Ohio state parks

Oil and gas drilling in state parks set to expand, while some say taxes on it are too low

BY: - April 21, 2023

Energy companies, lawmakers, and environmental groups are again arguing over the companies’ ability to drill for oil and gas in Ohio state parks.  And as they battle over the firms’ ability to drill for profits on taxpayer-owned land intended for recreation and conservation, it raises another question that isn’t exactly new: Are the companies paying […]

COMMENTARY
The waterfall at Ash Cave in Ohio's Hocking Hills State Park. Getty Images.

Don’t frack our state parks to fund tax cuts for the rich

BY: - April 13, 2023

Some of my fondest memories have been in Ohio’s state parks, forests, and wildlife areas. Deer Creek, Hocking Hills, Shawnee, Maumee Bay, Kelleys Island, Mohican, and more I have yet to visit – all are treasures showing Ohio is home not just to cities, industry and cornfields, but true natural beauty and biodiversity.  But all […]

COMMENTARY

The value of Ohio’s state parks

BY: - January 6, 2021

This week, the DeWine Administration announced five priorities for 2021. These focuses were fighting COVID-19, police reform, state budget, fiscal responsibility, and state parks. State parks stand out to me as a notable inclusion on this list. While COVID-19 and police brutality have dominated headlines and state budget and fiscal responsibility are unavoidable priorities in […]