Supervisors of the Wayne National Forest announced a decision stating the plan currently in place to regulate hydraulic fracturing is sufficient to prevent environmental damage to the forest.
Following a deluge of petitions for further investigation into the potential environmental effects of fracking, forest administrators halted plans to allow the controversial drilling practice to occur inside the forest while an environmental impact statement was prepared.
Today Forest Supervisor Anne Carey announced the current plan, which was created in 2006 and regulates horizontal fracturing in the forest, will not need to be corrected or amended.
“I believe that the existing Forest Plan direction is adequate to address the surface effects anticipated from the potential development of horizontal wells as projected by the Bureau of Land Management,” Carey said.
The Bureau of Land Management estimates there is potential for 13 high-volume horizontal drilling sites in the forest that could be drilled in the next four years, according to the release.
Earlier this year, Athens City Council called for Wayne National to make an Environmental Impact study about the controversial drilling method.
Mayor Paul Wiehl agreed more information was needed, citing concerns that Athens is downstream from Wayne National Forest.
“Athens isn’t in the primary fracking area,” Wiehl said in a previous interview. “My hope is that (drilling companies) make mistakes elsewhere before drilling comes here.”
