Parkersburg, West Virginia — the county seat of Wood County and a growing metro hub, now in the news as federal leases push oil and gas development in Ohio’s only national forest near its border.
The U.S. Bureau of Land Management has announced a September 15 lease sale for 41 parcels totaling 2,840 acres in Wayne National Forest, bringing fracking to the forest for the first time. The sale faces legal challenges and public input during a 30-day protest period, while GOP-backed energy policies advance elsewhere.