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Oil & Gas Drilling

UPDATE: In early July a federal judge overturned Forest Service approval of drilling adjacent to the Mason Tract on the Au Sable River near Grayling, in response to a lawsuit brought by the Anglers of the Au Sable, Sierra Club and Tim Mason.  More information in Sierra Club Lawsuits.

The Mason Tract on the Au Sable River has been revered by generations of anglers who enjoy the solitude of this wonderful state owned reserve.  That is why Sierra Club joined forces with the Anglers of the Au Sable to protect this remarkable place from the sights, sounds, smells and pollution of a proposed oil and gas well on neighboring National Forest land.  A preliminary injunction was issued by the US District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan preventing the oil and gas developer from moving ahead while litigation brought by Sierra Club, The Anglers of the Au Sable and Tim Mason, son of the founder of the Mason Tract, goes forward. 

The fight to protect the Mason Tract highlighted that oil and gas development in Michigan today is largely driven by oil companies, without enough attention or concern for the impact of this development on precious habitat and waterways.  These concerns will only grow in importance as experiments using empty oil and gas formations for storage of gases or sequestration of carbon dioxide may put even more pressure on the state of Michigan's six million acres of mineral rights.

There is a smarter way to approach these issues.  Sierra Club staffer Marvin Roberson is working with a broad based coalition of conservationists, local government officials and scientists on building a better way for Michigan to address development of oil and gas on public lands.  Contact Marvin Roberson for more details.