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June 30, 2003Stupak: Saving land is a priorityHe said DEQ should consider drilling carefullyByRecord-Eagle staff writer GRAYLING - Opposition to a plan to drill under a prized portion of the Huron Manistee National Forest near the AuSable River is mounting, as U.S. Congressman Bart Stupak is calling on the state to carefully evaluate the proposal and a sportsman's group is considering creative measures to thwart the idea. Savoy Energy of Traverse City wants to slant drill an exploratory well in the Huron Manistee National Forest adjacent to the Mason Tract. The tract, 1,200 acres and 14 miles of AuSable River, were given to the state to remain undeveloped by auto executive George Mason upon his death in 1954. Stupak, D-Menominee, is urging Department of Environmental Quality officials to exercise all of its authority under oil and gas regulations when considering the drill-permit request. "Because of the semi-primitive nature of the land, which is rare in the Lower Peninsula, and the proximity of the project to the AuSable River, protection of these features should be paramount," Stupak said in a statement during a DEQ forum Wednesday in Gaylord. DEQ spokeswoman Patricia Spitzley said the DEQ is reviewing the permit request along with the Department of Natural Resources, the USDA Forest Service and the federal Bureau of Land Management. They may seek additional time to look at the request, she said. Philip Corey, land manager at Savoy Energy, said the company will follow all DEQ regulations and use the latest technology to minimize the impact in the surrounding area. "That will all be spelled out when the permit is issued," Corey said. "We have to follow that to the letter or they will shut us down." Recognizing it would be difficult to halt the actual drilling because the mineral rights for the oil and gas were leased three years ago, the Michigan Council of Trout Unlimited is employing other strategies to block the project. Executive Director Rich Bowman said that while oil and gas exploration is not prohibited within the Huron Manistee despite its designation as an "old growth" forest, an access road to the wellhead could be. The council also is seeking to have the wellhead and its cement pad moved further away from the Mason Tract, Bowman said. "We're certainly not excited about the thing and hopefully there will be enough complications that the company won't feel it's worth it to explore there," Bowman said.
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