Groups challenge Wayne National Forest drilling leases
Friday, May 12, 2017
A number of conservation groups filed a lawsuit in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Ohio, attempting to void oil and natural gas leases and stop fracking operations in Wayne National Forest, according to ShaleOhio.
The Center for Biological Diversity, Ohio Environmental Council, Heartwood and Ohio Sierra Club filed the complaint against the U.S. Forest Service and U.S. Bureau of Land Management.
According to the plaintiffs, the federal agencies didn’t consider threats to public health, endangered species and the climate before auctioning leasing rights to more than 670 acres in Wayne National Forest.
Learn more: ShaleOhio > Lawsuit challenges oil and gas leases in Wayne National Forest
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Shale FAQ
What is fracking?
Fracking is a slang term for hydraulic fracturing. Fracturing is a process by which highly pressurized fluid is pumped thousands of feet into the ground to fracture rock formations. The goal is to release the natural gas that’s locked inside the rock.
Is it safe?
What most concerns people about fracturing is ground water contamination. The worry is that fractures underground, caused by the process, will extending upwards and into aquifers, releasing gas and chemicals into the ground water supply. There’s been no confirmed reports of such a thing happening. Though surface spills and drill site blowouts can lead to localized environmental concerns.
Will my water catch on fire?
Flammable water is caused by the release of methane gas into a drinking water supply. Methane gas occurs naturally and can be released by any kind of drilling, including water wells. In Pennsylvania officials fined Chesapeake Energy $1 million for contaminating ground water with methane. It was determined that the company had not properly cemented it’s boreholes and gas migrated up the well, between rock and into aquifers.