Chris Tavenor News Today : Breaking News, Live Updates & Top Stories | Vimarsana

Ohio environmentalists are urging a judge to halt a state commission preparing to award leases to oil and gas companies who want to frack beneath state parks and other public land. The Ohio Oil and Gas Land Management Commission is set to meet Monday to consider bids for several parcels of land. Once the commission settles on the “highest and best” bidder, state law requires the Ohio Department of Natural Resources to lease them the parcel.

An Ohio commission is arguing its decisions last fall to allow oil and gas drilling under a state park and two wildlife areas are final and cannot be appealed.

Center for Biological Diversity: COLUMBUS, Ohio— The Ohio Environmental Protection Agency announced today that it will consider recategorizing Big Darby Creek and Little Darby Creek as Outstanding National Resource Waters — the strongest level of protection under the Clean Water Act.

Many farm groups have supported Ohio Issue 1, which makes it harder to amend Ohio's constitution. Some, however, worry it would undermine democracy.

A U.S. Supreme Court decision could make development easier in Greater Columbus by reducing protections for area waterways, environmentalists say.