MARIETTA, Ohio — Federal officials are moving forward with plans that could allow oil and natural gas drilling on nearly 2,900 acres of Ohio’s Wayne National Forest, with a lease auction scheduled for September.
The Bureau of Land Management announced that companies will be able to bid on oil and gas leases during a Sept. 15 sale. The proposal includes approximately 2,840 acres within the Marietta Unit of Wayne National Forest, primarily in Washington and Monroe counties.
While obtaining a lease does not automatically authorize drilling, companies would be eligible to pursue permits for future oil and gas development on the leased parcels.
Hydraulic fracturing, commonly known as fracking, is a drilling technique used to extract oil and natural gas from underground shale formations by injecting water, sand and other materials at high pressure to release trapped resources.
The proposal has drawn both support and opposition.
Environmental organizations, including the Ohio Environmental Council and the Center for Biological Diversity, argue the project could negatively impact forest ecosystems, wildlife habitat and air quality. Conservation groups have challenged previous efforts to lease portions of Wayne National Forest, and earlier proposals were blocked in federal court after judges found flaws in the government’s environmental review.
Federal officials later completed a new environmental assessment, allowing the current leasing process to move forward.
Supporters of expanded drilling say developing additional oil and natural gas resources could strengthen domestic energy production, create jobs and generate economic activity throughout southeastern Ohio. Industry advocates also point to the region’s role within the Appalachian shale formations, one of the nation’s leading natural gas-producing areas.
Wayne National Forest spans roughly 240,000 acres across southeastern Ohio and is the state’s only national forest.
The Bureau of Land Management is accepting public comments and formal protests on the proposed lease sale through Aug. 17 before the Sept. 15 auction moves forward.
