Ohio poised to take center stage in natural gas drilling debate as it considers tapping park lands

You've been hearing a lot about fracking lately. Ohio's governor wants fracking in state parks.

http://blog.cleveland.com/metro/2011/03/ohio_poised_to_take_center_sta.html




Two industry reps, two public officials, and just one representative from an environmental group, ALL appointed by Kasich. Anyone want to guess how subservient that panel would be to the energy industry?

This is again following the blueprint laid out by ALEC, the American Legislative Exchange Council. Kasich is a long-time member. This is my earlier topic about the ALEC "toolkit":

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=439x658572




As I said at the start of this message, this is about fracking, which they'll need to tap the Utica Shale. The article explains that Ohio already allows some limited drilling for natural gas in more than a dozen state forests and nurseries, but these are standard wells that drill straight down to reach the sandstone below the shale. Much less damaging to the environment.

This will be a disaster for Ohio's state parks and maybe a lot of the land around the parks.

The article says the energy industry is especially interested in Salt Fork State Park:

http://www.dnr.state.oh.us/parks/parks/saltfork/tabid/785/Default.aspx

"That's the one they always ask about," according to Tom Tugend of the state Division of Mineral Resources Management.

We are a virus on this planet. :cry:

to Professor Cronon posting a study guide on ALEC. They don't want people to realize how much corporations are responsible for these bills. ALEC is the GOP's way to ensure corporate influence on (if not complete control of) state legislation, and it isn't tracked as lobbying since ALEC is supposedly an educational "charity" and even ALEC "scholarships" to fly legislators to their lavish conferences aren't considered lobbying.

They find their leisure with their own kind at country clubs and vacation getaways.

They also have no use for public schools, libraries, Social Security, Medicare, and heating assistance, all of which are on the chopping block. In the case of the state parks, Kasich is once again giving away something that doesn't belong to him.

On edit: I'd like to hear the uproar if drillers erected an unsightly rig directly behind the 18th hole at Kasich's favorite country club. It'd never happen.