Drilling on state-owned lands? Our board says "Please don't!"

Our Simply Living board recently joined other Ohio nonprofits in signing a letter to Ohio's top elected officials in opposition to Gov. Kasich's proposal to open all public lands in Ohio to drilling and mining. To read the letter and compelling reasons why this proposal is untenable, visit the BFC website: www.buckeyeforestcouncil.org.
 
The Ohio General Assembly has recently introduced legislation that would open ALL state lands, including state parks and nature preserves, to oil and gas drilling, including horizontal hydraulic fracturing (aka “fracking”). (To give you some idea of the magnitude of this extreme extractive process, scientists are linking the "swarm" of recent Arkansas earthquakes to fracking-related processes.)

HB 133 & SB 108 are on the legislative “fast-track,” and are likely to pass in the near future absent a strong showing from concerned Ohio citizens. The Ohio House and Senate are currently holding hearings on the bills this coming Tuesday and Wednesday, and a final vote is expected in the coming weeks.

This legislation presents very serious threats to our public lands and the health of our air, water, land, people, plants, and animals.

Nathan Johnson, Simply Living board member and staff attorney at the Buckeye Forest Council, advises:

WHAT YOU CAN DO:

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