Ohio House OKs bill to open state parks to drilling

By Marc Kovac | May 26, 2011 at 12:00a.m.

COLUMBUS

The Ohio House has approved legislation to open state parks and other state-owned lands to oil and gas drilling.

Supporters said House Bill 133 will provide the state with a steady funding source to improve Ohio’s parks and public lands.

“I believe this bill ... can be a huge protection to our public lands,” said Rep. Ron Young, a Republican from Lake County. “We’ve already heard here today that parks are a half-billion dollars in the hole right now. They’re behind on improvements. They’re behind on expansion. They need the revenues.”

But opponents said state lands not currently open to drilling should remain that way. And a last-minute amendment offered by Republicans to prohibit drilling in Ohio’s nature preserves did little to gain Democratic support.

“This is about parks, protecting the parks, protecting the pristine order of what our state is,” said Rep. Bob Hagan of Youngstown, D-60th. “You can do anything you want on your private property, but the parks belong to the people of Ohio.”

Hagan said Democrats who opposed House Bill 133 aren’t necessarily against drilling.

“I can’t sit here all day long and listen to the bluster of inaccuracies in facts,” he said during the floor debate. “This is about state parks, and it’s absolutely ridiculous that we’re doing it.”

The final vote Wednesday was 54-41, and the legislation heads to the Ohio Senate for consideration.

It’s uncertain, however, what will happen next. Park drilling provisions are included in the $55.6 billion-biennial budget being considered in the Senate. The legislation OK’d by the House could be added to the budget bill, or lawmakers could choose to disregard it.

HB 133 would create a state oil-and-gas leasing commission to oversee the leasing of state-owned land for the exploration and production of oil and natural gas. The commission would consider the environmental, geologic, tourism and other impacts before finalizing leases.

Proceeds from leases, signing fees, rentals and royalty payments would be deposited into a fund to be used to buy land or improve parks and other state property.

Supporters believe the leases could provide millions in rental payments for state projects. Proponents also say the wells would not be detrimental to the surrounding environment.