Gagged: Ohio Senate places oil & gas trade secrets ahead of public health
Cleveland Proposed Alliance to Remain Hidden from Public Eyes?
Proposals given to state legislators last Saturday call for the Cleveland Transformation Alliance, which would have the power to block new charter schools from opening if they did not meet standards, to be exempt from state open meetings or open records laws.This Alliance would be non profit and would serve many functions that seem to logically fit with what school boards could do, like approving Charter Schools and rating the district’s schools. To his credit, Cleveland Mayor Frank Jackson, who appoints the school board and would appoint members to this Alliance, has expressed an interest in creating more transparency with the Alliance.
“I think it’s a legitimate question to raise,” Jackson said, adding that transparency is important. “I agree that there shouldn’t be anything to hide.”Ron Adler, who has been one of the strongest advocates for Charter Schools and one of the Traditional Schools’ toughest critics, told the Plain Dealer he wants to see the Alliance be transparent. In Innovation Ohio’s report about the Cleveland Plan, we suggested that the Alliance be open to the public and either have more accountability to the public by having elected officials appoint its members (as the current draft of the legislation does), or make the panel advisory to the school board. Again, as long as the Alliance is open and accountable to the public, it would appear to maintain the strong tradition of public accountability that has long been a hallmark of our state’s school system. Allowing the Alliance to do business in the dark would seem to countermand that tradition. This post was written by Innovation Ohio’s Education Policy Fellow, Stephen Dyer, and originally appeared on his blog 10th Period.
Is 304 tons of hydrochloric acid coming to a fracking well near you?
Governor supports disclosing fracking chemicals; he should begin today
On Wednesday, Attorney General DeWine made news by declaring Ohio’s laws on fracking to be inadequate. Specifically, DeWine called for stiffer penalties for spills and other violations, mandatory public disclosure of all chemicals used in the fracking process and statutory authority for his office to act on behalf of landowners who are cheated by drillers. What is perhaps even more newsworthy is that yesterday, Governor Kasich went on the record agreeing with the Attorney General—and with Innovation Ohio—that fracking chemicals should be disclosed to the public. From Thursday’s Gongwer report (subscription required):
Addressing one concern raised by the AG, Gov. Kasich said there is “no reason to keep secret what the fracking fluid is.” He added that the administration is working with stakeholders such as the Natural Resources Defense Council to make sure protections are in place.Given what now appears to be widespread agreement that fracking chemicals should not be kept secret, we have to ask, why hasn’t the administration begun publishing the chemicals used at each well site at the time they are used? According to laws already on the books, drillers are required to disclose this information to the Ohio Department of Natural Resources (ODNR). The Department, could, without further regulatory authority or rulemaking, simply include that information on its online database of oil and gas wells. While we applaud the Governor’s strong statement on behalf of public disclosure, we are confused why action has not yet been taken. New wells are permitted and drilled on an almost daily basis, according to statistics released by ODNR. With existing statutory authority to gather the information and no laws requiring the information be kept secret, the Governor should order ODNR to make the information public immediately.
$15 million in waste – and not a peep from the Tea Party
Two primary elections, imposing millions in extra costs on taxpayers, plus the confusion of preparing for a June primary even as county boards of election are cleaning up the details of the March primary? Not to mention subjecting the public to two rounds of political ads and robocalls? That’s voter abuse. The General Assembly should spare taxpayers and voters such nonsense. Lawmakers should agree on a reasonable map, then do away with the two-primary plan.The bill contained no direct appropriation to reimburse local governments for holding a second primary, merely intent language to do so. With the state budget already strained, it is unclear where the additional money would come from. That Ohio Republicans do not embarrass easily – even in the face of blistering editorials from the Toledo Blade, Youngstown Vindicator, and Cleveland Plain Dealer and the aforementioned bastion of conservative thought, the Columbus Dispatch – is hardly a revelation. What’s curious, however, is the deafening silence coming from organizations like COAST and the Tea Party which never tire of telling us how much they hate “government waste.” Especially since there’s such an easy, one-word way out of this mess: compromise. Of course, to the Tea Party there’s only one thing worse than government waste. And that’s political compromise.
Sunshine is the best policy, court rules charters must share spending records
New Questions About Moelis
News Release: Is Moelis in Bed with Penn National?
For Immediate Release: July 13, 2011 Contact: Dale Butland, 614-783-5833