Ohio House Mulls Bill Critics Say Will Chill Environmental, Other Protests

by Mary Kuhlman, Ohio News Service


Is a bill currently being considered in the Ohio House about protecting the public, or curbing protest? That's the debate between supporters and opponents of Senate Bill 33.

The House Public Utilities Committee yesterday held its seventh hearing on the legislation, which would increase penalties for those who physically damage or tamper with critical infrastructure facilities.

Randy Cunningham with the Cleveland Environmental Action Network says it is similar to legislation in other states backed by the oil and gas industry after the 2016 Dakota Access Pipeline protests.

"They have applied it to virtually everything you can think of: railroads, refineries, pipelines, injection wells," says Cunningham. "The goal of it is to chill the conversation, to chill dissent."

Read more: https://www.citybeat.com/news/blog/21106037/ohio-house-mulls-bill-critics-say-will-chill-environmental-other-protests
(Cincinnati Citybeat)