June 25, 2024
SB 156 Scorecard Letter to Members of the Ohio House of Representatives
June 25, 2024
To: Members of the Ohio House of Representatives
From: Pete Bucher, Chief of Staff, Ohio Environmental Council Action Fund
Re: Senate Bill 156
Dear Honorable Representatives,
I am writing to inform you that the Ohio Environmental Council (OEC) Action Fund will be scoring Senate Bill 156 (SB 156) for the purposes of our legislative scorecard for the 135th Ohio General Assembly. We urge a yes vote on SB 156. To the extent that SB 156 passes, the OEC Action Fund will be doing extensive public education on the content and the votes on this legislation due to its positive impact to Ohio’s environment and the health of Ohioans.
The OEC Action Fund supports the passage of this legislation to clarify the Scenic Rivers Program in Ohio law and to transfer the authority to administer the program to the Ohio Department of Natural Resources (ODNR) Division of Natural Areas and Preserves (DNAP). DNAP has a history of running this program, as well as the expertise and staff resources to administer the program.
SB156 will support the success of Ohio’s wild and scenic rivers program by clarifying DNAP’s authority over the program and by addressing the concerns of some property owners with land adjacent to these protected waterways. The legislation’s new definition for “Scenic River Lands” clarifies that the program’s activities are conducted on property owned and managed by ODNR.
The legislation will also expand the types of waterways that are subject to designation as a wild, scenic or recreational river to include headwaters. Headwaters are the source of streams or rivers and are some of the most critical waterways in need of protection due to their role and ability to trap floodwaters, recharge groundwater supplies, remove pollution, provide fish and wildlife habitat, and sustain the health of downstream rivers, lakes and bays.
The OEC Action Fund is a longtime supporter of the state’s Scenic Rivers Program and we urge you to vote yes on SB 156 to support the designation and protection of scenic, wild, and recreational rivers. This bill will provide valuable guidance for the Scenic Rivers Program that guarantees our natural resources will be protected for the use of future generations.
If you have any questions, please direct them to me at pbucher@theoec.org.
Sincerely,

Pete Bucher
Chief of Staff
OEC Action Fund