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April 15, 2005Mason relative protests drillingForest Service recently found the documentByRecord-Eagle staff writer GRAYLING - Add Tim Mason's name to a list of those protesting a plan to allow natural gas drilling near the wilderness reserve donated to the state by his grandfather. But Mason's comments almost went unheard. Mason, of Chicago, waited until the deadline in March to appeal the U.S. Forest Service's decision to allow drilling near the Mason Tract, named for George Mason, an automotive executive and legendary local outdoorsman. Mason said he submitted his appeal both over the Internet and by facsimile and received a confirmation of the electronic filing. The Forest Service, however, initially said it had no record of Mason's protest; only recently did officials say they found the document. "This is monumentally wrong and the Mason family has consistently opposed drilling there," Mason said. The 5,300-acre tract was donated to the state in 1954 after George Mason's death. He asked the state to maintain the area as a wilderness reserve. The federal government owns the rights to subsurface minerals there that in the 1990s were leased to Savoy Exploration of Traverse City. The company plans to slant drill beneath the Mason Tract from a nearby location on federal land and install a pipeline and production facility if gas is found. Six appeals were filed with the Forest Service regional office in Milwaukee, Wis., including objections from the Mackinac Chapter of the Sierra Club, Michigan Council of Trout Unlimited and Anglers of the AuSable. Three individuals also filed appeals, including Scott Lowe, a Traverse City real estate broker and appraiser, and Mason. The appeals challenge the government's information on noise, odor and pollution concerns, as well as impact on recreation. The area is popular among anglers and canoeists. The Forest Service reported in January that the proposed drilling would not significantly impact the Mason Tract area, nor would it pollute the nearby South Branch of the AuSable River. Jane Cliff, Forest Service spokeswoman, said the appeals and the project record will be reviewed before a written decision is released by May 5 from Randy Moore, forest supervisor in the Eastern Region. Further appeals can then be filed with the U.S. Bureau of Land Management and Department of Agriculture.
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