A new proposal from the U.S. National Forest Service would open almost all of the Conecuh National Forest to oil and gas leasing, jeopardizing some of the last remaining longleaf pine forest ecosystem in the country, advocates say.
“The time to close the [Conecuh National Forest] is now, to avoid being hamstrung in the future,” said Lindsay Reeves, an attorney with the Center for Biological Diversity, a national environmental nonprofit. “This would drive down the health of the forest, and the wildlife goes with it.”
In December, the forest service issued a “draft decision” that would make up to 81,300 acres in the forest available for leasing. The Conecuh forest is approximately 83,000 acres. All land would be available for leasing, according to the decision…