MEDINA TWP. — The township is hosting an educational forum next week on the pros and cons of a drilling process for oil and natural gas.

Trustee Mike Todd proposed the idea of having the forum about hydraulic fracturing and he will act as the moderator.

Mike Todd

The forum 6 p.m. Wednesday at the Weymouth County Club ballroom, 3946 Weymouth Road, will feature guests who will talk about the science of hydraulic fracturing, how it works and the possible benefits and disadvantages of allowing this type of drilling.

Hydraulic fracturing, or “fracking,” involves injecting water, particles and chemicals underground at high pressure to break up shale and release natural gas.

Todd said he thought it was important to represent both sides of the issue.

“What I found was there is a lot of misinformation on all sides, and for a resident to make an independent determination whether or not this exceeds their risk threshold, I thought it was important to bring all the people to the table and lay the information out there in a non-biased manner,” Todd said.

A few property owners in the county have been approached by companies who want to drill on their land, but the county has not been seriously approached, county Commissioner Steve Hambley said.

Joanne Slorgie, of Lodi, asked commissioners Tuesday at their weekly meeting if they would pass a resolution to ban hydraulic fracturing on county-owned land.

Hambley said he didn’t think that issuing a moratorium would be the county’s best option.

“I don’t believe a moratorium would work,” Hambley said.

“If the county says ‘no,’ they won’t even bother to call us and let us know,” Hambley said if there’s drilling on surrounding private property.

“At least by calling us, we would know and we would be able to set the conditions for that exploration,” he said.

Lecturers at the forum will be allowed equal speaking times, and there will be a question session at the end.

Rhonda Reda and Ron Prosek are two of the scheduled speakers and have lectured at several similar forums.

Reda, executive director of the Ohio Oil and Gas Energy Program, said she plans to speak about the science of hydraulic fracturing, oil and gas production, and possible job creation and economic benefits of drilling.

Prosek, vice president of Network for Oil and Gas Accountability and Protection, said he will focus on giving people a picture of what the county would look like in five or 10 years if hydraulic fracturing occurs.

Todd said he realizes the topic is emotionally charged and he hopes audience members and speakers will remain professional.

“You’re dealing with some high stakes on all sides,” Todd said. “The high stakes are the financial health in the state of Ohio and Medina County. There are benefits — increased production and jobs. But there are also risks and they are long-term environmental impacts that may affect generations to come.”

The township is requesting people who plan to attend the forum to fill out a registration form on its website at www.medinatownship.com.

Contact Michelle Sprehe at (330) 721-4048 or msprehe@medina-gazette.com.

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