Ohio's top oil and gas regulator is in Washington to endorse state rather than federal oversight of fracking and the disposal of wastewater from drilling. Rick Simmers, chief of the state's Division of Oil and Gas Resources, tells The Associated Press he'll focus today's testimony before the U.S. House Natural Resources Committee on Ohio's strong regulations and positive track record of enforcement. Ohio, Utah and Texas will be represented. His appearance follows calls last month by a coalition of environmental and community groups for a federal review of Ohio's state-run program. Groups including the Buckeye Forest Council cited recent federal indictments of a Youngstown-area business owner and his employee for alleged illegal dumping of oil and gas waste, and a series of earthquakes near Youngstown among their concerns.
Mike Foley joined WCBE in February 2000, coming from WUFT in Gainesville, Florida. Foley has worked in various roles, from producing news and feature stories to engineering Live From Studio A sessions. A series of music features Foley started in 2018 called Music Journeys has grown into a podcast and radio show. He also assists in developing other programs in WCBE's Podcast Experience. Foley hosts The Morning Mix, a weekday music show featuring emerging and established musicians, our Columbus-area and Ohio-based talent, and additional artists that inspire him.