An environmental group has filed a lawsuit to stop Ohio from leasing state parks for oil and gas drilling.Ohio

Environmental groups launch last-minute effort to halt unusual new law Ohio It requires government agencies to lease state parks and other public lands to the oil and gas industry.

motion for preliminary injunction On Thursday, it sought to lease state parks for fracking, seeking to put the brakes on a law redefining methane, a potent greenhouse gas, as “green energy.” The law was due to come into force on April 7, but the court has yet to grant the injunction.

Born as a farm bill on the number of poultry chicks that can be sold at one time, the law quickly expanded in scope and size, giving the big agricultural, fossil fuel and petrochemical industries a win.

In addition to giving the fossil fuel industry latitude to demolish Ohio’s 75 highly sought-after state parks, the sweeping bill includes new provisions for agriculture and electricity, It also includes a ban on the sale of chicks, rabbits and ducklings. .

The lawsuit, filed on behalf of the campaign group’s Buckeye Environmental Network, the Ohio Valley Allies, the Sierra Club, and the Ohio Environmental Council, alleges the law is unconstitutional. These groups argued that this was due to the one-subject rule of the state constitution (requiring the law to include one clearly worded subject in the title) and that the legislature would consider all bills three separate days. states that it violates the rule of three considerations that requires .

“This law is nothing more than an unfair concession to the oil and gas industry,” said Megan Hunter, an attorney at the nonprofit EarthJustice, which represents some of the appellants. “We will protect Ohio’s public lands from this unconstitutional attack.”

State legislators passed a broad bill with little debate or fanfare after a final reading on the Ohio Senate floor during the lame duck session at the end of 2022.

Ignoring pressure to veto the bill, Governor Mike DeWine signed the bill into law on Jan. 6 after reassured protesters that it would ban new digging in Ohio State Park. .

Oil and gas leasing in state parks was already permitted, but the new law requires state agencies to lease to interested parties with insurance and financial guarantees registered with the Ohio Department of Natural Resources. is obligated to public comment.

Additionally, the new law defines methane gas as “green energy”. This is a term usually reserved for solar, wind, and other renewable energy sources. Methane is a fossil fuel greenhouse gas that traps heat in the atmosphere 80 times faster than carbon dioxide. 25% of heat All greenhouse gases are trapped.

outside Dark money group with a connection It helped spread the false narrative that the law would facilitate the transition to clean energy. Washington Post.