Ohio House Overrides Veto Regarding Oil and Gas Leasing Commission
From the OOGA:
On July 6th, the Ohio House of Representatives overrode a total of 11 line-item vetoes pertaining to House Bill 49, the state budget bill. One of those veto overrides dealt with the Oil and Gas Leasing Commission, the state body that was created to review state properties for potential oil and gas leasing. Let’s take a look at current law and what the language included in the state budget bill actually does.
House Bill 133 (sponsored by State Representative John Adams) was passed and enacted by the state legislature in June, 2011. It was signed into law by Governor John Kasich on June 30, 2011 and became effective law on September 30, 2011. The bill created the Oil and Gas Leasing Commission, which was charged with overseeing and facilitating the leasing of land owned or controlled by state agencies and universities. These properties were classified into four distinct tiers. However, it is important to note that state nature preserves were excludedfrom these tiers and, therefore, cannot be leased.
It is also important to point out that the State of Ohio included the following statement of policy when it comes to state-owned oil and natural gas resources (included in Ohio Revised Code Section 1509.71 (A)):
“It is the policy of the state to provide access to and support the exploration for, development of, and production of oil and natural gas resources owned or controlled by the state in an effort to use the state's natural resources responsibly.”Click here to read more.
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