Feds won't appeal ruling in gas drilling

[douglas9]

Source: Associated Press

TRAVERSE CITY, Mich. — The government has decided not to appeal a federal judge's ruling that blocked oil and gas drilling in a sensitive riverside area in northern Michigan.

U.S. District Judge David Lawson ruled in July the U.S. Forest Service had acted "arbitrarily and capriciously" in 2005 by giving Savoy Energy LP of Traverse City a permit to drill an exploratory well near the Au Sable River's south branch.

The proposed wellhead would be located in the Huron-Manistee National Forest about three-tenths of a mile from the Mason Tract, a 4,679-acre wilderness area prized by anglers and other outdoor recreationists.


Justice Department spokesman Andrew Ames said Friday there would be no appeal, declining to elaborate. The national forest office declined comment.

Read more: http://www.southbendtribune.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?Date=20081220&Category=News01&ArtNo=812200349&Template=printart

[WhiteTara]

1. yeah! We still have a few justices

left in the judiciary.