Crossroads Resource Conservation and Development (RC&D) meeting, held Feb. 18 at the Carlisle Inn of Sugarcreek. Doyle Hawk, newly elected Crossroads Council president, and a Carroll County commissioner, introduced Hall and his many accomplishments, including more than a decade of service as a Holmes County commissioner.

Hall had many words of advice for landowners.

“We have been talking about the land leases. It is about property rights. No lease representative can control that. They are trying to gather all the leases they can, and you cannot necessarily trust all of them. However, they are not in charge. The landowner is in total control of that process, from the front end right through the reclamation process. We have to be very careful about our farms, especially with the new drilling technologies. Be very careful with your leases. The land speculators, if you have land in this area, are going to be calling you,” cautioned Hall.

Tuscarawas County Commissioner Chris Abbuhl questioned Hall about the effect the increased drilling will have on the conditions of county roads, and who will be responsible for shouldering any additional upkeep costs.

“I am working with county commissioners’ offices about the wear and tear on roads,” replied Hall, as he explained that there will be huge amounts of water being transported throughout the counties involved. “I am working on the issues of the water service companies that will be traveling up and down your county roads. We are actually monitoring that.”

Hall also addressed Abbuhl’s concerns about the fracking, or fracturing gels that are used when water and/or gels are pumped underground at high pressure. These help to release trapped oil and natural gas, and there is widespread concern about environmental or groundwater table effects.

“I have requested a list of the products they are using for the fracking gel. Ninety-five percent of it so far looks like it is farm based, like from soybeans. But when you kick that product down there, in the fracking process, essentially it will come back up through the pipes. We want to be sure that there is proper removal and storage of that product. It is called deep well injection, and it is taken to a regulated, permitted site. We are looking into this.

“I am working on an educational presentation that goes from the start of the drilling process to the reclamation. There is a lot to learn. Many are looking, thinking they need the money, but they must be careful. What are you handing off to the next generation, to your kids and your grandchildren? It is vital to be fully informed before you sign a lease.

“Last I heard, the projection for Ohio is 10,000 wells. Yes, a lot of jobs come along with these wells, but we need to be sure it is done right, and correctly. As chairman of the Ag and Natural Resources Committee, I am here to deal with these issues. The state has ODNR and the soil and water districts from our level. I am getting all over my district and the state of Ohio, making sure everyone is aware of the oil and gas issue. There is more to come on that. The governor wants me to be out and about on that, listening to our constituents on this issue.”

Hall’s Columbus office can be reached at 614-466-2994.