Forest service keeps eye on oil, gas development

In the past several years, as new technology and other factors have made extraction of oil and gas resources more economical in southeastern Ohio, public debate over development of these resources in the Wayne National Forest has increased. Today, as the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) prepares the next set of leases, I am hearing a wide range of arguments as to why we should allow more, versus why we should not allow any, development in the national forest.

As forest supervisor I believe it is important for any discussion of these issues to be based on factual information. This should include why oil and gas development occurs in the Wayne, what the Forest Service does to ensure that appropriate environmental protections are in place, and economic benefits to local communities and the nation resulting from domestic energy production.

Throughout the oil- and gasleasing process, the primary concern of the Wayne National Forest is to ensure that any development meets or exceeds standards for natural resource conservation, and protection of public health and safety. To achieve these important goals, our national forest requires many standards and guidelines for environmental protection. All requirements are based on the best available science, extensive knowledge and experience of our staff and multiple layers of environmental study. At every stage of the oil- and gas-leasing process, we apply these requirements, and once drilling is approved, we monitor ongoing operations to ensure requirements are properly implemented.

As a federal land-management agency with a multiple-use mission, the Forest Service also must follow current federal laws and policy, which require us to foster and encourage domestic energy production on federal lands. Through this development, local jobs are created and our nation’s dependence on foreign energy is reduced.

Current federal laws encouraging the leasing of federally owned minerals include the Mineral Leasing Act of 1920, the Forest Land Policy and Management Act of 1976, and the Energy Policy Act of 2005. In addition to laws governing federally owned minerals, it is important to know that the federal government does not own or manage all of the subsurface rights beneath the Wayne National forest. Currently, private individuals or companies own 59 percent of the subsurface mineral rights, and they must be provided reasonable access to their property rights. As a result, there are currently more than 1,200 active vertical wells in the forest, with 780 of them accessing privately owned oil and gas estates.

The federal government owns and manages the remaining 41 percent of subsurface rights under the national forest.

Generally, there is a four-step process in leasing federally owned minerals that involves both the Forest Service as the surface management agency, and the BLM as the agency responsible for oversight and management of all federally owned minerals below the national forest. These steps include a decision by the Forest Service on whether to make federal minerals available for leasing; a decision by the BLM on whether to lease federal minerals made available for leasing; the sale of leases by BLM; and, finally, the submission and review of sitespecific drilling applications by both agencies.

Currently, the Wayne National Forest has made all federal minerals available for leasing as part of the 2006 Forest Plan decision, and the BLM has completed an environmental assessment for leasing up to 40,000 acres of the Marietta Unit of the Athens Ranger District. Lease sales on this unit began in December 2016 and will continue on a quarterly basis. However, no applications to drill have been submitted for these acres at this time. To be clear, lease sales include development rights for 10 years, but do not include selling surface or subsurface rights owned by the United States.

The lands of the Wayne National Forest were exploited and highly degraded in the early 1900s. The Forest Service and the staff of the Wayne National Forest have worked diligently to restore healthy forests, clean water, fish and wildlife populations, and many other natural resources since the Wayne was established in 1934.

I am confident in our ability to manage multiple uses in the national forest, including oil and gas development, and can ensure that the Wayne National Forest will continue to provide for a broad range of uses for current and future generations.