Third Act Ohio’s Democratizing Energy group brings us the next installment of their Practical Guide, Electric Cook Stoves. The guide provides useful information and resources to assist Ohioans when considering cooking appliance options.

The Buckeye Environmental Network sponsored a Brine Symposium on Thursday, March 6th from 10:00 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. at the Ohio Statehouse in Columbus.We heard from workers affected by oilfield brine contamination and scientists explaining the hazards of fracking brine.  Since 1985 this heavy metal and radioactive laden brine has been approved for use as a deicer and dust suppressant on Ohio roads. This was a family friendly event.  This article provides some good background information on the issues.  

• Public Comment on ARCH2 Hydrogen Hub Project Environmental Impact Statement

The Department of Energy is soliciting public comments on the Environmental Impact Statement associated with the Appalachian Hydrogen Hub.  There are real concerns with this project as detailed in this “Halt the Hydrogen Hoax” webinar.  Additional resources to help shed light on this greenwashing project are here.  You can submit your comment on the proposed Environmental Impact Statement here on the Regulations.gov website.  Comments are due by March 3rd. 

On January 9th TA OH attended a public open house for the Appalachian Regional Clean Hydrogen Hub or ARCH2 at Walsh University in North Canton, OH. 

While “Clean” is in the name, there is nothing clean about Hydrogen that is produced using fossil fuels.  The reality is that these hydrogen projects will be just one more excuse to continue to expand fracking in Ohio. 

Click here for News Coverage of the open house.   

This inspiring 150+ mile march will start in Athens, travel to Salt Fork State Park then on to the state capital in Columbus. 

The march scheduled for May of 2026 will bring attention to the harms of extractive industries on the health and well-being of Ohio citizens & communities while promoting the benefits of clean, renewable energy. 

May of 2026 seems a long way off but it’s not too early to start planning something this significant.  Planning subteams are being formed around logistics, accommodations, state house rally, finances and communications.  We need large and small contributions of time, all types of skill sets, and hikers and non-hikers alike. 

Contact us at ohio@thirdact.org so we can find you a place on the planning team of this fun and epic event.

The fossil fuel industry which is most responsible for heating our planet can’t exist without money from investors.  If we stop the big four banks: Bank of America, Chase, Citibank and Wells Fargo from investing, we help shut down the fossil fuel industry.  We don’t want our money to be used to bankroll the climate crisis.

Moving your money is a rewarding but multi-step process that takes time and commitment.  Sign-up here to receive a series of emails with links to webinars, resource guides, reminders, office hours with peer facilitators and cohorts to provide a community of support along the way.

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Check out all the ways that Third Act Ohio made a meaningful impact during 2024. From protests to tabling to comments at public meetings to social media posts to teach-ins to calling politicians, TA OH was there!

View the presentation here.

Excerpted from Save Ohio Parks Email:

On January 2, fracking tanks on a well pad just five miles from Salt Fork State Park exploded. The local fire department closed area roads, and nearby residents were evacuated.

Due to extreme heat from the explosion, officials chose to let the fire – fueled by 100 barrels of liquid gas condensate – burn itself out over 18 hours. No testing was done of the air emissions, nor of the ground or water nearby.

This well pad explosion underscores just how dangerous fracking is to Ohio state parks and wildlife areas. Gulfport, the company that owns the well pad, had previously paid a $3.7 million settlement with the US EPA for pollution from 17 well pads in Ohio – including the one that blew up. It has a long track record of other accidents and incidents as well.

Yet an unnamed oil and gas company now wants to frack 4360 acres of Egypt Valley Wildlife Area. Tell the commission: No more leasing of public land to oil and gas!

Please visit the Nomination Comment Form, choose Nomination #24-DNR-0011, and submit your comment.

At 18,000 acres, Egypt Valley is one of the largest wildlife areas in Ohio. It is comprised of two large pieces of land situated north and south of Piedmont Lake in Belmont County. This nomination makes up much of the northern half of Egypt Valley.

Before the Ohio Department of Natural Resources acquired the land that became Egypt Valley in 1995, it had been subjected to decades of coal mining using some of the largest earth-moving equipment of the time. About 80% of the land was mined, and the scars are still visible today, as shown in the photo above.

Now Egypt Valley is a destination for hunters, hikers, birdwatchers, fishers, and people who love the outdoors. Deer, turkey, waterfowl, squirrel, grouse, rabbit, and dove are common, and ponds and lakes are stocked with bass, catfish, and bluegills. River otters were reintroduced to this area in 1993 and now a thriving population can be found there.

The last thing Egypt Valley Wildlife Area needs is fracking. Act now to tell the commission: No more leasing of public land to oil and gas!

You can use our sample letter — but please personalize to explain why preserving our wildlife areas is important to you:

To the Ohio Oil and Gas Land Management Commission:

I am writing to strongly oppose Nomination 24-DNR-0011 to frack 4360 acres of Egypt Valley Wildlife Area. This beautiful wildlife area is widely used for hunting, fishing, hiking, bird watching, photography, and site-seeing. None of this is compatible with the noise, toxic air pollution, methane leaks, lights, and numerous truck trips entailed in any fracking operation.

The recent explosion on Gulfport’s Groh well pad near Salt Fork State Park underscores how dangerous fracking is. The fire – fuled by 100 barrels of methane gas and condensate – was so hot that firefighters had no choice but to let it burn itself out over many hours. No testing for what was in the toxic cloud of smoke was done, nor was any ground or water testing done.

This is unacceptable anywhere, especially near our state parks and wildlife areas!

ODNR acquired the land that makes up Egypt Valley from The Conservation Fund, and it was meant to be protected. Numerous species call Egypt Valley home, including deer, turkey, squirrel, grouse, rabbit, and dove, and rare species like the short-eared owl, Northern harrier, Henslow’s sparrow, and bobolink. Bald eagles and osprey often stop there. River otters were reintroduced to this area in 1993 and now a thriving population can be found there.

At the center of Egypt Valley Wildlife Area is Piedmont Lake, popular with boaters, fishers, and swimmers. Fracking uses tens of millions of gallons of fresh water for each well pad, turning it into toxic radioactive waste that must be disposed of forever. Taking that much water from Piedmont Lake or the surrounding ponds and streams will degrade the habitat forever.

The people of Ohio pay for and use our public lands, including Egypt Valley Wildlife Area. We do not want to see any more oil and gas extraction from this land. Enough is enough. Please DENY nomination 24-DNR-0011, and protect Egypt Valley as it was meant to be.

Thank you.

Oil & Gas Land Management Commission December 9th Meeting 

At the December 9th OGLMC meeting, Commissioners approved fracking of almost 900 more acres including two large tracts of Salt Fork State Park and Egypt Valley Wildlife Areas.  These public lands are all located in Appalachian Ohio, long targeted as a sacrifice zone for the fossil fuel industry.  Some of the media coverage Ohio Capital Journal, Cleveland.com.

December 2024 Third Act All-in and Impact Report

In case you missed it, listen to the recording of Third Act’s December All-In Call where Bill McKibben and Central Staff discussed some new and big ideas on how we can maximize impact and build real power in spite of the new administration.

The 2024 Impact Report showcases the impact of your support, from halting fossil fuel projects to mobilizing thousands of elders to protect democracy and fight for climate justice.  Together, we’ve built a movement powered by experience, wisdom, and purpose.

New York Climate Change Superfund Sit-In and Signing

From our Third Act New York friends:  The Climate Change Superfund Act was finally signed into law by Governor Hochul in NY after many climate organizations throughout New York and the region mobilized for the sit-in at the state capitol building in Albany.  See the Third Act Press Release on this fantastic win.