Pink Rose Society

Environment and Climate in Ohio

Ohio's environmental politics are anchored by a disaster — the East Palestine derailment — whose unfinished federal response runs straight through the 2026 U.S. Senate race. Underneath it, a GOP-controlled Statehouse has steadily tilted energy and land policy toward fossil fuels and against renewables.

East Palestine, and the reform that never passed

On February 3, 2023, a Norfolk Southern train derailed in East Palestine; three days later responders conducted a "vent-and-burn" of five vinyl chloride tank cars, blanketing the town in toxic smoke. The NTSB's final report (June 2024) blamed an overheated wheel bearing and found the burn was not necessary — that Norfolk Southern and its contractors "misinterpreted and disregarded" evidence. The railroad agreed to a ~$600 million residents' settlement and a $310 million-plus federal settlement.

The Railway Safety Act that grew out of it is the political hinge: Sherrod Brown and JD Vance introduced it in 2023, it cleared committee, and it never got a Senate floor vote. A 2026 version is now led by Jon Husted — Brown's opponent — and it, too, has not passed. Both candidates will claim the rail-safety mantle; the record is that the reform remains unfinished three years on.

Renewables boxed in, public land opened up

  • SB 52 (2021) gave county commissioners a veto over utility-scale wind and solar — and only wind and solar. Roughly a third of Ohio counties moved to restrict or ban new projects; in 2025, Richland County residents forced a first-of-its-kind referendum to overturn one.
  • HB 507 (2022) requires the state to lease parks and public land for fracking and relabeled natural gas "green energy." After litigation, leasing has been approved for parcels including Salt Fork State Park.

Water: H2Ohio cut

DeWine's H2Ohio program fights the phosphorus runoff that feeds Lake Erie's toxic algal blooms. The 2025 budget cut it by roughly 40%; Speaker Matt Huffman called it reallocation, advocates call it a retreat that risks reversing hard-won water-quality gains.

Why it matters in 2026

  • U.S. Senate. Brown vs. Husted is the marquee stage for rail safety and East Palestine accountability.
  • Attorney General. The AG's office runs the state's Norfolk Southern litigation; the Faber–Kulewicz race sets who carries it after Dave Yost.
  • Governor & legislature. The governor and the Ohio General Assembly decide whether Ohio keeps favoring gas and nuclear over renewables and how much it funds clean water.

Sources