MARIETTA, Ohio (AP) - A federal agency says it will make more land available at auction for oil-and-gas drilling leases next month in southeast Ohio’s Wayne National Forest.
The Columbus Dispatch reports (https://bit.ly/2jnBjyx ) the Bureau of Land Management plans to hold an online auction for nearly 1,200 acres on March 23. The agency netted $1.7 million in an auction of more than 700 acres in December.
The land in the upcoming sale was removed from the December auction because of ownership questions. Wayne National Forest is a mix of public and privately owned land.
Environmentalists say they’ll continue their fight to stop drilling in the forest.
The leases don’t automatically allow companies to drill. They provide a 10-year window to apply for permits to explore for gas and oil.
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