Wayne National Forest lease auction to be held in December
Wednesday, November 2, 2016
The federal government plans to auction 1,600 acres within the Marietta unit of Wayne National Forest for oil and gas drilling on Dec. 13, according to The Athens Messenger.
Dean Gettinger, district manager for the Bureau of Land Management, made the decision to move forward with the auction after finding “no significant impact” covering 40,000 acres within the Marietta Unit, including parcels in the upcoming lease.
The 1,600 acres to be leased covers nine townships in Monroe County, one township in Noble County and two townships in Washington County.
A main argument for the auction was blocking mineral rights in Wayne National forest can prevent adjacent property owners from leasing their minerals because the privately owned plots are not large enough to support horizontal drilling.
Learn more: The Athens Messenger > Lease auction to be held for drilling 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.