ANDALUSIA, Ala. (WDNews) — Nearly all of the Conecuh National Forest in south Alabama is now open for oil and gas leasing following a decision by federal officials this week.
Linwood Butler, forest supervisor for National Forests in Alabama, signed a decision notice Wednesday along with a finding of no significant impact related to drilling in the forest. The move affirms a draft decision released in December.
Under the plan, about 81,300 of the forest’s roughly 83,000 acres will be available for leasing. No land has been designated as completely off-limits. More than half of those acres will be available under standard federal leasing terms.
About 28,300 acres can be leased but will prohibit surface occupancy. That includes hiking trails, recreation areas and some habitat for the endangered red-cockaded woodpecker.
The U.S. Forest Service estimates approximately 11 wells could be drilled, disturbing about 44 acres of land. If development exceeds that estimate, the agency said it would reevaluate the plan.
Environmental groups have voiced strong opposition. The Center for Biological Diversity and the Alabama Ornithological Society filed an objection in January, arguing the decision threatens endangered and threatened species that rely on the forest. Those species include the Gulf sturgeon, gopher tortoise, eastern indigo snake and red-cockaded woodpecker.
“I’m so disappointed that the Forest Service is putting the entire Conecuh National Forest at risk of destruction purely for oil and gas industry profits,” said Lindsay Reeves, an attorney for the Center for Biological Diversity. “The forest is irreplaceable, and people won’t take this terrible decision lying down. We’re prepared to challenge it.”
In a statement previously provided, a U.S. Department of Agriculture spokesperson said the draft decision strengthens protections for biological resources, soil, water, recreation and cultural sites. The agency said any future oil and gas proposals would still require site-specific environmental review and mitigation measures.
The updated federal leasing approach aligns with President Donald Trump’s stated goal of increasing domestic energy production.
Conecuh National Forest contains some of the largest remaining stretches of longleaf pine forest in the Southeast. According to The Nature Conservancy, just over five million acres of the longleaf pine ecosystem remain nationwide, down from more than 90 million acres historically.