Steve Lohr, Forest Supervisor, U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service: Glynn Wilson
By Glynn Wilson –
The Alabama Chapter of the Sierra Club is formally asking the U.S. Forest Service to withdraw a plan to lease 43,000 acres for oil and gas exploration in the Talladega National Forest.
A letter is being mailed today to Forest Supervisor Steve Lohr, who admitted in a video interview with me that he alone made the decision to put this particular 43,000 acres up for lease (see map below) in an area where hydraulic fracturing or fracking could pose a serious economic and environmental threat to the national forest.
Watch the video here:
Here is the text of the letter.
Steve Lohr
Forest Supervisor
2946 Chestnut Street
Montgomery, Alabama 36107
Re: Lease sales in Talladega National Forest
Dear Sir:
The Alabama Chapter of the Sierra Club requests that the U. S. Forest Service immediately withdraw its proposal to allow lease sale of 43,000 acres in the Talladega National Forest. We have reached this decision because of the arbitrary basis on which these areas were selected and the overwhelmingly negative impacts oil and gas exploration would have on the environment and the State’s economy.
It has come to our attention that the selections were neither industry-driven nor based on science. You admitted, in an interview captured on video at a public meeting in Montgomery, Alabama, that you alone chose the areas included in the proposed lease sale (map attached) without consultation with geology experts. Kemba Anderson-Artis with the Bureau of Land Management confirmed your statement. In the same video, Dr. David E. Bolin, deputy director of the State Oil and Gas Board of Alabama, explained that virtually all of the areas outlined in the maps are underlain with igneous and metamorphic rock with no potential for oil and gas production.
Furthermore, these public lands contain pristine waters and some of the greatest diversity of aquatic and terrestrial species in all of the United States; any exploration would destroy the bounty and beauty of the land. Very little thought and no scientific studies, such as a full Environmental Impact Assessment and an Environmental Impact Statement, have examined what oil and gas exploration in the Talladega National Forest would do to endangered and threatened species that live in the area.
Due to its natural features, this region is a popular destination for tourists and admirers of the natural world. If any of the proposed leases were sold, then major economic losses for the local area would result. Environmental tourism is vital to the area’s and State’s economies.
The Sierra Club is the oldest non-profit environmental organization in the United States, and our mission is to explore, enjoy and protect the environment as well as to promote and practice responsible use of the earth’s resources. The Alabama Chapter, with 2500 members, strongly opposes the leasing of public lands for oil and gas exploration. Therefore, we resolve that the U. S. Forest Service, as the sole agency responsible for proposing this lease sale, withdraw its proposal.
As a matter of public policy at this time, the only wise course for the U.S. Forest Service is to withdraw the proposed lease sale of 43,000 acres in the Talladega National Forest.
Sincerely,
Margo Rebar
Chair of the Alabama Chapter of the Sierra Club
cc. President Barack Obama
The White House
1600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW
Washington, DC 20500
cc. Secretary Thomas J. Vilsack
U.S. Department of Agriculture
1400 Independence Ave., S.W.
Washington, DC 20250
cc. Tom Tidwel
U.S. Forest Service Chief
1400 Independence Ave., SW
Washington, D.C. 20250-0003
cc. USDA Forest Service
Southern Region (R8)
1720 Peachtree Road, NW
Atlanta, GA 30309
cc. Neil Kornze
Principal Deputy Director:
Bureau of Land Management
1849 C Street NW, Rm. 5665
Washington DC 20240
A zoom out map of the proposed fracking zone in Alabama (see larger individual maps and read more about this issue in the previous story about it here).
Related Stories
Fracking Leases Proposed for National Forests White Washed at ‘Public Meeting’
Fracking in the Talladega National Forest is Not in the National, State or Local Interest
Related Posts:
Before you continue, I’d like to ask if you could support our independent journalism as we head into one of the most critical news periods of our time in 2024.
The New American Journal is deeply dedicated to uncovering the escalating threats to our democracy and holding those in power accountable. With a turbulent presidential race and the possibility of an even more extreme Trump presidency on the horizon, the need for independent, credible journalism that emphasizes the importance of the upcoming election for our nation and planet has never been greater.
However, a small group of billionaire owners control a significant portion of the information that reaches the public. We are different. We don’t have a billionaire owner or shareholders. Our journalism is created to serve the public interest, not to generate profit. Unlike much of the U.S. media, which often falls into the trap of false equivalence in the name of neutrality, we strive to highlight the lies of powerful individuals and institutions, showing how misinformation and demagoguery can harm democracy.
Our journalists provide context, investigate, and bring to light the critical stories of our time, from election integrity threats to the worsening climate crisis and complex international conflicts. As a news organization with a strong voice, we offer a unique, outsider perspective that is often missing in American media.
Thanks to our unique reader-supported model, you can access the New American journal without encountering a paywall. This is possible because of readers like you. Your support keeps us independent, free from external influences, and accessible to everyone, regardless of their ability to pay for news.
Please help if you can.
American journalists need your help more than ever as forces amass against the free press and democracy itself. We must not let the crypto-fascists and the AI bots take over.
See the latest GoFundMe campaign here.
Don't forget to listen to the new song and video.
Just because we are not featured on cable TV news talk shows, or TikTok videos, does not mean we are not getting out there in search engines and social media sites. We consistently get over a million hits a month.
Click to Advertise Here
