Beck Energy gains support in Munroe Falls Supreme Court case

by Jeff Saunders | reporter Published: November 17, 2013 12:00AM

Munroe Falls -- Weeks after the city received support in its fight for control of oil and natural gas drilling within its boundaries, the opposing side has received similar support, including from the state itself.

A number of entities filed friend of the court briefs in the Ohio Supreme Court on Oct. 28 in support of Ravenna-based Beck Energy.

These include a brief from Ohio Attorney General Michael DeWine, signed by State Solicitor Eric E. Murphy.

Other briefs were filed by the Ohio Contractor's Association, the Ohio Oil and Gas Association, the Ohio Aggregates Association, the American Petroleum Institute, the Ohio Chamber of Commerce, the Canton Regional Chamber of Commerce, the International Union of Operating Engineers Local 18, the Youngstown/Warren Regional Chamber of Commerce, and eight companies identifying themselves as "active oil and gas producers engaged in the development of the Utica Shale in Ohio."

"It doesn't surprise me," said Mayor Frank Larson Nov. 13. "Both sides are going to get as many [briefs] as they can."

The briefs follow friend of the court briefs filed in early September on behalf of the city by the cities of Broadview Heights, Euclid, Mansfield, and North Royalton, as well as Heath, a city in Licking County, and Amesville, a village in Athens County.

Other briefs filed in support of Munroe Falls in September include a group of about a dozen health care professionals and an organization called Physicians, Scientists and Engineers for Healthy Energy, and a group of "Ohio local businesses," including agricultural, retail food service, landscaping, electric services, real estate and tourism businesses.

The issue began, city officials say, in March 2011 when Beck Energy brought in a bulldozer to construct a driveway in support of planned drilling operations on private residential Munroe Falls Avenue property. The city said Beck did not have zoning and building permits from the city and issued a stop work order....READ MORE!!!!!