Wayne officials are now saying their report will be done by the end of August. Please e-mail or call the Wayne one last time. Tell them to follow Alabama’s lead: pulling of parcels from planned lease sales there led to the sales being off the table while the public weighs in:
Anne Carey, Wayne National Forest Supervisor : agcarey@fs.fed.us, cc Rachel Orwan, Wayne NEPA Coordinator rorwan@fs.fed.us or call 740-753-0101
letter to editor re Alabama and Wayne:
Do like they did in Alabama, Ohioans; tell Forest Service to say no fracking
To the Editor:
Public protest worked… in Alabama!
U.S. Forest Service and Bureau of Land Management officials recently announced their decision to delay the pending sale of oil and gas leases in the Talladega National Forest in Alabama. The decision was due to widespread protest from citizens and public officials asking for the parcels in this national forest to be removed from the auction sale that was supposed to happen in June.
The concerns of the officials and citizens of Alabama are the same as ours here in Ohio. There was major concern about drinking water supplies within the Talladega Forest for many communities in the area. Of greatest concern, as stated by U.S. Congressman Mike Rogers, is the “lack of transparency in this process and outright disregard shown to the public. The public has a right to understand what is happening on our public lands.”
The delay of the sale will now allow public input through meetings and discussion. This is what the public asked for and the Forest Service and BLM responded accordingly.
So, there you go, Wayne Forest Supervisor Anne Carey. This is precedent. You CAN delay the authorization. Then you can go back and follow the law and involve the public in the decision to allow fracking in our forest… or not.
To the public, call Anne Carey 740-753-0101 and tell her you want the same decision as in the Talladega Forest. Time is running out, as her decision is forthcoming very soon. Read the following article for more information: http://blog.locustfork.net/2012/06/alabama-oil-and-gas-lease-sale-delayed-due-to-widespread-protest.
Roxanne Groff
Amesville