A bill introduced to the Ohio House, House Bill 43, would prevent oil and natural gas drilling under Lake Erie, something environmental activists have been worried about, but the oil and gas industry said the legislation isn’t necessary.

“It’s an amazing lake that we need to protect,” Sandy Bihn, environmental activist, said.

Lake Erie Waterkeeper is known as one of the main protectors of the body of water. Bihn is the executive director of the organization and she explained that the watershed has a rich ecosystem, one that provides drinking water for 11 million people, fishing, birdwatching and is a major source of tourism.

“It is an economic engine, it’s a people engine, it’s an aquatic engine, it’s an eco engine,” she added.

Right now, the state extracts four million tons of rock salt from the lake’s underground mines, according to ODOT. A study from the U.S. Department of Energy found that four trillion cubic feet of gas are thought to lie beneath Lake Erie, which is gaining attention as Ohio starts prioritizing natural gas production.

Our Ohio state parks, forests, wildlife areas, and other public lands are under attack.

For over a decade, the oil and gas industry has had its eyes on our most treasured spaces. Now they are about to get their wish. The Ohio Department of Natural Resources is now taking applications to extract from our taxpayer-supported public lands, which are supposed to be protected for the benefit of all Ohioans, not the profits of a polluting and destructive industry.

Here's what you can do:

Call Ohio Representative Darrell Kick, the Chair of the Natural Resources Committee in the Ohio House and ask that HB 43 be moved through the Committee. His phone number is (614) 466-2994.

It has had one hearing, but it needs to have additional hearings scheduled so that it can be acted on by the Committee and hopefully adopted and sent to the House floor for final approval by the House.

Here's what you can do:

1) Call or write Nathan Moffitt, the Commission Clerk, of the Ohio Oil and Gas Land Management Commission. Let him know that you absolutely do not want fracking in or near our state parks.

2) Join Save Ohio Parks' Saturdays campaign. Stand at the entrance of a state park or any park in your area and let people know our public lands are under attack. They can supply you with fliers and fact sheets to let people know how to fight back.