Obama Administration Protects George Washington National Forest From New Oil and Gas Drilling
Obama Administration Protects George Washington National Forest From New Oil and Gas Drilling
by Claire Moser - Guest Contributor Posted on November 18, 2014 at 2:32 pm
View of the Shenandoah Valley and cliffs seen from Big Schloss in George Washington National Forest, Virginia.
CREDIT: Shutterstock
In one of the most closely-watched decisions the Obama Administration has made over how to balance conservation and energy development in a national forest, the U.S. Forest Service announced on Tuesday it will not allow new oil and gas leasing and drilling in the 1.1 million-acre George Washington National Forest in Virginia.
The decision protects the majority of Forest against industrial development in areas that supply drinking water supply to 4.5 million residents of Washington D.C., Richmond, VA, and surrounding areas. Tuesday’s final plan states that, “with the exception of existing leases, no lands are available for federal oil and gas drilling.”
“The Forest Service is striking a balance by recognizing that, despite the growing pressures of the drilling boom, the George Washington National Forest is too special to be auctioned off for development,” said Matt Lee-Ashley, a senior fellow at the Center for American Progress. “The George Washington National Forest supplies drinking water for millions of Americans and the outdoor recreation opportunities that make the Shenandoah Valley and surrounding areas such an attractive place to live and work.”
Despite intense pressure from the oil and gas industry, the Forest Service’s final forest plan restricts drilling in the majority of the National Forest, except for 10,000 acres already leased for oil and gas drilling and about 167,000 acres with existing mineral rights.
“We think the decision shows the Forest Service listened to the local community,” the Southern Environmental Law Center’s Sarah Francisco told the AP. “The vast majority of the forest is protected in this decision.”
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http://thinkprogress.org/climate/2014/11/18/3593385/george-washington-national-forest-protected-new-drilling/
= new reply since forum marked as read
Maybe even some day a Republican will take his family there, to enjoy it, but some how I would rather doubt it... do they ever camp out? probably not.
