Environmental concerns brought to light at Kent City Council meeting
By, Maria DeBone and Chad Flannery
Kent City Council members added an unexpected topic to their discussion thanks to a vocal Kent State University student.
For the most part, the items on the agenda came and went quickly without any debate, with the majority of them being approved in a few minutes.
Among the things that were talked about were the Mayor’s appointment of Tom Wilke to the Franklin-Kent Jedd and the authorization of a recreational trails program grant for Kent Parks and Recreation.
However, the issue that was most talked about on Wednesday evening was one brought up by Kent State University student, Austin Bashore. Bashore, who is a member of the Green party and a co-leader of the Young Greens of Kent State University, wanted to talk about the negative impacts that brine, which is used to clear roads.
Brine, which is leftover waste from processes such as drilling and fracking, is used to de-ice roads. It is said to have up to 10x the salinity of ocean water. Bashore urged the city council to oppose Ohio Senate Bill 165, which would allow the use of contaminants from fracking, including brine, to be used on the roadways. If this were to pass, there could be many consequences.
“This would allow poisonous chemicals into our waterways, because brine has radium in it,” said Bashore. “There is no safe version of radium we can drink.”
Another concern that Bashore explained was that these chemicals, more specifically their chloride components, leak into the soil, and mimic drought conditions. This is because of the inability of the chloride to precipitate into the soil because of its high saline content.
“If we care about our future, the health of Portage County and the health of our children and their future, we should oppose this asinine bill,” said Bashore.
While Bashore addressed city council at the beginning of the meeting, during the time that’s set aside for audience communication, his speech stuck with a few of the members of the council.
During the final comments, Heidi Shaffer, Councilwoman for Ward 5, expressed her concerns about what Bashore had to say.
His comments sparked interest in Shaffer, causing her to research more on the topic during the meeting. She found that along with Ohio Senate bill 165, was Ohio House Bill 393, which focuses on brine as well.
She said that her concern does not lie with the city doing it, rather she is concerned that with the state passing the bill, that it will cause a widespread problem.
“If this bill passes, it is very possible that the state will do it or be directed to do it because of the very low price,” said Shaffer.
Shaffer would go on to file a motion to pass a resolution. She would like to send a letter to the state voicing their concerns, along with the residents’ concerns, on the matter. The motion was seconded by Tracy Wallach, the Councilwoman for Ward 6.
Wallach voiced the concerns her and her residents have had regarding brine as well.
“It’s a matter of concern, putting radium on our roads, it’s a big concern for kids and animals,” she said. “I also want to make sure we aren’t doing in within our own practices.”
While it was made clear by City Manager Dave Ruller that Kent makes their own brine mixture, choosing to stay away from the harmful fracking contaminant, they all still agreed that it needed to be addressed in some form.
Meanwhile, for Bashore, this can be considered a small victory that will hopefully help lead to the main goal: making Portage County a center of green, renewable energies.
