Voting No On Drilling in Public Parks

Summer in Ohio means a great many opportunities for outdoor activities. Many Ohioans will spend some time in one of our wonderful parks and recreation areas. But our natural areas may not always be so natural.

I voted no on legislation in the Ohio House (HB 133) that would permit drilling for oil and natural gas in our state parks and other public lands. I believe our predecessors had the foresight to set aside and invest in lands for public park use. Investments were made then, and have been made since, to ensure that the public park system in Ohio would thrive into the future. These leaders understood the value of parks, both from an environmental and an economic stand point. Superior parks improve the quality of life in Ohio and in turn help to drive economic growth.

I believe we should not endanger these state parks by permitting drilling. Recent spills and accidents in Pennsylvania serve as proof that this activity poses a threat our valuable resources. In addition to voting no, I did put forth an amendment to at least prevent drilling in lake front parks, only to have that amendment voted down by the majority party in the legislature.

The revenue projections for drilling in our state parks are speculative at best, and pale in comparison to the damage this bill will cause due to the private exploitation of our state’s natural treasurers. The Ohio State park system does not belong to legislators serving in Columbus. The parks belong to you, the people of Ohio. We are simply the stewards of these public assets. I feel strongly that we owe it to future generations of Ohioans to be responsible public stewards. I believe we should be working together to preserve public parks instead of adulterating them for private profit.

Please make plans now to join me for my next “Lundy Listens” town hall meeting to be held Saturday, Sept. 17 at 2 p.m. at the North Ridgeville Public Library (3700 Bainbridge Road). Please don’t hesitate to contact me about state issues at 614-644-5076 or district57@ohr.state.oh.us. I look forward to serving you.