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Ross County house explosion raises safety issue
Published on Tuesday, Jan 01, 2008
Beacon Journal staff report
The Ohio Environmental Council is urging a halt on proposed legislation that would allow expanded oil and gas drilling at Ohio state parks and nature preserves.
It cited an explosion Dec. 16 that destroyed a house near Bainbridge in Ross County.
''There is real concern after the Bainbridge explosion that parkgoers might be put at risk,'' said Nolan Moser, a law fellow for the Columbus-based statewide eco-group.
Natural gas apparently seeped into well water and ignited, destroying the Ross County house of Richard and Thelma Payne.
The council called for a suspension on House Bill 357 until investigators have determined
the cause of the explosion.
The proposal has the support of key Republicans in the legislature and could be incorporated into Ohio's comprehensive energy policy bill.
The provision under discussion would only permit drilling on state lands ''covered by concrete, asphalt, gravel, turf, crops or fields that have plants or trees not exceeding 10 years in growth.''
The change is expected to significantly boost state income, legislators say.
The bill would create a five-member board to oversee leases on state property.
The environmental group also questioned how much of a windfall Ohio might get, whether drilling is legal under some state parks acquired with federal funds and whether there is a real need to expand drilling on state-owned land.
Drilling on state parkland was briefly discussed two years ago by legislators and quickly dropped.
Get the full article here.
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