You can really size up the state’s budget woes when the bureaucrats start considering drilling in the state parks, a cash grab that really gets a lot of brows furrowed. But, hey, it’s 2011 and China and Oprah are the only ones not leaning on the McDonald’s $1 menu to get through till next pay day.
The Columbus Dispatch today reports that new Gov. Kasich’s new head of the Ohio Department of Natural Resources would consider selling off protected park space in order to get some money in the state’s coffers.
“It’s something we would consider and review,” David Mustine (no, not this guy, unfortunately, we got excited there for a minute, too) told the Dispatch. “At this point, we don’t want to close out any option.”
This article appears in Jan 12-18, 2011.
Easy solution: have an overview committee that periodically reviews each drill site. The overview committee will have an environmentalist as well as an arborist on board besides the oil/gas engineers and geology experts to keep the oil/gas drilling companies from taking dangerous shortcuts.
Then we need another committee to make sure the overview committee is doing their job.
I say the first place to start drilling is in their empty heads