Senate Democrats Urge Against Fracking Under Ohio's State Parks

Today, members of the Ohio Senate Democratic Caucus sent a letter to the Ohio Department of Natural Resources Oil and Gas Land Management Commission (OGLMC) urging them to reject applications proposing to frack under Ohio’s state parks.
 
“These applications, if approved, would very likely lead to disastrous consequences, not only for the cleanliness and wellbeing of our state parks, but also for the health and safety of our fellow Ohioans who live near and visit these peaceful refuges,” the letter said. “If the Commission is not prepared to outright reject all applications for fracking under Ohio’s state parks, we hope that these concerns, shared both by us and by many Ohioans, at least give you pause. We strongly urge that you consider outright rejecting or at minimum, delaying these applications.”
 
The OGLMC is the Department of Natural Resources’ body that is responsible for evaluating and deciding upon applications to extract oil and gas from Ohio’s state lands. It is currently considering applications to frack under state parks, such as Salt Fork in Guernsey County, Valley Run in Carroll County, Wolf Run in Noble County, and Zepernick Run in Columbiana County. The OGLMC meets today at 10:30 AM at the ODNR’s headquarters in Columbus.
 
The full text of the letter can be found here.