The U.S. Senate race between Republican Josh Mandel and Democratic incumbent Sherrod Brown may focus less on traditional party politics and more on the environment and Ohio jobs. Both men discussed shale drilling during an Ohio Public Radio interview, sparking a continuing debate about the halt to shale exploration in Wayne National Forest. Mandel claims Brown sided with Washington bureaucrats and fringe extremists, according to the Cleveland Plain Dealer. Brown stated he supports the delay on fracking in the Wayne because of numerous local concerns, according to the Plain Dealer. Mandel called the drilling halt a job-killing decision in a Wall Street Journal column he authored this week.
Ohioans shared their thoughts on the Mandel and Brown fracking debate and natural gas job via email, instant messaging, Twitter and in-person interviews.
* "Sherrod Brown has always been too far left of center for me. The people concerned about the shale exploration in the Wayne are few and far between. President Obama just caved in at the last minute as a political move. He has been chastised by the environmental movement for not fulfilling promises and needed to throw them a bone. We need the jobs here and the monitored fracking process will not harm our natural resources." -- Mike Drake, small business owner, Athens.
* "Josh Mandel will likely gather a lot of Independent and moderate Democrat votes in southern Ohio because of his views on shale drilling. We can create natural gas jobs without harming the environment. Brown is just towing the party line and not thinking about the voters he is supposed to represent." -- Larry Smith, campground operator, Logan.
* "The race will definitely boil down to jobs. Brown had plenty of time to come up with a solid stance on shale drilling and waited until his party told him what to say, and cost us jobs in the process. Developing natural gas in the state makes a cleaner form of fuel readily available. Governor Kasich is working on bringing Toyota to the state to make vehicles which run on natural gas." -- Brenda Morgan, computer technician, Marietta.
* "Thank goodness for public officials like Sherrod Brown. He is not letting the frenzy to create jobs of any kind deter him from doing what is right in Ohio and protecting our natural resources in the process. The Republicans will just bring in crews from elsewhere to work the wells anyway. There are true green industry opportunities in Ohio and President Obama has been working hard to make them a reality. The Republicans shot down high-speed rail and our stimulus money went to other states." -- Rashawna Eastman, Ohio State University graduate student, Columbus.
* "I would like to see Ohio become a natural gas leader, but do have concerns about fracking. A study on the Wayne is not a bad idea, it just should have been completed sooner. The eleventh hour halt just caused a lot of unnecessary controversy. The Ohio shale boom discussion has been going on all year, the study could have been done and information shared with the public long before now." -- Scott Jameson, advertising representative, Cincinnati.
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