New report shows there were 2,529 oil and gas incidents in Ohio in a decade

There were more than 2,500 oil and gas incidents reported in Ohio from 2015 through 2025, according to a new report. 

The number of incidents are generally increasing, going from 103 in 2015 to 268 in 2025, according to a new report published last week by FracTracker Alliance in partnership with Buckeye Environmental Network.

FracTracker Alliance analyzed ODNR records from 2015 to 2025 for the report. 

“That’s much more (total incidents) than I would expect,” said Gwen Klenke, the report’s author. There were 2,529 incidents recorded in Ohio from 2015 to 2025. 

“Obviously everyone’s human. Everyone makes mistakes, so there’s always going to be some amount of things going wrong, but 2,500 is a pretty massive number for 10 years. … It just feels like it’s more than it should be.”

The Ohio Department of Natural Resources did not respond to the Ohio Capital Journal’s questions by deadline.

The Ohio Oil and Gas Association said the report was not “an objective assessment of Ohio’s energy industry.”

“FracTracker’s conclusions should be viewed for what they are: advocacy, not a comprehensive assessment of the safety, environmental performance and regulatory oversight of Ohio’s oil and natural gas operations,” Ohio Oil and Gas Association Director of External Affairs Mike Chadsey said in an email.

“Ohio’s energy producers remain focused on responsible development, protecting our communities and delivering the reliable energy that powers our state.”

Bev Reed with Buckeye Environmental Network said the findings from this new report are alarming. 

“It’s incredibly important that ODNR and the legislature get their act together,” she said in an email.

“We also received documents showing that an injection well company in Washington County requested that ODNR not suspend its injection well near Marietta, despite the fact that the state had grounds to immediately suspend the well.”

The report showed incident classifications are often unclear. 

“There’s this really pervasive lack of good data throughout the whole data set, which is concerning considering its incidents and spills, things that we would want good details about, and related to that was the characterization of the incidents,” said Klenke, FracTracker’s Midwest Program Coordinator. 

A 2016 incident in Columbiana County was categorized as a “minor” incident, but was described as “static electricity from overhead power lines caused a conventional well’s tank to explode,” according to the report. 

Another incident categorized as “minor” in Gallia County involved an unknown quantity of oil and gas wastewater was released from a well while it was being plugged. ODNR’s records reveal the well had been “flowing overnight with no well control in place.” 

“I pointed out major explosions being categorized as minor incidents, and that just doesn’t seem good for public understanding of these types of events,” Klenke said. 

ODNR has about 25 inspectors who are responsible for Ohio’s 96,000 wells, according to the report. This means one inspector is responsible for 1,500 wells in Harrison County while another inspector is responsible for about 24,000 wells in 26 counties, according to the report. 

“Really any increase, I think I’d be happy with,” Klenke said when asked how many inspectors she wishes ODNR had. 

“If they got 26 inspectors in Ohio, I’d be celebrating.”

More than 1,200 of the incidents were categorized as release/discharge. There 615 gas releases, 108 fires, 94 explosions or fires, and six injuries, according to the report. 

Of Ohio’s 88 counties, there were incidents in 73. Most of the incidents are in the eastern part of Ohio. 

Stark County had the most incidents with 133, followed by Noble County with 129, and Trumbull and Guernsey counties both had 114, according to the report. 

“Residents in those counties should be especially vigilant when they are doing things like going on hikes or walking more rural lanes,” Klenke said.  

“I would hope that residents in those counties would just really keep their eyes peeled for anything that doesn’t seem right. If they see something, they should definitely call emergency services to get them out there to at least check things out.”

Klenke said she hopes to see more oversight and accountability with Ohio’s oil and gas wells.

“It can happen with more inspectors,” she said. 

“It can also happen with just better tracking of the incidents, better follow through, just generally with well owners who may be concerned that something’s wrong with their well.”

Follow Ohio Capital Journal Reporter Megan Henry on X or on Bluesky.