To: Governor Mike DeWine
Governor Kasich: Veto Amendment HC 2241 in HB 49 that allows Ohio’s legislature to sell out Publi...
On May 2nd, 2017 Budget Bill (HB 49) was passed in the Ohio House of Representatives with 58 Yea votes, who received a combined $1.18 million in contributionsfrom the Fossil Fuel Industry to their 2016 campaigns. This bill contained Amendment HC 2241 (in HB 49 as Sec. R.C. 1509.71) which strips the Governor of the power to appoint individuals to the 4-member Oil and Gas Leasing Commission, and gives this appointment power to the Speaker of the House and President of the Senate. Governor Kasich has not yet appointed anyone to the Commission, thus preventing fracking or drilling on Public Land. Of all 58 members that voted Yea, Speaker Rosenberger received the most in contributions, collecting $283,500 from industry for his 2016 campaign. Rosenberger was also instrumental in killing any increase of the severance tax which taxes corporations for what they extract from the earth. Sign this petition to demand that Kasich line item veto this obvious power grab. We must make it clear that we will not stand by while our legislatures sell out Public Land to their donors and leave us with the toxic air and water!
Why is this important?
We must do everything we can to protect our Public Lands from the devastating effects of fracking and drilling. Climate Change is the largest existential threat that faces humanity and it is time to aggressively combat it and move to a Clean Energy Economy. This will put tens of thousands of Ohioans back to work in the renewable sector and create over one-hundred fifty thousand construction jobs needed to build up the infrastructure and grid. We need to make Ohio a leader in energy policy and combating Climate Change, and it all starts with us telling our legislatures that we will not accept them selling out Public Land to their Fossil Fuel Donors!!