Part of the Series
Gas Rush: Fracking in Depth
Truthout is a vital news source and a living history of political struggle. If you think our work is valuable, support us with a donation of any size.
Local advocate Paul Feezel stands in front of a fracking rig in Ohio’s Carroll County. (Photo: Andy Spear / Truthout)Ohio’s Carroll County is at the heart of the state’s ongoing oil and gas rush. In recent months, the rural county of about 30,000 people has seen massive fracking rigs go up, droves of out-of-town workers arrive and dozens of local landowners become millionaires as drilling giants such as Chesapeake Energy showed up in town.
Things are quickly changing in the small town of Carrollton, the county seat. Local advocate Paul Feezel, an organizer of with Carroll Concerned Citizens, said most local folks are “cautiously optimistic.” Feezel is an environmentalist, but he’s not necessarily against fracking – he simply wants to make sure the drilling is done with community and environmental interests in mind.
Feezel, who is still undecided when it comes to signing a drilling lease, invited Truthout to visit Carrollton and find out how the gas and oil rush can turn a small town upside down.
An urgent fundraising appeal: 7 Days to raise $44,000
Truthout is one of only a few platforms for justice-oriented, grassroots journalism. Today, we face an existential threat.
Due to Google’s launch of AI search, we’ve seen a drastic plunge in our site traffic and, as a result, our revenue. We lost 15 percent of our readership overnight. This was a readership we painstakingly built over decades, and it vanished because Google chose corporate greed over a healthy democracy.
We are fundraising right now to meet our basic operating expenses. If you can support Truthout with a one-time or monthly donation, you will make a significant impact on our work. Anything you can do makes a difference — we appreciate your support.