Tuesday, June 28, 2011 at 1:59PM Ohio Senate OK of drilling in state parks upsets Mohican residents
From the Mansfield News Journal:
LOUDONVILLE -- Greg Miller and his wife chose to settle down in a home south of Mohican State Forest because of the quiet, natural beauty surrounding it.
But now they worry their property and the nearby state park could be tarnished.
State parks and other lands in Ohio would be opened to oil and gas drilling under a bill the state Senate passed Wednesday. The Republican-controlled Senate approved the plan on a 22-10 vote.
"I'm very disappointed," Miller said. "This is going to allow industry to be moved into parks, which are beautiful places set aside for the recreation and welfare of the general public."
Miller, who testified before legislative subcommittees about the bill, said he agrees with environmentalists who raise concerns about pollution and other damaging effects from drilling.
The Ohio House already has passed the bill to allow drilling but would have to agree to the Senate's changes before it could be sent to the governor's desk.
New technology has prompted a surge in oil and gas production in the Marcellus Shale formation, part of which runs under eastern Ohio. The bill's supporters say Ohio could get fees and royalties of up to $9 million. They argue drilling will create jobs and reduce dependence on foreign oil.
State Sen. Kris Jordan, a Republican who represents Richland County and the rest of District 19, pointed to an estimated $8 billion budget shortfall as reason to pass the measure.
"Ohio has a significant number of mineral resources just waiting to be used to help us dig our way out of the budgetary crisis that we're in," Jordan said. "This bill represents an opportunity to start using these resources to help our state recover."
Opponents -- which include the Mohican-Loudonville Visitors Bureau, Sierra Club, National Wildlife Federation and other groups -- say the state parks historically have been off-limits to drilling and allowing it would harm vistas and groundwater.
Democratic amendments on where and how drilling would be done failed to gain traction. The party holds 10 seats in the 33-member chamber.
One proposal would have put a state prohibition on drilling under Lake Erie. Republicans tabled the idea, saying the current federal government ban was sufficient.
Another failed Democratic amendment would have put a moratorium on horizontal hydraulic fracturing, or fracking, until the federal government comes out with a study on the procedure. The technique has allowed energy companies to reach previously inaccessible stores of natural gas. Critics say fracking could poison water supplies and have a negative impact on the environment.
State Sen. Joe Schiavoni, D-Canfield, said he had no problem with drilling on private lands if owners want to permit it.
"But state parks are different," he said. "They are for all of our enjoyment. They are for all of us to bring our families on vacation; they are for all of us to get an hour of relaxation when we can. And drilling should be kept off this very, very small percentage of land."
Gov. John Kasich, a first-term Republican, had originally included the idea in his state budget proposal in March. Senators removed it from the state spending blueprint because separate legislation was moving through the General Assembly.
Some proceeds would go to habitat protection and wildlife preservation. The bill specifies that 30 percent of the money from a land lease would be returned to the specific state park that manages the property. Other money from leases would be used to pay for the new commission's operations.
A Senate committee tweaked the bill to require the Ohio Department of Natural Resources to create a process for public feedback on any land-leasing proposal. The new oil and gas commission also would have to consider that feedback when making a decision.
The measure would repeal the authority that some state agencies and universities have to enter into leases for oil and gas exploration and development. Leases already in effect would remain unchanged by the bill.
Landowners around Mohican State Forest and Park already have been approached about leasing their land as part of a potential drilling operation.
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