Wayne National Forest, located in southeast Ohio, will likely see fracking opportunities thanks to a lease sale recently announced by the U.S. Bureau of Land Management.
According to Signal Ohio, the lease sale scheduled for Sept. 15 includes 41 parcels of land totaling 2,840 acres.
The BLM announcement makes it that much more likely that the lease sale will make fracking available in the state’s only national forest for the first time, though “some bureaucratic hurdles remain.”
In order to drill at Wayne National Forest, the winning bidder would need a BLM permit.
The report also notes an effort’s been underway since at least 2016 to bring fracking to the forest. Meanwhile, other parts of the state have already introduced fracking and those efforts are expanding.
Ohio has opened approximately 22,000 acres to oil and gas companies since 2024, Signal Ohio mentioned, thanks to House Bill 507, signed by Republican Gov. Mike DeWine in January 2023. That bill required the state to open up land, including state parks, for such development.
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According to a Signal Akron report at the start of this month, the ensuing fracking has generated $314 million for the state.
A March 30 Signal Ohio report delves into the revenue stream for the state from opening up 6,600 acres of Salt Fork State Park, what was then the largest project unanimously approved by the Oil and Gas Land Management Commission.
“The company agreed to pay a $58 million signing bonus and 20% of future production revenue,” the report mentioned. “At least 30% of revenue from any lease agreement must flow back into the state park or wildlife area at issue. The rest goes to Ohio’s general revenue fund.”
Less than a month ago, the commission also approved 21 bids covering 15,000 acres of land, per a report from the Ohio Capital Journal. Most are part of the Egypt Valley Wildlife Area.
Fracking also comes into play with the Marcellus Shale, a unit of sedimentary rock whose western portions are in eastern Ohio. Rep. Troy Balderson, R-Ohio, whose district includes a portion of the Marcellus Shale, has promoted the “boom” that it helped create, including in February while speaking to Victor Davis Hanson’s co-host, Jack Fowler.
A public comment period regarding the BLM announcement for Wayne National Forest is open until Aug. 17, 2026.
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