Fracking

Soul of Athens

By Austin Bachand

May 4^th, 2021

In 2014, I participated in the Ohio University Water Project, an online publication for information related to environmental water issues within the Appalachian Ohio Valley.

My beat was Industry. For three months, I studied the issue, collected information, held interviews, and documented the situation with video footage, audio and photographs. My team consisted of fellow photojournalists; Joel Prince, Alex Cenci, and Yi-ke Peng.

We traveled up and down the Appalachian Basin gathering information and first-hand accounts regarding the effects of industry to local water and the environment.

The full story can be read here: http://ouwaterproject.org/issues/industry/

The Water Project: Industry

We cannot separate the history of the Appalachian Ohio Valley and its water-related environmental issues without an understanding of the extraction industry.

After more than 100 years of coal mining, the region is shifting to natural gas extraction using hydraulic high-pressure horizontal fracturing—commonly called fracking. With its promise of financial benefit, the oil and gas extraction industry is revitalizing communities along Ohio's borders with Pennsylvania and West Virginia. Still, fracking raises as many concerns as it does hopes.