Two Southeast Ohio representatives helped pass a resolution encouraging Congress to lift the ban on oil exports, despite criticism from local activists.
A U.S. Congress bill that might increase hydraulic fracturing activity is getting a nod from the state senate, thanks in no small part to two Southeast Ohio representatives.
The Ohio State Senate passed a resolution by a vote of 31-1 Wednesday urging U.S. Congress to "lift the prohibition on the export of crude oil from the United States."
"This to me (benefits) the whole fracking industry," Andrea Rike, a member of the Athens County Fracking Action Network, said. "The whole premise of the ban was clean energy and energy independence for the U.S., and to me, lifting this ban lets it become a free-for-all, and the oil industry is given the right (to put) communities at risk."
The statehouse resolution coincides with a U.S. House of Representatives resolution passed Friday that, if passed by the U.S. Senate, would end the 1975 ban on oil exports.
"This resolution lifts the ban on U.S. exports, in turn driving down prices, creating jobs and making domestic producers more competitive," State Sen. Troy Balderson, R-Zanesville, who introduced the bill, said in an email. "Lifting the ban would be good for the U.S., good for Ohio and good for Athens County."
That resolution, which is already under threat of a Presidential veto, would help encourage manufacturing jobs in Southeast Ohio, according to State Sen. Lou Gentile, D-Steubenville, who represents a part of Athens.
"The lion's share of oil and gas production in this state is taking place in (my) district," he said. "The new production means that the key components that go into that need to be manufactured. Those goods and services will be provided by (Southeast Ohio workers)."
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Balderson and Gentile serve as the chair and ranking minority member of the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee, respectively.
The language of the resolution cites "the use of directional drilling and hydraulic fracturing technologies in shale formations" as evidence that the country has become more energy independent in the 40 years since the ban was first introduced.
But Balderson said, in spite of that, he was committed to making sure the fuel produced in the state was done so responsibly.
"Both the industry and the state have a serious responsibility to make sure that the drilling taking place in Ohio is being done in a responsible and safe manner for the citizens and the environment," he said. "Ohio has drilling regulations in place, and they must be followed and taken seriously by those in the industry."
Gentile offered testimony on the Senate floor Wednesday in support of the bill, but also argued that the state should try and encourage alternative energy.
"There are obviously environmental issues, and I don’t have the luxury of sitting in Washington and being in the midst of those conversations," he said. "It'd be great if they can get some movement on alternative energy."
Gentile also said his primary interest in supporting the bill was to generate working-class jobs, not to benefit oil companies.
"I'm not in it to line the pockets of the industry guys," he said. "I could care less about the bottom line if this a good thing for Ohio workers."
But Rike said the lift of the ban would have no economic benefit for Southeast Ohio.
"We’re not talking about local jobs here, we’re talking about pollution and damage to our roads," Rike said. "We get nothing in this county and any of the money raised by injection goes to the Department of Natural Resources."
The Ohio resolution still faces a vote from the Ohio House of Representatives, which might not occur until after the U.S. Senate makes its decision.
But in spite of that, Gentile said a resolution like this ultimately would not have much effect on the decision of Congress anyway.
"This resolution gets passed to Washington and hits their wastebaskets," he said.
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