FALLS CHURCH, Va. — The Bureau of Land Management is seeking public input on a recently developed a draft supplemental environmental assessment to evaluate possible impacts from potential oil and gas leasing in the Wayne National Forest in southeastern Ohio. BLM will be accepting public comments on the draft until May 6.
The review assess the impacts of potential oil and gas leasing on roughly 40,000 acres under the National Forest System lands in Monroe, Noble and Washington counties. These subsurface areas have either been leased for oil and gas development or could be developed in the future.
The draft assessment is in response to a 2020 federal district court ruling which found the original 2016 analysis did not consider the potential impacts of hydraulic fracturing methods on federally protected species, water, air and surface resources. The new draft was done in cooperation with the U.S. Department of Agriculture Forest Service.
Additionally, BLM will host two virtual informational sessions on April 8 and 9 from 6 to 8 p.m. where the public will be able to ask questions about the draft environmental assessment. The BLM and forest service will use this assessment in the future when it comes to determining additional oil and gas leasing in the area.
To register for the April 8 session: https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_x10_Z-CsTE6VjKOe50MDig.
For the April 9 session: https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_H74jueerRDyT_H5juhaxYg.
To view the draft supplemental environmental assessment and to provide comments, visit: https://eplanning.blm.gov/eplanning-ui/project/2024234/510.
