Wayne National Forest units (click for larger version)
Did you know that there are federal lands in the Marcellus/Utica? The Wayne National Forest (WNF) is a patchwork of public and private mineral rights that covers over a quarter of a million acres of the Appalachian foothills in southeastern Ohio. For years, the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) blocked new permits and shale drilling in WNF. During the first Trump administration, the BLM began to auction off federal leases and permits (see our stories about BLM auctions in WNF here). However, a federal judge blocked drilling in WNF in 2021, after Biden seized control of the White House (see Federal Judge Blocks Permits to Drill in OH’s Wayne Natl Forest). The long nightmare of Joementia is now over. The BLM in the second Trump administration recently announced it has restarted the leasing process in WNF.
To view this content, log into your member account. (Not a member? Join Today!)
