U.S. Representative Dave Taylor has introduced a bill that would double the share of energy-development revenue flowing back to southern Ohio communities from Wayne National Forest, pushing the state's cut from 25 percent to an even 50/50 split with the federal government. The Acquired Lands Revenue Modernization Act targets a decades-old statutory gap that has long left Ohio and other Eastern states with a smaller slice of federal mineral royalties than their Western counterparts.
As reported by The Highland County Press, Taylor said Ohio is leading the nation in energy development and that Wayne National Forest plays a critical role in that effort. He added that southern Ohio communities deserve more rewards from energy development in their own backyard, and said he is proud to lead an effort to keep revenue close to home and share the benefits of energy production with the region. Wayne National Forest spans more than 240,000 acres and sits almost entirely within Ohio's 2nd Congressional District, which Taylor represents.
The disparity Taylor's bill addresses traces back to two different federal land laws. Under the Mineral Leasing Act of 1920, states receive 50 percent of qualifying energy revenue generated on public domain lands out West, according to Ballotpedia. But lands acquired by the federal government through purchase or condemnation — like much of Wayne National Forest in Ohio — fall under the Mineral Leasing Act for Acquired Lands of 1947, which caps the state share at just 25 percent, with the federal government retaining the remaining 75 percent under current law.
A Real-Money Gap in Southeastern Ohio
The financial stakes became more concrete in September, when the Bureau of Land Management leased 2,777 acres of public land in Wayne National Forest across Monroe and Washington counties for oil and gas development — the largest federal oil and gas lease auction in Ohio since 2010, according to Taxpayers for Common Sense. The auction drew an average bid of $3,948 per acre under a 12.5 percent federal royalty rate, the group reported.
That kind of activity is not isolated. The forest's Marietta Unit alone contains roughly 40,000 acres of federal mineral estate, and a 2025 supplemental environmental assessment from the U.S. Department of the Interior supported restarting development on 65 existing leases there. Yet Ohio's share of federal mineral royalties on acquired lands remains 25 percent under current law.
Split Ownership Limits the Upside
Part of why Ohio's federal royalty totals stay comparatively small has to do with who actually owns the minerals underground. Federal records indicate that about 59 percent of mineral ownership within Wayne National Forest boundaries is privately held, while 41 percent is federally owned mineral estate available for the kind of leasing covered by Taylor's bill. That mixed ownership pattern contrasts sharply with Western public domain lands, where federal mineral ownership tends to be far more contiguous.
Taylor's legislation, alongside companion legislation introduced in the Senate by Ohio Sen. Bernie Moreno, would not change that ownership split — it would simply raise the percentage of qualifying revenue the state receives once leases, rentals and royalties are collected on the federal portion. The bill would also direct additional resources toward communities near energy-development projects, and it has been referred to the House Committee on Natural Resources for consideration.
Part of a Broader Southern Ohio Agenda
The push fits a pattern for Taylor, who represents Ohio's 2nd District and has made rural infrastructure a recurring theme; in May, Hoodline reported on his broadband bill for Appalachian Ohio, which passed the House and directed a federal evaluation of satellite internet options for rural communities in his district.
