Taft says no to drilling, and that should be the end of it

Gov. Bob Taft has announced that he cannot see any situation in which he would support drilling for natural gas under Lake Erie, as energy industry executives have suggested. Good for the governor to stand up for Ohioans. Lake Erie is a state resource that serves many purposes -- from shipping, to travel, to recreation. But it is also a state treasure whose possible despoliation is not in the best interest of Ohioans. As Taft has rightly noted, other wells in the state can be tapped where environmental considerations have already been addressed.
Canadian wells: Granted, drilling is already taking place on the Canadian side of the lake -- though we wonder why, given the extent of Canadian resources. As yet, the 550 Canadian wells have caused no problems, but we remain concerned that "as yet" are the operative words.
It was only 30 years ago that Lake Erie was declared "dead." Decades of indiscriminate chemical and wastewater dumping and the release of millions of gallons of untreated sewage into the lake made it one of the most polluted bodies of water in the nation -- if not the world.
Agreement: But in 1972, U.S. President Richard Nixon and Canadian Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau signed the Great Lakes Water Quality Agreement with both countries committing to a cleaner Great Lakes environment. Today, 17 million people live in Lake Erie's drainage basin -- but the lake hasn't been cleaner in more than 100 years. Now is hardly the time to undo the years of dedication and the millions spent to reclaim it.
Nearly a year ago, we worried over the decision by the federal Bureau of Land Management to sell drilling rights for 11,100 acres beneath Mosquito Lake. We were not inspired by the statement of BLM environmental scientist Terry Saarela, that environmental impact will be "adequately minimized." We fear that "minimized" means something quite different to the BLM than to the person who lives near the lake or derives a living from it.
Lake Erie feeds the Niagara River and thus Niagara Falls. According to the Ohio Department of Natural Resources, more fish are produced each year for human consumption from Lake Erie than from the other four Great Lakes combined. The lake also fills the water needs of communities around the lake like Cleveland and Sandusky.
Too much is at stake to risk damage to Lake Erie.