Ohio on Tuesday May 24, 2011 moved a step closer to opening its state parks to drilling for natural gas and oil.

Along party lines, the House Agriculture and Natural Resources Committee voted 12-7 to approve House Bill 133, which would open about 174,000 acres at Ohio's 75 state parks to drilling.

A full vote in the Republican-controlled House could come today Friday May 27, 2011.

Republicans on the committee rejected 16 attempts by the minority Democrats to limited drilling on state land or to add protections.

Rejected proposals would have protected Ohio's 135 state nature preserves and southern Ohio's Shawnee wilderness area from drilling and would have added state protections to a federal ban on drilling in or under Lake Erie.

There are indications the Ohio Legislature would like to approve the bill before its July 4 summer recess, observers said. Senate action is still needed.

The House committee vote came under fire from a coalition of Ohio environ
mental groups.

''Lawmakers came one step closer to selling off our state parks and wildlife areas to the oil and gas industry,'' said Tracy Sabetta of the National Wildlife Federation.

Drilling in state parks is ''unwanted . . . and a heartbreaker,'' said Jack Shaner of the Columbus-based Ohio Environmental Council.

State parks have been protected from drilling for more than 50 years, and such drilling will have an unavoidable impact on the Ohio landscape, he said.

Gov. John Kasich and legislative leaders have received more than 8,500 emails, phone calls and petitions opposed to drilling in state parks, said Jennifer Miller of the Ohio Sierra Club.

Julian Boggs of Environment Ohio called the House committee approval ''a misunderstanding of what our parks are for.''

The parks will be affected by access roads and drilling sites, he said. ''This is not what our parks are for.''

The drilling proposal surfaced in March with support from Republicans and oil and gas drillers.

Ohio owns more than 590,000 acres in 75 parks, 21 forests, 135 nature preserves and 140 wildlife areas.

There is no ban on drilling in state parks or nature preserves, but current law does not allow state authorities to approve drilling permits. Those require legislative approval.

Drilling is permitted in state forests and state wildlife areas.

There also might be some wells at parks and preserves that predate state ownership, officials said.

The preserves generally are smaller and fragile and are not part of the latest state drilling plans, officials have said.

Proceeds from the leases and royalties would go into a state fund that state agencies could use for capital projects and operating costs.

A new five-member state panel — the Oil and Gas Leasing Board — not the Ohio Department of Natural Resources would handle the leases.

The chief of the Ohio Department of Natural Resources' Division of Mineral Resource Management and the chief of the Division of Geological Survey would sit on the board. Kasich would appoint the remaining members of the panel: two from the oil and gas industry and one from an Ohio environmental group.

State officials have said drilling could provide funds needed by the Natural Resources Department and can be done safely.