Forest Service Releases Decision on Fracking in GWNF

November 18, 2014 – The USDA Forest Service has just released its decision to significantly limit any potential fracking in the George Washington National Forest. Having weighed in on behalf of the hiking community during the course of discussions with the Forest Service, American Hiking Society lauds this decision.

Specifically, the Forest Service decision prohibits any fracking on lands that are not currently under lease or subject to private mineral rights. This means that of the 1.1 million acres of the George Washington National Forest, only 177,000 acres, or about 16%, have the potential to someday be fracked. And if an oil company does want to drill in the Forest, there remains a permitting process that should help ensure that the process is done in a way that protects the natural environment as well as recreational opportunities. If fracking is permitted on the available lands, American Hiking Society will work to ensure that the construction of access roads and any other impacts such as clear-cutting and the disposal of waste water mixed with chemicals are done in responsible ways and are open to public comment.

As the largest and most intact National Forest in the East, the George Washington plays a unique environmental, recreational and economic role in the mid-Atlantic region, where more than 9 million people live within a two hour drive of the Forest. The pristine forests of the George Washington protect an important stretch of the Appalachian Trail as well as the headwaters of the James and Potomac Rivers, which provide drinking water for more than five million people. “Every year, $13.6 billion is spent on outdoor recreation in Virginia, supporting 138,200 Virginia jobs, generating $3.9 billion in wages and producing nearly $1 billion in tax revenue,” noted Gregory Miller, President of American Hiking Society. “The George Washington, Shenandoah Valley and Potomac recreation corridor provide spectacular outdoor recreation opportunities.”

American Hiking Society supports the Forest Service decision to protect vast swathes of these special public lands and will be watching to see that any mineral extraction is done in the most environmentally responsible way, ensuring that the waters that hikers (and millions of others) drink are as safe tomorrow as they are today.