The Ohio Environmental Council is your voice at the Ohio Statehouse. We analyze and track all relevant legislation. We brief lawmakers and their staff. We testify before powerful legislative committees. We share information with reporters. All to help protect and restore Ohio's vital natural resources.
Proposal to transfer authority that oversees waste pollution on large scale industrial farms - December 1
Ohio House Bill 363 (as introduced) is intended to consummate the transfer of authority to administer the National Pollution Discharge Elimination System
(NPDES) as it pertains to Confined Animal Feeding operations (CAFOs), to the Ohio Department of Agriculture. The NPDES program is one of the primary tools given to the USEPA by the Congress, under the Clean Water Act. The USEPA has customarily
delegated the authority to administer this program to State agencies charged with environmental protection.
The Ohio Environmental Counci opposes Ohio House Bill 363.
Read the OEC's testimony before the Ohio House of Representatives on this issue.
Interested Party Testimony for Ohio Senate Bill 165 (As Introduced) - November 4
BACKGROUND & PERSPECTIVE
This debate, as state officials have testified, represents a rare opportunity to reform and update Ohio’s oil and gas development and oversight laws. To become better informed about this complex issue and detailed chapter of law, the OEC has had initial discussions with officials at the Ohio Department of Natural Resources (ODNR) and its Division of Mineral Resources Management (DMRM), the oil and gas industry, and citizen organizations. We plan to continue this dialogue with all affected parties and to consult with third-party experts.
The Ohio Environmental Counci is an interested party for Ohio Senate Bill 165 (As Introduced).
Read the OEC's testimony before the Ohio Senate Environment and Natural Resources Committee on this issue.
Ohio Income Tax Freeze - October 20
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.
The Ohio Environmental Counci supports Ohio House Bill 318.
Read the OEC's Green Paper on this issue.
The OEC and partners request veto of ERAC review deadline from Gov. Stickland - July 15
The Ohio Environmental Council, Sierra Club Ohio Chapter, and Environment Ohio sent a joint letter to Governor Strickland requesting veto of ERAC review deadline: 'The appeals backlog that exists at ERAC is a function of inadequate resources; with the exception of the three ERAC commissioners, themselves, the ERAC has zero legal staff. This is the problem that must be addressed to resolve the backlog in a responsible way. The false “solution” offered by the amendment will only exacerbate the problem—to the severe determent of the public interest.'
Ohio House Committee proposes to create an Livestock Care Standards Board - June 24
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.
Budget Showdown at the Statehouse - June 17
Update June 22 - Click here for budget press conference information and media coverage on 40th anniversary of the Cuyahoga River Fire.
The debate over Ohio's new two-year state budget is coming down to the wire…and funding for critical programs that protect our air, land, and water hang in the balance.
The deadline for reaching a final compromise between the Ohio House and Ohio Senate is midnight, June 30. Ohio Environmental Council staff are working day and night to ensure that your voice is heard!
Here’s the latest: The original budget proposed by Governor Strickland included a total investment of $184 million for environmental protection and natural resource conservation. That is just 0.3% of the total proposed General Revenue Fund (GRF) expenditures in the budget. The Ohio House and Ohio Senate have amended and passed their own versions of the budget.
The environmental-conservation community appreciates the painfully challenging fiscal situation confronting Ohio. The Ohio Environmental Council, as well as many of our partners across the state, support a mostly "flat-line" continuation budget for the next two years — a budget that, rather than asking for more general revenue funding, asks both regulated industries and individual citizens to take more responsibility for the impacts that their activities may pose to our air, land, water, and soil resources.
Everyone — the public and regulated industries, alike — has a stake in the stewardship of our state's air, land, water, and soil resources. Accordingly, we all should contribute to the care and protection of these irreplaceable natural resources.
The OEC's "Top 10" environmental-conservation budget priorities.
Please take action now to let your Ohio lawmakers know you support a budget that includes investment in protecting our vital natural resources.
Fate of Ohio's Scenic Rivers Program in State Senate's Hands - May 28
Even though Ohio boasts the oldest and best Scenic Rivers programs in the nation . . . and even though Governor Strickland has proposed to fund Scenic Rivers mostly with revenue from canoe and kayak users (instead of general tax dollars). . . some State Senators want to kill its funding!
The OEC supports the proposal by the Ohio Department of Natural Resources to fund the Scenic Rivers Program with registration fees and other revenue collected on canoes and kayaks (as included in the Ohio House-passed version of the state budget bill).
- Click here to read more.
- Click here to contact your OH State Senator to urge him or her to save our Scenic Rivers!
Ohio House Democrats Unveil Their Version of State Operating Budget - April 23
The proposed budget includes critical environmental protections – for healthier air, land, and water for all Ohioans. The OEC urges lawmakers to keep the following provisions in Ohio's operating budget.
- Public Transportation. Each day, public transit buses deliver half a million Ohioans to work, school, and other locations. Public transportation uses less energy, reduces greenhouse gases and other harmful emissions, eases traffic congestion, and saves commuters and businesses money. Learn more at www.apta.com/media/facts.
- Environmental Justice. Thousands of Ohioans live in highly industrialized communities. They need an environmental justice ombudsman to go to bat for them when even more emissions from new and expanded industrial facilities are proposed near their neighborhood. Read the proposal at www.theoec.org/PDFs/EJDocs/EnvironmentalJustice09.pdf.
- Construction and Demolition Debris Disposal Fee. In the past 10 years, there has been a slow and steady increase in out-of-state waste disposed in Ohio. With the increased waste disposal fees, other states would contribute millions more each year to programs in Ohio. Learn more at www.theoec.org/PDFs/LobbyDay/BudgetFees09.pdf.
The Ohio House of Representative will vote on the budget bill next week. Click here to e-mail your representative today and urge him or her to vote to protect Ohio’s environment!
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