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Wayne National
Ohio has one national forest, the Wayne National Forest, which comprises about 238,000 acres in three districts in southeastern Ohio — Athens, Marietta, and Ironton. Similar to our state forests campaign, our long-term goal on the Wayne National Forest is to end the commercial timber sales program and oil and gas leasing, as well as to push the U.S. Forest Service to focus on restoration of the Wayne.
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Monday, 01 October 2012 |
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On Aug. 27, the Wayne National Forest's Supervisor Anne Carey announced that Forest Service will not revise its 2006 forest plan to account for the new wave of high-volume horizontal fracking (HVHF) taking place in Ohio.
“The Wayne’s decision is extremely disappointing,” said Nathan Johnson, staff attorney for the Buckeye Forest Council.
“The Wayne is relying on an outdated 2006 plan and environmental study to justify future horizontal leasing. Neither the 2006 plan nor its accompanying environmental study considered the potential impacts that high-volume fracking brings with it,” added Johnson.
“We believe the Wayne is violating federal law by failing to update their 2006 study and plan, and litigation is a distinct possibility,” said Johnson.
“Federal law requires the Forest Service to conduct a new environmental study and update their plan whenever ‘significant new circumstances or information’ arise. High volume horizontal fracking is clearly a significant new circumstance demanding study and additional protections. Water and air quality and the health of the forest, of wildlife and of residents in the region are at stake.”
The footprint associated with hydro-fracking dwarfs that associated with conventional oil and gas development.
“Greatly increased surface disturbance, water withdrawals, chemical usage volumes, wastewater volumes, waste solids generation, air impacts and truck traffic are some of the concerns,” said Johnson. For example, the fracking of seven wells on one well pad creates an amount of toxic waste fluid equivalent to that from 1,000 traditional wells.
The report marks the end of an informal review that administrators at the Wayne National Forest began last fall after pulling a proposed lease sale of 3,302 acres. The sale was cancelled in response to protests filed by several environmental groups and concerned individuals, Athens City Council, Athens County Commissioners, Ohio University and the Burr Oak Regional Water District. The protests highlighted the fact that the Wayne National Forest had failed to consider fracking prior to offering the leases at issue.
“The decision made by Wayne National Forest Supervisor Anne Carey ignores the overwhelming evidence painstakingly provided to her by the community over the past eleven months of the highly significant impacts of fracking when compared to impacts from vertical wells,” said Heather Cantino, Buckeye Forest Council board chair and Athens County Fracking Action Network member.
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Tuesday, 05 June 2012 |
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Green Groups Call on Wayne National Forest to Study Fracking Before
Leasing
Eight Ohio and national environmental organizations submitted
a position letter regarding high volume horizontal hydraulic fracturing (HVHHF),
or “fracking,” in the Wayne National Forest to Forest Supervisor Anne Carey
yesterday.
The groups called on the Wayne National Forest to assess the
environmental and socioeconomic impacts of fracking in the forest prior to
offering any forest land for oil and gas leasing. “The Wayne has been relying on an outdated
2006 NEPA analysis, which does not consider deep shale fracking, to justify
leasing its lands to oil and gas interests,” said Nathan Johnson, Staff Attorney
for the Buckeye Forest Council. According
to the letter, federal law requires the Wayne to analyze the impacts of shale
development through a formal NEPA study prior to leasing its lands. The Wayne has yet to undertake such a study. “The Wayne needs to take a close, official
look at fracking before it can lease,” said Johnson. NEPA, or the National Environmental Policy
Act, includes public notice and comment requirements.
The group letter comes as the Wayne draws close to finishing a
“review of new information,” or “RONI,” regarding shale development. The RONI process is an informal review to
determine, in this case, whether the potential environmental impacts of deep
shale fracking are “significant” and whether to perform a formal NEPA analysis.
The Wayne began its RONI review last
fall after pulling a proposed lease sale of 3,302 acres. The sale was cancelled in response to
protests filed by several groups, concerned individuals, Athens City Council,
Athens County Commissioners, Ohio University, and the Burr Oak Regional Water
District.
Yesterday’s group letter focuses on the significant nature of
deep shale fracking’s impacts. The footprint
associated with HVHHF dwarfs that associated with conventional oil and gas
development. “Greatly increased surface disturbance, water withdrawals,
chemical usage volumes, wastewater volumes, waste solids generation, air impacts,
and truck traffic are a few examples,” said Johnson.
The eight organizations signing the letter were the Buckeye
Forest Council (BFC), the Sierra Club Ohio Chapter, Environment Ohio, the
Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC), the Center for Health, Environment,
and Justice (CHEJ), Heartwood, the Ohio Environmental Council, and Earthjustice.
Link to Letter: https://docs.google.com/open?id=0B7zrAtQjLhBGYTdQRVlrV2xmWjQ
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Monday, 24 July 2006 |
 The Wayne National Forest is located in Southeastern Ohio and consists of three units; Athens, Marietta and Ironton. The Buckeye Forest Council has been working from the beginning toprotect our only national forest from logging, oil and gas drilling and heavy off-road vehicle abuse.
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