Letters: Bennett seeking re-election, resident questions wastewater injections
Candidate touts his merits for school board
My name is Sam Bannett and I’m 65 years old. I have lived almost my whole life in Coshocton. My family moved here in August 1964, from Harlan, Kentucky. Coshocton offered many more opportunities for us to move here at that time.
My work history includes planting tree sampling for Ohio Reclamation, Browns IGA, equipment operator at Simco-Peabody, laborer for North American Coal, engineer at West Rock and machine operator at Jones Metal.
I am currently retired and enjoying the extra time with family and friends. I have stayed very active in my church over the years by serving on various boards, committees and teaching Sunday school classes.
I am endorsed by the Retirees Local Union 1188 of the United Mineworkers Of America and have served as vice president for the chapter for two years.
My election cycles started in the mid-2000s, trying two different elections and not receiving enough votes. Finally, in 2011, I put my name back on the ballot and was elected to the Coshocton City Schools Board of Education. I was re-elected 2015 and 2019, am seeking re-election this year for another four years.
While serving on this board, I feel is a way of me giving back to the great community in which I live. I really enjoy doing my part in helping to give our students the best education that we possibly can. When graduation time comes upon us, I feel very confident in knowing I was able to be involved in a small way with their educational journey.
I respectfully as for you vote on Nov. 7 to be re-elected to the school board. With my going on 12 years of experience serving on the board, it has prepared me for another four years.
Sam Bennett, Candidate for Coshocton City Schools Board of Education
Resident questions wastewater injections
When I learned the Buckeye Brine facility in Coshocton County was going to start accepting wastewater from site of the East Palestine train derailment, I −like many of my neighbors − felt panic. I wondered: Where did this wastewater even come from? How is it being treated? What’s in it? How much are they planning to inject here? Why us? How do we stop this?
In my search for answers, I talked to representatives from the U.S. EPA and from Norfolk Southern, and I unearthed documents via the Ohio EPA’s eDocument Search Portal. The local environmental group CECA has agreed to share this FAQ page with my findings on its website.
The good news? There’s evidence that the East Palestine wastewater is going through a rigorous cleaning process before it’s injected into the earth beneath our county.
Does this mean we should stand down? Absolutely not. Here’s why we must continue working together to send the message that Coshocton is not a dumping ground:
● Our community deserves some say, and our local representatives deserve some authority, over what wastes get disposed of in our county.
● Even if the East Palestine wastewater is clean and safe, plenty has gone into those wells that isn’t. Since 2012, Buckeye Brine has been injecting fracking wastewater, known to be radioactive and laced with heavy metals. And since 2019, it’s been injecting industrial pollutants, including ammonias, dissolved metals, and PFAS or forever chemicals.
● Buckeye Brine has already injected more than a billion gallons of waste beneath our county. How much can that porous rock layer accommodate before the caprock fails? We don’t know. But there have already been instances in Ohio of injected waste erupting through regular oil and gas wells up to five miles away.
● Buckeye Brine has built its wells to the specifications for hazardous waste deep injection wells. If it were to receive permits to inject hazardous waste, we’d be getting stuff a lot worse than what’s coming from East Palestine right now.
Let’s stay strong, united, and committed. We are not a dumping ground.
Lucy Malenke, Fresno
This article originally appeared on Coshocton Tribune: Letters to the Editor
