Sun Messenger Letter to the Editor
Council president sets the record straight regarding Highland Heights gas wells
I wanted to correct the record and provide some background information regarding gas wells and the Highland Heights Park. The Sun Messenger reported Nov. 25 that Mayor Scott Coleman signed a drilling lease with Bass Energy “as council had directed him to do.” That is not correct.
Mayor Coleman approached council in 2006 with the idea of using gas wells to generate revenue for the city. Council did not want to commit to drilling any wells on city property unless suitable drilling sites were agreed upon first.
The January 2007 resolution authorizing the mayor to sign drilling leases specifically states that it is “contingent upon the approval of . . . three well sites by the City of Highland Heights and the commitment of Bass Energy to drill the wells on all three sites.” It was council’s understanding that it would participate in the site selection process and even that suitable sites might not be found.
Unfortunately, Mayor Coleman ignored the restrictions placed upon his legal authority and he signed a drilling lease for the park before any well sites were selected, discussed or approved by council. Cuyahoga County Common Pleas Judge Gallagher later held that Mayor Coleman had “no power” to sign the gas drilling lease.
Mayor Coleman intentionally kept council in the dark the entire time. For example, council was unaware Bass Energy hired City Engineer Andy Blackley and his firm to select drilling sites and to prepare a site map, which led to the issuance of drilling permits for the park. After it learned the truth, council acted to rescind Mayor Coleman’s authority to enter into drilling leases. Bass then sued the city for breaching the drilling lease that the mayor had so hastily signed.
Although this situation was created by Mayor Coleman, council is now trying to figure out a solution for the legal situation the city now faces. The Gas Well Committee is an attempt to do just that.
Scott A. Millshttp://blog.cleveland.com/sunmessenger/2010/12/council_president_sets_the_rec.html
President, Highland Heights City Council
Sun Messenger Editorial
Hope for an amicable resolutionOpinion, December 2, 2010.
News that Highland Heights City Council is naming a committee to recommend potential sites on city-owned park land to allow gas drilling is a strong signal that the lawsuit between the city and Bass Energy is nearing an end. According to Council President Scott Mills, two park sites would be potentially used to drill gas wells, but not a site at City Hall.
We are glad to see that a resolution in this legal matter appears imminent and we hope this becomes a win-win situation for everyone involved, especially the residents. In 2008, voters overwhelmingly approved a charter amendment issue that would prevent the city from selling park land or properties contiguous to city parks without voter approval and would prohibit drilling from taking place on those properties. This must be kept in mind as the lawsuit settlement is ironed out between both sides.
There has been a lot of public outcry against the drilling of gas wells, especially since the house explosion in Bainbridge three years ago this month that was caused by gas from a newly-drilled well seeping into the water supply. There are a lot of concerns about the safety of these wells and the sheer volume of wells being drilled in this region. In the wake of the Bainbridge house explosion, there are a lot of fears about a similar incident happening again.
Officials from the gas industry are trying to soothe those fears. Members of the Ohio Oil & Gas Energy Education Program admit the Bainbridge incident was the result of an error on the part of the driller, but are quit to point out the well inspection process has become more thorough as a result and new safeguards are in place to make sure nothing like what happened in Bainbridge happens again. We would suggest these officials hold a town hall meeting in Highland Heights to assure residents the drilling process is safe. They should also work with officials from the Northeast Ohio Gas Accountability Project, who have done a good job of bringing these safety concerns to light and working with state officials to try and make the drilling industry safer.
We are still hesitant to see gas wells sprout up in a city park and we want complete assurance for the residents that any drilling would not harm the environment in any way. We hope the new committee which City Council is forming will be mindful of that when choosing potential well sites and will also hold Bass Energy’s feet to the fire to ensure any wills that would be drilled will be safe and unobtrusive in every way.
The next meeting of the gas well committee will be on Wednesday, December 8th at City Hall.
