Ohio residents seek $3.3 million over 250 trees cut from protected forest

Residents in Ohio are asking the new owner of a former coal plant for $3.3 million, claiming around 250 trees were cleared from a protected greenbelt. The federal trial opened on November 9 and turns on a 1986 agreement requiring the forest to remain largely untouched. Plaintiffs argue the trees also act as a barrier against coal ash buried near local drinking-water sources. The case examines whether the company honored that longstanding commitment when the land changed hands. The outcome could determine both financial liability and the future protection of the buffer zone.