Issues 2 and 3 important for our future

Last week's column began an overview of the five statewide ballot issues that voters will decide this November. In that column, I discussed Issue 1, which will modify the time frames for submitting questions for the ballot. Today, we turn our attention to Issues 2 and 3. If passed, Issue 2 would have a tremendous impact on the health of our environment and the ability of our local communities to attract new development and create jobs. Issue 3 would help to protect Ohioans' private property rights. Both are important measures for the future of our state.

In 2000, Ohio voters approved a ballot measure to establish the Clean Ohio Fund, a $400 million bond program designed to preserve and protect the state's natural resources, while helping to clean up polluted, abandoned industrial sites to attract economic development and to create jobs in our local communities. To date, the program has worked to protect 26,000 acres of natural areas, 20,000 acres of farmland and more than 200 miles of recreational trails. In addition, it has funded the clean up of more than 170 industrial areas--projects which have leveraged nearly $2.6 billion in private investment and helped create more than 14,750 new jobs.

As part of the $1.57 billion jobs stimulus package passed by the General Assembly in June, legislators approved House Joint Resolution 5, a constitutional amendment that would renew the Clean Ohio Fund. The amendment will appear on Ohioans' ballots as Issue 2.

Issue 2 would direct $200 million to the preservation of greenspace including farmland, rivers, forests, wetlands and parks, and $200 million for the revitalization of brownfield sites to help stimulate economic development and job growth in our communities. Issue 2 will not mean new taxes. Funding for the Clean Ohio program comes from the sale of bonds and will be paid for using existing state revenue.

At the same time legislators were working to pass HJR 5, they also moved to ratify House Bill 416, the Great Lakes Compact, a multi-state effort to protect the waters of the Great Lakes from being diverted out of the region to other states or countries. During debate in the Senate, concerns were raised that the Compact language could negatively impact the private water rights of Ohioans living throughout the 35 Ohio counties that are part of the Great Lakes Basin.

In dispute was a portion of the Compact that reads "The Waters of the Basin are a precious natural resource shared and held in trust by the states." While it is true that the Lakes are held in trust, that is to say, belong to the people, the term "waters of the basin" also includes streams and navigable surface waters, as well as groundwater and wells, which run under the homes of private property owners and supply many families with water to meet their needs. Several legal experts warned that passage of the Compact without language to protect private water rights could lead to costly litigation with little recourse for landowners.

To address these concerns, Senate Republicans garnered support for Senate Joint Resolution 8, a constitutional amendment designed to affirm the private water rights of all Ohioans, while carefully preserving the original intent of the Great Lakes Compact to protect the waters of the Basin from future diversion. The measure will appear on the November ballot as Issue 3.

Issue 2 and 3 are both key measures that will influence the future growth and stability of Ohio's economy and the quality of life in our communities. A "Yes" vote is required for passage. I urge the passage of each proposal on November 4th.

I encourage all residents of the 1st Senate District to contact me with any questions, thoughts or concerns, or if you need assistance working with a state government agency. You can write me, Senator Steve Buehrer, Ohio Senate, Statehouse, Columbus, Ohio, 43215, or contact me by phone at (614) 466-8150. In addition, I can be reached by email at SD01@mailr.sen.state.oh.us.