Buckeye Environmental Network

Shouts out to Washington County for Safe Drinking Water and Save Ohio Parks!

“In January 2026, an environmental advocacy group called Washington County for Safe Drinking Water filed a formal ethics complaint with the Ohio Joint Legislative Ethics Committee, alleging Chavez had failed to disclose ownership stakes in at least five oil and gas companies on his 2023 and 2024 financial disclosure forms — a legal requirement for Ohio state senators. Among the undisclosed entities, the complaint said, was DeepRock Disposal Solutions LLC, on whose legal documents Chavez signed as CEO, despite the company never appearing on his required financial disclosures. Buckeye Environmental Network, Save Ohio Parks, and FaCT Ohio co-signed the complaint.”

Ohio Republican named to lead data center hearings had undisclosed stakes in energy companies Chavez co-chairs the panel despite an unresolved ethics complaint alleging he hid energy sector stakes while advancing related legislation as Senate Energy Committee chair.

You spoke up and stopped the pollution. That is a huge win, but now we need to finish the job.

Join your neighbors to make sure Freepoint shuts down and cleans up the right way. We are getting together to celebrate our hard work, share the latest updates, and talk about what comes next. Come share your thoughts on local jobs and environmental cleanup.

When: 6:30 – 8 PM
Where: Licking County Public Library, Lakewood Branch (Small Meeting Room)

Your voice got us this far, so we hope to see you there!

“Freepoint’s Hebron plastic incinerator was an environmental health disaster that exemplified the reality of the so-called 'chemical recycling' industry,” Buckeye Environmental Network Petrochemicals Organizer Cat Adams said in a news release. “This shutdown is a win for community members, who have been sounding the alarm about this facility since it first began burning plastic and emitting black smoke.

Now, it is critical that Freepoint does the work to actively engage impacted community members in the shutdown process and remediate any environmental harms it caused."

Freepoint Eco-Systems suspends recycling operations at Hebron plant Freepoint Eco-Systems informed the Ohio EPA that it suspended recycling operations at its Hebron plant, which had been found noncompliant multiple times.

On Monday evening, our organizer Bev Reed along with Dee Arnold of Washington County for Safe Drinking Water spoke to the Little Hocking Water Board of Trustees and community members in attendance at their annual business meeting. The presenters were invited to speak to the concerns in Washington County with oil and gas waste disposal wells. The Little Hocking water source that supplies water to over 5,000 homes is less than 1 mile from an injection well that has been overpressurized for 3+ years, according to ODNR records. This water source was the epicenter for the DuPont/C8 PFAS water contamination crisis. Southeastern Ohio has already been overburdened with water quality issues and resultant health impacts. We don't need to add to the burden. We are watching what's going on in Washington County. If you'd like to learn more about our work, DM us.

VICTORY! Freepoint shuts down after community pressure!! Read the full story below. This is what happens when communities fight back!

“Freepoint’s decision to shut down operations rather than comply with the Clean Air Act shows why the plastic industry has been lobbying so hard to remove pyrolysis from Section 129 of the Clean Air Act: pyrolysis is a speculative technology that depends on misregulation to be economically viable. This greenwashing scheme has a human cost, and it is unacceptable,” said Cat Adams, petrochemicals organizer for Buckeye Environmental Network. “People in Licking County deserve long-term, healthy jobs, not false promises from big polluters.”

Do you live or work near Hebron in Licking County? Have you been impacted by Freepoint’s layoffs? We want to hear from you as we work to hold Freepoint accountable. Please send us an email at [email protected].

Freepoint Eco-Systems Plastic Incinerator Shuts Down Amidst Community Pushback - Buckeye Environmental Network FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE // June 2, 2026 Contact: Cat Adams, [email protected] Hebron, Licking County, OH — On May 28, Freepoint Eco-Systems notified the Ohio EPA and Freepoint employees that it would be shutting down its Central Ohio plastic incineration facility, located outside of Hebron in Li...

Sign the petition to shut Freepoint DOWN!

For over a year, the Freepoint “plastic recycling” facility in Hebron, Ohio, has been polluting the air and harming local communities. While community members and advocates called out the facility as a plastic incinerator, the company claimed it was recycling the majority of the plastic trash, turning it into a low-grade oil.

On April 28th, the OEPA issued a Notice of Violation for Freepoint, notifying them that the facility does not currently qualify as a recycling facility and is indeed a plastic incinerator. This means this chronic polluter has been misregulated, allowing Freepoint to avoid the stronger regulations.

Ohio Confirms Freepoint Is a Plastic Incinerator — Shut It Down Now OEPA must shut down Freepoint until this waste incinerator goes through the process to obtain the right permit and proves it can operate safely and legally!

Join us at the Statehouse today!

Lobby Day Lobby Day Thursday May 28, 2:00-4:00pmOhio Statehouse1 Capitol Sq, Columbus, OH Sign Up for Lobby Day Tell your representatives: Ohioans demand climate action! Join us for an afternoon of meetings…

The Bureau of Land Management is once again moving forward with plans to lease parcels in Wayne National Forest for fracking in southeastern Ohio. Public comments are now open on the agency’s latest environmental review document, called a Determination of NEPA Adequacy.

This is not a new fight. For years, people across Ohio have spoken out against fracking in Wayne National Forest through petitions, hearings, protests, letters, public comments, and lawsuits. Environmental groups previously won a lawsuit against BLM after a federal court ruled the agency failed to fully consider the environmental impacts of fracking these public lands.

View our one-pager for more information:
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1S1v_Idd6Ri_sZmk5eujUuIjKwd-Ebe0OtrydHceIbZE/edit?tab=t.0