When I fist read the title I though it said to drink in parks. I thought that will make some folks happy
From the Columbus Dispatch.
http://www.dispatch.com/live/content/local_news/stories/2011/05/26/house-passes-
bill-to-drill-in-parks.html?sid=101
I'm no expert on fracking or geology but I imagine this could impact the fishing at Salt Fork in the future. From what I've read the chemicals used in the process are toxic and not well contained. I just can't believe they would do this in a state park. Apparently ODNR has its hands tied.
When I fist read the title I though it said to drink in parks. I thought that will make some folks happy
Anyone remenber the drilling rig that used to be about in the center og Grand lake Saint marys untill the early 70`s? Am no geologist. biologist, ect, but do read extensively. Am not so sure would want any "fracking" within 100 miles of where I live or fish. Traditional drilling PERHAPS. And this will sound INSANE, but if any State Park could be considered for traditional drilling, Grand Lake Saint Marys IS the place. Here`s why: origionally that area was called the Great Dismal Swamp and was 2X the size of the current lake. There were natural oil "weeps" present and during building the canal water reservoir (the present lake) some oil was collected and sold locally. The "weeps" were finally buried with rubble over layers of straw and branches. If the State (and public) insisted on North Sea type concrete caps and gravity shut off levers the chance of a "Gulf of Mexico' disaster are almost non existant. Sell that oil to FIX Grand Lake Saint Marys (read "DREDGE the ever blooming MUCK out of that lake !"- pardon the pun ) AND fund other state Parks which are just being cut to the BONE...This would assume it could be done enviromentally SAFELY. And INSIST that containment equipment is already PRESENT before they drill 1 foot down...
I don't know much about "fracking", but I am sure if you oppose it, it's not wonderful. That said, I'll give up my hobby if need to be make this nation stronger, in a second. We have been feminizing this nation to death. I may not be required by contract to die for my nation if need be anymore, but no contract is needed. I always try to put the interests of America over my own. Sometimes the minority must take a hit so that the majority may flourish. As I am so very ignorant on this point, I also may be full of it, but aside from more knowledge which may better inform my position, this is my current take on it. It is a pretty uninformed position, so my endorsement is tenuous at best, but it's where I currently stand.
Am not a "FAN" of vertical ( NOT "fracking'!!!) drilling in the State Parks, but am LESS of a "fan" of the alternatives- #1 raising taxes (BOO ! HISS !) #2 the State feeling forced to implement a "User" fee either per visit, or annually #3 continue to further slash the Park system`s operating budget to the point even critically needed repairs just can`t be done and the State Health Dept. forces some of them to close #4 the more remote and less used Parks are forced into Nature Preserve status and closed to the public, with funding only for the more heavily used Parks, putting even more pressure on them, with still no more Maint funds than before...again, there are at least 6 states that currently have VERTICAL drilling/ oil pumping inside of some of their state park boundaries. To date am not aware of any major issues assuming the drilling is done RESPONSIBILY, with containment/ clean up resources ON HAND and ready to go and HUGE financial PENALTIES for "cutting corners..."
I think that more than anything is the issue. The way it's done today the CEO's have it in their contracts that if sued, or if fined, the company picks up the tab for the CEO's malfeasance. They have no real incentive to do the right thing, and ethics are a thing of the past.
I have a much less vested interest in the parks, at least CJ Brown, than do you to be sure. I do know that as a nation we have managed over the last 50 or so years to borrow and promise ourselves into a really bad hole. The fallout of that is not going to be pretty I'm sure, but of course we all would like to keep things as they are as much as we can. I'm just not optomistic that we can, though I'd like nothing more than to be wrong about that!
If they use fracking as the method, this could be a disaster. Fracking is no good for water supplies anywhere and never has been. There is no containing a chemical that is pumped into the grond to break rock......and also make it way into water supplies. Eventually it will show up somewhere whether is be the lake or people's drinking water. This stuff will cause sickness, cancers, and can burn. Imagine being able to turn on your shower and light the water coming out on fire. It happens now in areas that use the fracking process. The Gas companies pay big money to be able to go ahead with this process no matter the impact on the environment or the people. It may not rear its ugly head in the short term, but down the road will not be good.
I know they have been in Wayne National Forest. We used to see them when we hunted over there.