On December 16, the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) announced a public comment period for 41 parcels—2,795 acres of the Wayne National Forest—that the agency plans to include in its September 2026 lease sale. The deadline to submit comments is 5 pm Eastern Standard Time on January 15, 2026.
Submit your public comment through this portal on the BLM project page. To do so, select the green button labeled ‘Participate Now’ in the left hand menu.
The proposed leasing builds upon threats to the Wayne National Forest that the OEC has been fighting alongside partners and concerned citizens since 2011.
In April 2025, BLM released a Supplemental Environmental Analysis, a continuation of the agency’s failure to take a hard look at air quality impacts and impacts to the Little Muskingum River and local waterways. According to the BLM’s own Greenhouse Gas estimates, the project could eliminate the entire carbon sequestration capacity of the Wayne National Forest for the next 30 years.
Public comments that are personal and express your connection to these lands and the impact fracking would have on your life are the most meaningful. Among the issues that concerned citizens continue to express include:
Ecological Impacts:
Along with threats to air and water quality posed by fracking, the Marietta Unit provides critical habitat for important flora and fauna that depend on Ohio’s recovering Forest Ecosystems. Federally endangered species like the Indiana Bat roost in mature White Oak and Shagbark Hickory Trees. Recently, hunters spotted tracks of the state-endangered Eastern Black Bear just a few miles southwest of parcels slated for auction. Habitat fragmentation and noise associated with fracking operations are incompatible with the needs of these important species and with recreation and rural lifeways sustained by the Wayne National Forest.
Safety:
Appalachian Ohio continues to suffer oil and gas industry incidents including:
- 2014 Statoil Well Pad fire, Monroe County
- 2018 XTO Energy well pad explosion and gas leak, Belmont County
- 2019 Enbridge Pipeline explosion, Noble County
- 2021 orphan well crude oil leak, Veto Lake, Washington County
- And most recently, in August 2025, an orphaned well explosion in Washington County killed two and injured three workers
Economics:
The oil and gas industry has promised that fracking will bring economic prosperity to our communities, but this is not the reality, according to Ohio River Valley Institute’s report,
Between 2008, prior to the start of the Appalachian natural gas boom, and 2023, GDP in the 30 principal gas-producing counties of Ohio, Pennsylvania, and West Virginia grew nearly 13% faster than that of the nation. But the growth in GDP masked the dismal real-world economy in the region:
- The number of jobs based in “Frackalachian” counties fell by one percent even as it grew 14% nationally.
- Incomes in the Appalachian natural gas counties grew at a rate that was only three-quarters that of national income growth.
- The Appalachian natural gas counties’ population declined by 3% while the nation’s population grew by 10%.
Thank you for taking the time to engage in this process and lifting your voice in support of Ohio’s only National Forest – and all who depend on it.
To do so, select the green button labeled ‘Participate Now’ in the left hand menu.
