The FreshWater Accountability Project is an Ohio-based organization focused on environmental conservation efforts. The group is a member of the Better Path Coalition, which advances a weather-dependent energy agenda.  ^{1  2}

The FreshWater Accountability Project, established in 2012, participates in advocacy and litigation concerned with conservation issues. The group has taken an anti-fracking stance, claiming that fracking waste disposal is a “problem without solution,” which turns water into toxic and radioactive waste.  ^{3  4  1}

Background

The FreshWater Accountability Project claims it was started as a response to “private water sales to the oil and gas industry in Ohio.” Furthermore, the project claims that hydraulic fracturing turns water into “radioactive waste” and that the oil and gas industry does not dispose of the water it uses accordingly. The group is particularly critical of what it terms the “Halliburton Loophole,” which refers to a provision of the Energy Policy Act of 2005 which the group claims classifies waste produced by the process of fracking as non-hazardous material. As such the group advocates for stricter regulations around the oil and natural gas industry.  ^{5  6}

The group states it is a nonprofit, however there are no publicly available IRS forms filed under the name of the FreshWater Accountability Project or similar variations of that name. Nonprofits are expected to file such forms annually.  ⁵

Better Path Coalition

The FreshWater Accountability Project is a member of the Better Path Coalition, which is a Pennsylvania-based environmentalist group that is opposed to fracking and the development of the AI industry due to the alleged environmental hazards posed. Furthermore, the coalition is heavily critical of both President Donald Trump’s environmental policies as well as those of Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro (D). Moreover, the group has stated “[o]ur government has spied on us, pushed legislation to criminalize us, and characterized us as eco-terrorists.”  ^{1  7  8}

Activities

The FreshWater Accountability Project participates in lawsuits and advocacy focused on environmental conservation efforts in Ohio.  ⁵

On December 25, 2022, the project sent a “Naughty Letter” signed “from Santa” and a coupon for a lump of coal to 30 Ohio state legislators who supported Ohio House Bill 507 in 2022. The group claimed the bill made oil drilling easier on state-owned lands. The letter made several claims including that fracking contributes to “climate change,” that fracking causes earthquakes, that fracking “violates principles of environmental justice and human rights,” and that there is no viable solution to the problems posed by fracking waste disposal.  ^{9  3}

In 2019, the group sent a letter to Ohio Governor Mike DeWine (R) requesting that the states’ ability to permit oil and natural gas activities be suspended until so-called regulatory deficiencies are amended. The letter was written by Fair Shake, an environmental legal action group, on behalf of the FreshWater Accountability Project. Fair Shake claims to be the first “nonprofit environmental law firm incubator” with offices in Pennsylvania, Ohio, and West Virginia as of 2025. The letter alleged that the oil and gas industry’s activities pose “serious long-term public health risks.”   ^{10  11  12}

In 2017, the FreshWater Accountability Project participated in sending a formal request to the Army Corps of Engineers to have a permit for the Rover gas pipeline project revoked.  ¹³

The FreshWater Accountability Project recruits “water watchers” who volunteer to participate in regularly sampling water quality and submitting reports to the group.  ¹⁴

People

Leatra Harper is the founder and managing director of the FreshWater Accountability Project. Previously, Harper owned a health food business called the Nature Reserve. She is the co-author of a book called Energetic Coaching; Being and Doing with Spirit.  ^{15  4}

1. “Aboutbp.” BetterPath Coalition. Accessed September 29, 2025. https://www.betterpathcoalition.org/about-us. 
2. “Recent News.” FreshWater Accountability Project. Accessed September 29, 2025. https://fwap.org/. 
3. FreshWater. “Letter from Santa Sent to Naughty Ohio Legislators.” FreshWater Accountability Project. Accessed September 28, 2025. https://fwap.org/letter-from-santa-sent-to-naughty-ohio-legislators/. 
4. Lab, Boniat. “Freshwater Accountability Project – A2: Anthropocene Alliance.” A2 | Anthropocene Alliance – The nation’s largest coalition of frontline communities fighting for environmental protection, February 11, 2025. https://anthropocenealliance.org/freshwater-accountability-project/#. 
5. “About Freshwater Accountability Project.” FreshWater Accountability Project. Accessed September 29, 2025. https://fwap.org/about/. 
6. FreshWater. “Public Records Request.” FreshWater Accountability Project. Accessed September 29, 2025. https://fwap.org/public-records-request/. 
7. “Press Releases 2025.” BetterPath Coalition. Accessed September 29, 2025. https://www.betterpathcoalition.org/copy-of-press-releases-2025. 
8. “Home.” BetterPath Coalition. Accessed September 29, 2025. https://www.betterpathcoalition.org/. 
9. “Santa Letter.” FreshWater Accountability Project, December 25, 2022. https://fwap.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/Santa-letter-003.pdf.
10. FWAP. Accessed September 29, 2025. https://fwap.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/08/FINAL-FWAP-to-Governor-Letter.pdf. 
11. “Locations & Contact Info.” Fair Shake Environmental Legal Services. Accessed September 29, 2025. https://www.fairshake-els.org/contact. 
12. “Organization.” Fair Shake Environmental Legal Services. Accessed September 29, 2025. https://www.fairshake-els.org/organization. 
13. Jessica Haynes |. “Michigan, Ohio Residents Ask for Revocation of Rover Pipeline Permit.” mlive, June 8, 2017. https://www.mlive.com/news/ann-arbor/2017/06/michigan_ohio_residents_ask_fo.html. 
14. FreshWater. “Freshwater Supports Water Protection.” FreshWater Accountability Project. Accessed September 29, 2025. https://fwap.org/freshwater-supports-water-protection/. 
15. Leatra Harper – Certified Life coach – FreshWater accountability project | linkedin. Accessed September 26, 2025. https://www.linkedin.com/in/leatra-harper-91800315/.