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Public and conservation groups urge committee to reject ODNR change extending fracking leases on state lands
Summary
Save Ohio Parks witnesses told JCAR the Oil & Gas Land Management Commission’s proposed change to extend standard leases on state parks from three to five years threatens water, tourism and public safety; ODNR said the rule simply implements House Bill 308 and limits the change to lease term length.
Witnesses from Save Ohio Parks told the Joint Committee on Agency Rule Review they oppose a proposed Department of Natural Resources rule that would lengthen the standard oil and gas lease term on state parks and wildlife areas from three years to five.
Cathy Becker, president of Save Ohio Parks, told the committee Ohio is the only state that leases state parks for oil and gas extraction and urged the committee to limit its review to JCAR prongs. She said the Oil and Gas Land Management Commission routinely approves nominations to frack state parks with little public input and cited thousands of public comments opposing the change. "We must simply watch as the commission approves one lease after another to frack our most precious parks and wildlife areas," Becker said. She listed specific parks and wildlife areas that have been nominated, including Salt Fork, Valley Run, Keene, Leesville and Jockey Hollow.
Becker and Mark Gavin Sr., campaigns manager with Save Ohio Parks, raised environmental and economic concerns: damage to tourism and recreation, heavy industrial traffic and noise, increased fracking‑waste volumes and public‑safety incidents. Becker cited an Ohio State study she said shows Ohio generates $8,100,000,000 in outdoor recreation economic activity and testified that the acreage nominated for extraction in 2026 totals 8,749 acres; she also said Save Ohio Parks had helped submit more than 7,000 public comments opposing nominations.
Teresa White, ODNR chief operating officer, told JCAR the rule packet is narrowly tailored to implement House Bill 308 and only changes the lease term from three to five years for the standard lease. She said the change would spread royalty payments over a longer period, not necessarily increase total payments, and offered to answer prong‑related questions about the rule packet.
Committee members noted JCAR’s authority is limited to statutory prongs and said they could not change policy absent a finding a rule violated those prongs. No formal committee action to disapprove the rule was recorded at the meeting.
Next steps: The rule remains under review; public written testimony was noted as available to members.
