A state commission on Friday decided to allow fracking at a state park and a wildlife area in eastern Ohio.
The Ohio Oil and Gas Land Management Commission will accept bids for fracking at more than 8,000 acres at Egypt Valley Wildlife Area in Belmont and Guernsey counties and more than 500 acres at Salt Fork State Park in Guernsey County.
After the meeting, Melinda Zemper of Save Ohio Parks said she fears fracking under these areas will harm wildlife and plants.
"Ground water and soils will be more depleted and biodiversity in parks and pristine places are now going to decrease," Zemper said. "These fruit of fracking are going to grow in everybody's back yard."
Fracking is the process of injecting high-pressure mixtures of water, sand and chemicals underground to release trapped oil and natural gas.
Zemper said the state needs to expand solar and wind sources for energy.
Before Friday's decision, a total of 11,603 acres of Ohio state parks and wildlife areas had been approved for fracking since 2023.
