The Ohio Oil and Gas Land Management Commission will hold a public hearing on Monday, January 12, at 1 p.m. to take testimony about changes to the standard lease form for oil and gas companies to frack our state parks and public lands. This is our first chance in almost three years to testify at a commission meeting, and we want to make the most of it. This virtual testimony training will go over how to testify and talking points for what to say in your testimony.

Please register here to attend the training.  

Register here to attend the hearing at Ohio Department of Public Safety Headquarters, Room 1110, 1970 W. Broad St.

We will be gathering outside the venue at noon to give people a chance to practice their testimony. 

This hearing will be the first time in almost three years that the citizens of Ohio will be allowed to speak at a meeting regarding the fate of the state parks and public lands that we own, use, and cherish.

We want to make the most of this opportunity. Please sign up to attend this hearing in person and speak.

Save Ohio Parks board and steering committee members will be on site at noon on January 12. You will have a chance to practice your testimony at a microphone before giving it in person to the commission.

The only change to the standard lease form is to increase the primary lease term from three to five years, as required by HB 308 of 2024. We can't do much about that, since the law was pushed through by a super-gerrymandered legislature -- but we can tell the commission what we think about it.

Two more years of fracking our state parks and public lands mean:

• More toxic air pollution that kills wildlife and harms human health
• Billions more gallons of toxic, radioactive frack wastewater that will be injected underground.
• Thousands more truck trips hauling fracking chemicals and waste with no PPE for drivers
• More fossil fuel extraction from Appalachian Ohio, already a sacrifice zone for decades
• More money into the pockets of out-of-state fracking companies from fracked communities

But we can speak up. Sign up now to tell the commissioners in person what you think about giving oil and gas companies two more years to frack our state parks and public lands.

As a reminder, here are the public lands approved or nominated for fracking so far:

• Salt Fork State Park
• Valley Run Wildlife Area
• Zepernick Wildlife Area
• Egypt Valley Wildlife Area
• Keen Wildlife Area
• Leesville Wildlife Area
• Jockey Hollow Wildlife Area
• Noble Correctional Institute
• 26 rights-of-way along state highways

We the people pay the taxes that own and maintain these public lands. Yet for almost three years we have not been allowed to speak at any meeting where decisions about these lands are being made.

But this meeting is different -- it's a public hearing on updating the standard lease form to increase the primary term oil and gas companies get to frack our public land from three to five years.

Sign up today to tell the commissioners what you think about giving fracking companies two more years to frack our public lands -- especially our cherished state parks and wildlife areas.

Not sure what to say? We will be conducting an online testimony training on Thursday, January 8, at 4:30 p.m. Register here

Need a ride to the meeting from outside Columbus? Can you offer a ride? Sign up for our carpool board

Host Contact Info: Save Ohio Parks, hello@saveohioparks.org.