Ohio Oil and Gas Bill Amended To Protect Sportsmen and Conservation Dollars

Last week the U.S. Sportsmen's Alliance (USSA) alerted sportsmen of a threat to their federal conservation dollars in House Bill 133, sponsored by Representative John Adams (R- Sidney). On Tuesday, the Senate Committee on Agriculture, Environment, and Natural Resources voted to amend the bill to include necessary protections for Ohio sportsmen.

Before the amendment, language in the bill could have required the Division of Wildlife to refuse to take federal sportsmen's dollars returned to the state through the Pittman-Robertson Act. These funds are derived from hunting and fishing license dollars and excise taxes paid by sportsmen that are returned to the states each year.

The amendment adopted by the Senate Committee helps clarify this language to protect sportsmen and millions in federal sportsmen's dollars critical for wildlife conservation efforts in the state. USSA will continue to monitor the bill to ensure that these protections remain in place.

"Sportsmen want to thank Representative Adams for agreeing to amend the bill to help ensure Ohio can continue to use millions of dollars in federal conservation money that comes directly from sportsmen," said Jeremy Rine, U.S. Sportsmen's Alliance associate director of state services. "Senator Cliff Hite, Representative David Hall, the Department of Natural Resources, and the Administration should also be commended for their work in addressing these issues for Ohio’s sportsmen."