Landbase of Acreage Available for Oil and Gas Leasing, Exploration, and Development in Shawnee, Hoosier, Wayne, and Monongahela National Forests, Illinois, Indiana, Ohio, and West Virginia

Andrew Rorick, Lynn Kantner, Linda Martorano, Jack Jacks

Federal oil and gas leases are being issued again since the passage of the Federal Onshore Oil and Gas Leasing Reform Act of 1987 (FOOGLRA). Several National Forests in this region have potential for substantial new petroleum discoveries. These forests are located in the Illinois and Appalachian basins. The authors hope to clarify federal leasing procedures, availability of leasable lands, and operating restrictions on certain areas of the forests.

The Shawnee National Forest is located in southernmost Illinois. This forest occupies 263,000 ac of land between Illinois Route 13 and the Ohio River across the breadth of the state. The federal government owns the mineral rights under 182,000 of those ac. All of the federal mineral estate will be available for leasing, subject to a set of standard stipulations, when the U.S. Department of Agriculture Forest Service and the U.S. Department of Interior Bureau of Land Management have complied with the requirements of the National Environmental Policy Act. Approximately 39,000 ac will be available for lease subject to special stipulations designed to protect or mitigate impacts to specific features of high environmental or cultural sensitivity. These stipulations were developed through t e 8-year long process that produced the Forest Land and Resource Management Plan. All Forest management activities, including oil and gas leasing, must conform to standards and restrictions set forth in the plan.

Since about 1972, this acreage has been unavailable for lease, due to specific Congressional prohibitions against noncompetitive leasing on the Shawnee National Forest. The prohibitions have been made moot by FOOGLRA.

The Hoosier National Forest is located in south-central Indiana. As with the Shawnee, it is comprised of both federal and nonfederal mineral ownership, with approximately 174,000 ac of federal mineral estate. Approximately 15,000 ac of the 174,000 ac has been withdrawn by Congressional action and 8,000 ac has been withdrawn by management decision; thus, 151,000 ac is available for lease.

Of the 180,000 ac comprising the Wayne National Forest in southeast Ohio, the federal government owns only about 13,000 ac with mineral rights. About 12,000 ac of that 13,000 ac is available for oil and gas leasing.

The Monongahela National Forest is located in the Ridge and Valley province of the Appalachian Mountains in eastern West Virginia. A total of 578,000 ac is in the federal mineral estate on the Forest, and 82,000 ac has been withdrawn by Congress. In addition, 124,500 ac, though available under the Forest Land and Resource Management Plan, is being contested by preservationist groups as unsuitable. The remaining 371,500 ac is currently available for leasing.

AAPG Search and Discovery Article #91023©1989 AAPG Eastern Section, Sept. 10-13, 1989, Bloomington, Indiana.