FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
September 18, 2026
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Amy Acton Joins Ohioans in Marietta to Announce Support for 3-Year Moratorium on Wastewater Injection Wells in Washington County
Yesterday in Marietta, Dr. Amy Acton joined Ohioans and Susan Vessels, the Republican President of Marietta City Council, to announce her support for imposing a three-year moratorium on issuing additional permits for the drilling of wastewater injection wells and on the further injection of fracking wastewater in Washington County while the state conducts a thorough investigation on the impacts of wastewater migration.
“Toxic radioactive brine from injection wells are threatening our community… Our city council unanimously passed a resolution calling for a three-year moratorium on injection wells, along with not one, not two, but eight of our local water authorities serving Washington County… When something matters, the people here stand up no matter what, and now we are on the precipice of a public health emergency,” said Jessica Archer, Washington County resident.
“I received a letter from Knox Energy stating my home would no longer have natural gas as a reliable source of energy. In the letter, they strongly recommended that I find an alternative source of energy to keep my house warm throughout the winter. 160 other residents received this letter… Try to put yourself in the shoes of these impacted people weeks before cold weather,” said Hillary Royster, Washington County resident. “We deserve elected officials who won’t trade our future for short-term profits, who will not look the other way because a lobby group has walked in offering good money and a handcrafted buildup of industry first and people last.”
“We need to look for leaders who are willing to work with the most competent, most accountable, and most honest people, regardless of party,” said Susan Vessels, Republican President of the Marietta City Council. “I believe that Dr. Acton will be this type of governor, a governor who will serve all people of Ohio with the goal of solving our problems. Effective problem solvers are fighters near tenacious, and Dr. Acton is both of these things… She is humble, she is kind, and she is working hard – not for money, but so that she may have the privilege of public service, the privilege of helping everyday Ohioans.”
“Today is about Ohio’s future and Marietta’s future. It’s about what we’re fighting for in our state to make life better for all Ohioans. We have a chance to prevent the worst from happening, and we need to act now. That is why today, I am telling you that I am committing to a moratorium on [injection] wells in this county,” said Dr. Amy Acton. “I’m fighting against the corruption in our Statehouse and the cost of that corruption that we pay for. We must act to protect our resources and our drinking water.”
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