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Green Papers & Testimony
OEC testifies on threat of Asian carp to Lake Erie - February 9
The Ohio Environmental Council provided testimony to the U.S. House of Representatives Transportation & Infrastructure Committee on the tremendous threat that bighead and silver carp (referred to as Asian carp collectively) pose to the Great Lakes and why we need to take immediate action to prevent Asian carp from reaching Lake Erie.
Right now, Asian carp are poised to enter Lake Michigan through the Chicago Sanitary Ship Canal and devastate the recreational and economic value the Great Lakes provide Ohio.
Read the OEC's testimony
Read Cleveland Plain Dealer editorial
OEC opposes U.S. Army Corps of Engineers' plan to dump dredged material into Lake Erie - January 20, 2010
The OEPA is currently considering whether or not to allow the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to dump up to 1.9 million cubic yards of dredged material into the open-lake. This irresponsible practice is counterproductive to our efforts to restore our Great Lakes and provide our families with a good quality of life.
The "clean" dredged material rather should be used for restoring our Great Lake. The deadline for receiving comments was just extended to February 22. Please take a moment and send in comments opposing any open-lake disposal option. Click here for the public notice and where to send comments.
OEC opposes House Bill 363 - Transferring authority to administer the National Pollution Discharge Elimination System for Confined Animal Feeding Operations
- December 1, 2009
Never before has any state agency, other than the state agency that is charged with environmental protection, been granted authority to administer the National Pollution Discharge Elimination System.
Read OEC's Testimony
OEC supports House BIll 318 (as introduced by Rep. Van Sykes), Ohio Income Tax Freeze
- October 20, 2009
Ohio House Bill 318 offers one of the few plausible short-term revenue pickups to help balance the now -unbalanced biennial state operating budget. Are other renew pickups possible? Not in environmental conservation or public transit.
Read Green Paper
OEC supports Sub. House Bill 7 (As Reported by the House Local Government Committee) for Energy Efficient Buildings
- October 14, 2009
This Bill requires a building or structure constructed using state capital moneys to adhere to certain energy efficiency and building standards and to encourage the use of Ohio-produced products.
Read Green Paper (PDF)
OEC supports House Bill 229 (As Introduced) for Clean Schools
- October 14, 2009
This Bill offers a potential solution for safer and cleaner sanitary solutions that minimize waste disposal issues and promote improvements in human health and healthy work spaces.
Read Green Paper (PDF)
OEC supports Senate Bill 131 (As Passed by the Senate) for Bioproducts
- October 13, 2009
This Bill offers a "win-win" for taxpayers, farmers, and the environment.
Read Green Paper (PDF)
Ohio Senate Concurrent Resolution 13 – Tenth Amendment (As Introduced)
- September 22, 2009
Opponent Testimony of Jack Shaner, Deputy Director, Ohio Environmental Council for Ohio Senate Concurrent Resolution 13 – Tenth Amendment (As Introduced)
Read Testimony (PDF)
OEC's testimony on the amended substitute Ohio House Bill 1 (as passed by the Ohio Senate)
- July 7, 2009
40 years of progress for clean air, land, and water at risk with Ohio Senate-passed version of Budget Bill.
Read Testimony (PDF)
OEC's testimony on the proposal to create an Ohio Livestock Care Standards Board
- June 24, 2009 The Ohio House Agriculture and Natural Resources Committee proposes to create an Ohio Livestock Care Standards Board (H.J.R. 2) by amending the state Constitution. The OEC acknowledges the importance of establishing and implementing standards for the care and well-being of livestock and poultry in Ohio. However, we respectfully suggest that these objectives can and should be accomplished through amending the Ohio Revised Code, not the Ohio Constitution.
Read Testimony (PDF)
OEC supports Ohio SB85 to ensure water storage towers are regularly cleaned and maintained for safe sources of drinking water
- June 24, 2009
SB85 authorizes local and regional governments to enter into service contracts for the engineering, repair, sustainability, water quality management, and maintenance of water storage tanks and appurtenant facilities.
Read Green Paper (PDF)
OEC Opposes Bill to Increase State Speed Limit
- June 3, 2009
House Bill 162 was debated before the House Committee in the Transpiration and Infrastructure Committee. This would allow the state to raise the speed limit for passenger vehicles from 65 miles per hour to 70 miles per hour on interstate highways.
Read Green Paper (PDF)
OEC supports Senate Bill 117 to designate the month of May as "Multiple Chemical Sensitivity Awareness Month."
- June 2, 2009
This bill can help advance the goal of drawing attention to the effects on public health caused by widespread environmental contamination by substances including as smoke, pesticides, paints, and petroleum products.
Read Green Paper (PDF)
OEC Testifies Before Ohio Senate on Their Version of State Budget
- May 30, 2009
Jack Shaner, OEC's Deputy Director, testified at a rare Saturday hearing of the Ohio Senate Finance Committee. He discussed the top 10 investments that should be made for Ohio’s air, land, water, and soil resources in Ohio's Biennial Budget Bill.
Read Testimoney (PDF)
OEC Green Paper: Ohio Senate Bill 81, State Amphibian
- May 26, 2009
The OEC supports SB 81 to make the Spotted Salamander the official state amphibian. Ohio has several official state symbols, but no other symbol would be as emblematic of Ohio's
hidden natural world as the Spotted Salamander. This photogenic creature is a delight to nature watchers, a link to our natural heritage, and an important reminder that in nature there is often
more beneath the surface than meets the eye.
Read Green Paper (PDF)
OEC Testifies Before Ohio Senate Committee on State's Biennial Operating Budget - May 20, 2009
The OEC supports several provisions of Ohio House Bill 1 (their version of the budget bill) — in particular the proposed budgets of the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency, the Ohio Department of Natural Resources, the Ohio Department of Transportation and the Environmental Review Appeals Commission. In addition, we appear in support of individual line items of the Ohio Department of Agriculture and the Ohio Historical Society.
Read testimony (short version) (PDF)
Read testimony (long version) (PDF)
OEC's testifies before Ohio Senate Committee on the Environment & Natural Resources Regarding Senate Bill 110
- May 6, 2009
The Ohio Environmental Council supports Senate Bill 110, which revises the Household Sewage and Small Flow On-Site Sewage Treatment law. We believe this bill is responsive to the needs of homeowners, home builders, treatment system manufacturers and installers, and other related industries, while providing an effective and flexible regulatory framework to protect public health and our wonderful aquatic ecology and resources.
Read testimony. (PDF)
OEC's Testifies to the Ohio House of Representatives on Proposed Transportation Budget Bill - February 23, 2009
The OEC urges the Ohio House of Representatives to pass the Transportation Budget (Ohio House Bill 2, as introduced), which offers, amoung other things, solid progress in three important areas for our economy and our environment: multi-modal and inter-modal transportation, public transit, and passenger rail.
Read testimony. (PDF)
OEC opposes Clean Water Law Rollbacks - December 4, 2008
The OEC opposes Senate Bill 386 because Senate Bill 386 is built on a pair of dubious premises. Senate Bill 386 is NOT environmentally neutral. Senate Bill 386 does NOT promote efficiency. Senate Bill 386 poses an unknown price tag.
Read testimony. (PDF)
Read letter to the Ohio General Assembly. (PDF)
OEC's comments on the draft 401 Water Quality Certification that the OEPA has issued for the USEPA's draft Vessel General National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System Permit - November 26, 2008
Ballast water is the number one vector in the introduction of aquatic invasive species. The OEPA's draft 401 Water Quality Certification would not prevent further introductions of potentially new invasive species.
Read testimony. (PDF)
Read comments. (PDF)
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