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Executive Summary

On October 1, 2002 and November 18, 2002, the Ohio Public Interest Research Group submitted Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) requests to the Ohio Department of Natural Resources and the Office of the Governor. These requests were made in an attempt to determine the following: the role(s) played by agencies in the executive branch in promoting Lake Erie drilling; the level of coordination between Great Lakes states regarding drilling; and the level of public interest and special interest influence over considerations of drilling in Ohio’s Lake Erie.

Documents provided under the FOIA request reveal several important facts that have not been made public before. Contrary to public statements to the contrary, since 1998, at least four companies have tried to gain access to the Lake for drilling. More importantly, consideration of drilling in Lake Erie, though eventually placed on hold, began at the top, with Governor Taft. Finally, in the documents reviewed by Ohio PIRG, some Ohio Department of Natural Resources staff appears to have pressed in favor of Lake Erie drilling.

Current Threat to Lake Erie

• At least four companies – Algonquin, Talisman, Hopewell, and Vadose – have either formally or informally attempted to gain access to Ohio’s potential petroleum reserves under Lake Erie in the last four years.

Office of the Governor

• The Governor kicked off official consideration of Lake Erie drilling in Ohio.

• The Governor has not taken any formal action to “close the door” on Lake Erie drilling during his term in office.

Ohio Department of Natural Resources

• The complete ODNR memo appears to support a decision to move forward on proposals to drill for oil and gas in or under Lake Erie, although the agency remained officially “neutral” on the issue.

• ODNR has a long history, stretching back to the 1950s, of advocating for oil and gas drilling in Lake Erie, despite the clear objections of the Ohioans for whom the resources are held in trust.

Great Lakes States and Provinces

• The Council of Great Lakes Governors actively facilitated Ohio’s – and other Great Lakes states’ – development of potential Lake Erie drilling plans.