In a report on the MSNBC web site yesterday, an attorney for the U.S. Department of the Interior suggests that surface rights may be just as important as mineral rights. Just about all the mineral rights in the half-million acres of the Allegheny National Forest are owned by private citizens while the government is in charge of the environmental quality of the federally owned woods. If drilling for oil has an adverse environmental impact, local prosepectors may not get to drill. But at least 11,000 oil wells are already in production in the Allegheny National Forest, according to the report.
See full article at MSNBC by clicking here.
I realize that gas and oil need to be drilled for but there is a lot of damage that occurs during the drilling and clean up process. And damage often takes in more property than where the drilling occurred.
I myself would rather see more green methods used. Leave the forests be.
Posted by: Denise | 2009.02.21 at 12:16 PM