Federal government will put 2,840 acres of Ohio’s only national forest out to bid for fracking
Public comments on the September auction close Aug. 17, part of a broader federal plan to lease 40,000 acres of Wayne National Forest for shale drilling.
Environment
Feds advance plan to open 2,800 acres of Ohio’s Wayne National Forest to fracking
The U.S. Bureau of Land Management scheduled a September 2026 lease sale for 2,800 acres of Wayne National Forest, a preserve long sought by the oil and gas industry. This could mean fracking Ohio’s only national forest for the first time.
Tick season is getting longer. So is the list of states trying to keep up.
CDC data show tick bite ER visits nearly doubled this year as lone star ticks spread, driving a mammal-meat allergy states like Missouri and Oklahoma now require reporting.
Scotts Miracle-Gro, guilty of federal pesticide crimes in 2012, gives $250K to the super PAC backing Ramaswamy
Whoever wins in November will appoint Ohio's next EPA director, giving Scotts a stake in the race despite its 2012 pesticide conviction.
Ohio's air turns hazardous. Moreno's answer: sanction Canada — not the climate change fueling the fires
Climate scientists say warming, not arson, is driving Canada's bigger fires, while Moreno's own record includes fossil fuel advocacy that fuels that warming.
More on Environment
Steubenville accepts $1.1 million bid to frack 157 acres of its own land, including two parks
Nearly 100 acres sit under Beatty Park near a historic cemetery, and the city hasn't decided how it will spend the money, resident Greg Burrier says.
Ohio Power Siting Board asks court to punt on high-stakes solar case
Advocates say the board's own missed deadlines helped expire Kingwood Solar's grid agreement, the same lapse it now cites to ask the court to dismiss the case.
Feds increasingly leave local governments hanging when climate disasters hit, report finds
FEMA covered $210 million for individuals after Milwaukee's record August floods but denied the $34.7 million local governments needed to repair roads and schools.
Google is building a $500 million data center in rural Ohio. Neighbors are furious
Google used shell companies and NDAs with commissioners to secretly assemble the site before securing $600 million in tax breaks, while House Speaker Matt Huffman stays silent nearby.
‘The precipice of an emergency.’ Marietta residents worry drinking water could become contaminated.
ODNR has confirmed brine waste migration from seven Washington County injection wells since 2019, prompting four owners to voluntarily halt operations this July.
President Taft descendent former Ohio Gov. Bob Taft slams Trump plan to devastate D.C. cherry trees
Bob Taft says the golf project would undo his great-grandparents' 1912 gift of 3,020 cherry trees that also cements a bike trail's removal by September.
Climate change could double household water costs in some cities, study finds
Stanford researchers project Santa Cruz's poorest households could see water bills jump from $60 to $111 monthly by midcentury without state or federal help.
In Ohio, solar is no big threat to farmland
Golf courses use nearly triple the farmland solar does statewide, and suburban sprawl five times more, according to a new SEIA land-use map.
Ohio has made $314 million by opening state lands to fracking
Signing bonuses and early royalty payments signal Ohio’s decision to open state parks and wildlife areas to fracking means big money for the state. Environmentalists say it’s not worth the tradeoff.
New Ohio bill could hamstring big wind and solar farms even more
Senate Bill 294, backed by fossil fuel groups, would require solar and wind projects to prove 50% reliability, a standard solar advocates say is unachievable and would block projects the state already favors less than gas and nuclear.
As Trump buyouts shake offshore wind industry, states hope developers stay in the game
Trump's $2.5 billion in buyout deals to kill offshore wind projects threaten state climate goals, prompting seven states to sue over what they call illegal lease cancellations.
More than 15,000 acres of Ohio public land approved to be fracked by out-of-state companies
Gov. DeWine just signed a bill to speed up fracking approvals on state parks, as the commission approved $241 million in bids from Texas and Oklahoma companies.
Ohio officials to vote on opening 23,000 acres of public lands to fracking
State officials are scheduled to vote Monday to open or select a winning bid on about 23,000 acres of publicly owned wildlife preserves. This would significantly expand oil and gas exploration on Ohio’s public lands.
US Supreme Court hands win to Monsanto in case related to claims Roundup causes cancer
The court ruled that federal pesticide law bars state lawsuits over cancer warnings, overturning a Missouri jury's $1.25 million verdict for a Roundup user.
Seneca County judge dismisses 3 counts against Board of Health in WIN Waste lawsuit
WIN Waste called the dismissal ironic, arguing it pays millions in fees for oversight while the health district manufactures violations that do not exist.
