$9.6M Renovation Coming to Salt Fork State Park, Thx to Fracking
Last week, MDN told you that fracking has begun under the park, and literally nobody noticed (see Drilling Begins Under Salt Fork State Park – “No Signs of Fracking”). The radical left has been stroking out over the prospect of drilling under (not on) Salt Fork and other state-owned parks and lands. The Big Green-backed Save Ohio Parks protested in Columbus earlier this month, wearing and using fossil fuels to protest fossil fuels and drilling under Ohio’s parks (see Antis Rally at OH Statehouse to Protest Fossil Fuels They Were Wearing). With the din of irrational antis now dying down comes word that Salt Fork State Park, Ohio’s biggest start park (in Guernsey County), is getting a $9.6 million makeover courtesy of the money the state received from the shale frackers who are now fracking underneath the park. Read More “$9.6M Renovation Coming to Salt Fork State Park, Thx to Fracking”
The Allegheny Front, a leftwing “media” outfit in Western Pennsylvania (PBS reporters), published an article looking at how fracking has changed the “rural character” of Guernsey County, Ohio. The reporter took the recent start of drilling and fracking under Salt Fork State Park as an opportunity to write an article about the evils of fracking. Except, the reporter had this observation with respect to drilling happening right now under the park: “During a visit to Salt Fork State Park in December, there weren’t any visible signs of fracking. Of the few people who were there, two hunters said they didn’t know about fracking…” Exactly. 
For the week of Feb 24 – Mar 2, the number of permits issued in the Marcellus/Utica to drill new shale wells increased by a couple. Four weeks ago, 24 new permits were issued. Three weeks ago, the number increased to 36 new permits. Two weeks ago, the number deflated, going down to 14. Last week, we added two permits for a total of 16 new permits issued. The Keystone State (PA) issued just one new permit, which went to Snyder Brothers for a well in Armstrong County. 
Yesterday, the Ohio Oil and Gas Land Management Commission (OGLMC) voted to award a contract to Gulfport Energy to drill and frack under (not on) about 30 acres of the Egypt Valley Wildlife Area in Belmont County. Commissioners also voted to open an additional 884 acres of Salt Fork State Park in Guernsey County for oil and gas development. During the meeting, commissioners had to work above the chaotic noise from anti-fossil fuel zealots who dressed up in Christmas attire and sang Christmas “carols” substituting anti-fracking lyrics. Yeah, antis made horses’ rear-ends of themselves, as they typically do. 
The Ohio Oil & Gas Land Management Commission (OGLMC) met yesterday to consider whether to allow fracking under (not on) two Ohio state-owned lands, including the Leesville Wildlife Area in Carroll County and Salt Fork State Park in Guernsey County. Commissioners approved moving forward to the next step with Leesville, which is to accept bids. They also voted to delay a decision on more fracking under Salt Fork State Park.