The U.S. Forest Service said recently it is delaying a controversial auction of energy exploration leases in the Talladega National Forest after protests by environmental groups and local officials.
Environmentalists worry that the proposed June 14 lease of 43,000 acres of already depleted forest land popular with hikers and nature watchers could open the door to oil and gas companies eager to exploit the area with the latest hydraulic fracking technology.
The forest trails of the Talladega National Forest contain depleted longleaf pine habitat, home to rare and endangered species such as the Red Cockaded Woodpecker.
In 2009, the LongLeaf Alliance received $2 million in American Recovery and Restoration Act monies to restore the longleaf habitat, which once stretched across 90 million acres of the southeastern United States, according to the group’s research coordinator, Mark Hainds.
U.S. Representative Mike Rogers, who represents the affected area in east Alabama, had asked the U.S. Bureau of Land Management to delay the sale of leases and reopen public discussion, saying local officials had not been properly informed of the plan.
From Reuters: https://www.reuters.com/article/2012/06/08/us-usa-talladega-fracking-idUSBRE8571DX20120608