CAMPAIGNS

Finger Lakes National Forest

Atop the ridge between Seneca and Cayuga Lakes are 16,176 acres of forest and grassland pastures comprising the Finger Lakes National Forest. The smallest national forest, Finger Lakes National Forest provides over thirty miles of trails for hikers and invaluable habitat for a rich diversity of wildlife. Located in the heart of the Finger Lakes wine region in Schyler County, only 15 minutes from Watkins Glen, New York’s only national forest is a target of invasive energy exploitation.

The forest has been a target for oil and gas drilling since 1998, when the Fairman Drilling Co. of Pennsylvania and a West Virginia firm offered to lease 13,000 acres. With an estimated 16 billion cubic feet of natural gas beneath the Finger Lakes National Forest, this would supply just 2.7 days worth of New York State's daily natural gas consumption. However, extraction would take place over a 25-year period with leases lasting from 18-40 years. During this time, oil rigs would be contributing noise and air pollution to this pristine area, and local towns would have to foot the bill for road damage due to increased truck traffic.

Vocal opposition and organizing efforts of community members and environmental organizations led to expressed opposition of the proposal from local towns, state legislators, the Governor, and New York Congressional representatives. While awaiting the U.S. Forest Service Record of Decision, Senator Hillary Clinton (D-NY) and Senator Charles Schumer (D-NY) championed a provision in the 2002 Energy and Water Appropriations Bill that imposed a one-year moratorium on drilling in the forest. In its Record of Decision in December 2001, the U.S. Forest Service stated that “no lands in the Finger Lakes National Forest can be offered for oil and drilling at this time,” leaving the door open to future drilling opportunities.

The fight to preserve the Finger Lakes National Forest continues. The U.S. Forest Service is revising its Land and Resource Management Plan, a guidance document that establishes overall goals for the Finger Lakes National Forest. One of the goals states that the Forest should “help meet the nation’s energy needs by leasing for gas exploration and development in a way that is compatible with conserving surface resources and their use.” Due to the small size of the forest and the energy resources available, CCE recommended eliminating this goal in our formal comments on the Plan.

CCE also advocated for designating additional acres for future old growth climax forest and managing the forest using uneven-age management techniques to ensure a diverse ecosystem for a variety of species, not just saw timber. The Finger Lakes National Forest is a collection of old farmlands that the federal government purchased during the Depression. Keeping with the agriculture heritage, the FLNF provides grassland pastures for the Hector Grazing Association. CCE recommended certifying pasture lands organic, not only to keep the public land chemical free but also afford the small local cattle ranchers access to a profitable niche market and increase the supply of organic beef.

Click here to read comments on the plan that CCE submitted to the USDA Forest Service on August 28, 2002

In early August 2002, the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee passed A Bill to Prohibit Oil and Gas Drilling in the Finger Lakes National Forest in the State of New York (S. 1846). Introduced by Sen. Schumer (for himself and Ms. Clinton), this bill, which would permanently ban permitting or leasing for oil or gas drilling in the Finger Lakes National Forest, is now before the full Senate. Central New York Rep. James Walsh (R-NY) introduced the companion legislation in the House of Representatives (H.R. 3460).

Click here to view CCE's Memorandum in Support of H.R. 3460 / S. 1846 (PDF format)

For more information on the Finger Lakes National Forest, link to:
USDA Forest Service Finger Lakes National Forest Web Page:
www.fs.fed.us/r9/gmfl/fingerlakes/index.htm