Ohio commission approves fracking in state parks and wildlife areas despite fraud investigation
A state commission in Ohio has voted to approve fracking for oil and gas drilling in state parks and designated wildlife areas
COLUMBUS, Ohio — Some state parks can be fracked in Ohio, a decision made by a government commission Wednesday despite an ongoing investigation into oil and gas companies claiming possible fraudulent support.
During a raucous meeting attended by many fracking opponents, the Ohio Oil and Gas Land Management Commission OK'd several parcels for fracking by outside entities — all of them owned by the Ohio Department of Natural Resources and the Ohio Department of Transportation — that include state parks and designated wildlife areas.
Under state law, the identities of those who nominated the land for oil and gas drilling are confidential.
The vote took place during a tense public meeting at which anti-fracking protesters held up signs that read “DENY” and “Save Our Parks.”
Advocates accused the state board members of lacking transparency, upholding the interests of corporate greed and poisoning future generations. Some threw money in front of the commissioners and shouted them out of the state meeting, while others sang protest songs in and chanted “Don't frack our futures," and “Shame.”
A member of Save Ohio Parks, Cathy Cowan Becker, said opponents were disappointed by the vote but vowed to continue to show up to meetings.
“At a time when the science is telling us we have to stop all the oil and gas, instead we're doing this in our parks,” Cowan Becker said. “We're rightfully really angry about this.”
The decision is the first of its kind in Ohio, although laws allowing fracking have been on the books since 2011.
Legislation under then- Gov. John Kasich, a former Republican presidential
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