COLUMBUS, Ohio — The Ohio Oil and Gas Land Management Commission approved fracking across nearly 9,000 acres of public land Friday in a meeting that lasted 13 minutes, according to advocates who tracked the proceedings.
The approved acreage includes portions of Egypt Valley Wildlife Area and Salt Fork State Park. More than 1,300 Ohioans submitted public comments opposing the nominations, according to Save Ohio Parks, an advocacy group that has been monitoring the commission’s decisions.
The commission did not hold a public hearing before the vote. The meeting concluded in 13 minutes, according to Save Ohio Parks leadership.
“The OGLMC is not serious; it’s interested only in doing what Gov. Mike DeWine and his gas and oil allies want—ignore the will of the public and rubberstamp dirty and dangerous fracking under Ohio’s public lands,” Save Ohio Parks said in a statement released after the vote.
16,000 acres nominated since January
Friday’s approval is part of a broader expansion of oil and gas extraction on Ohio public lands. Since January, more than 16,000 acres of state parks and wildlife areas have been nominated for fracking, according to Save Ohio Parks.
Advocates say the rapid acceleration is being driven by energy demand from data centers. Ohio has approved multiple large-scale data center projects in recent years, including facilities that require significant power generation to operate.
“You guessed it — our state parks and public lands,” said Cathy Cowan Becker, board president of Save Ohio Parks, referring to where the gas to power those data centers would come from.
The connection between data center development and fracking on public lands has not been publicly confirmed by state officials or the commission.
2,000 incidents in eight years
Linda New of the Ohio Sierra Club cited the state’s track record on oil and gas well incidents as reason for concern about expanding fracking into public lands.
“There have been at least 2,000 incidents associated with oil and gas wells in Ohio in the past eight years, including explosions, fires, and toxic releases,” New said, according to the Save Ohio Parks statement.
Environmental and public health advocates cited risks including air and water contamination, increased methane emissions, and health impacts documented in areas near fracking infrastructure. Studies have linked proximity to fracking operations to asthma, low birth weight, and certain cancers, according to research published in peer-reviewed medical journals.
Barry Blankenship, a community advocate, said the commission’s process lacked transparency and accountability to the public.
“This is not progress. This is extraction, and our communities are paying the price,” Blankenship said. “This is our land, our water, and our future, and we refuse to be ignored.”
What happens next
Save Ohio Parks said advocates are calling on state legislators to pass a ban on fracking in state parks and wildlife areas. No such legislation has been introduced.