The Ohio state legislature has done it again.

Two years ago, lawmakers stuffed House Bill 507, a bill about how many poultry chicks could be sold in a batch, with unrelated amendments – at the last minute during lame duck session, with no notice or chance for people to comment. One of those amendments REQUIRED fracking our state parks.

Last week, during the 2024 lame duck session, legislators stuffed HB 308 – a bill that declares nuclear energy to be “green” – with a series of amendments, during its last committee hearing, again with no public notice or chance to comment.

This time, one of the amendments extends fracking leases for our state parks and public lands from three years to five years, with an option to extend for another three years – meaning that every lease doled out to the oil and gas industry allows them to frack our state parks and wildlife areas for up to EIGHT years.

This is unacceptable. HB 308 is now on Gov. Mike DeWine’s desk. DeWine must veto this bill.

TELL MIKE DEWINE: VETO HB 308!

Also last week, the Oil and Gas Land Management Commission approved two more nominations to frack Salt Fork State Park, and gave the bid to frack Egypt Valley Wildlife Area to Gulfport Appalachia – whose parent company had to pay over $3.7 million for pollution from its fracking operations in Ohio, and whose bid paperwork shows lapsed insurance.

Now these reckless and unscrupulous companies could be fracking our parks and wildlife areas for eight long years for each oil and gas lease – even as our public comments were 98% opposed to fracking Salt Fork.

The people of Ohio do not want our parks, wildlife areas, and public lands fracked. We showed up to the commission meeting last week to tell them what we think. While waiting for Commissioner Michael Wise to arrive, volunteers Loraine McCosker and Jenny Morgan told the commission all the reasons to protect our parks.

The commissioners voted to frack our parks anyway, and the legislature voted to frack them even more.

Want to see some good people fighting back against this rigged system?

• Watch Loraine McCosker tell the commissioners about leaking injection wells

• Watch Jenny Morgan explain risk analysis to the commissioners

• Read Randi Pokladnik’s poem “Nightmare Before Christmas” in the Herald-Star

• Watch Sen. Kent Smith’s “In Case You Missed It” on the sham of HB 308

• See testimony against HB 308, including from Melinda Zemper of Save Ohio Parks

Save Ohio Parks will continue the fight to protect our climate, health, environment, and public lands. Stay tuned.

If you have any trouble with our system, you can also submit your comment directly through Gov. DeWine's online contact form at governor.ohio.gov/contact