George Washington National Forest, VA

Made famous by the movie Gasland, hydraulic fracturing—or “fracking”—has enabled a boom in natural gas production in other parts of the U.S., and gas companies are now turning an eye toward the Southeast. Fracturing involves multiple toxic chemicals and large water volumes, and operations in other regions have been linked to health and environmental problems ranging from contaminated well water to polluted rivers and streams to the industrialization of rural lands. This poses a worrisome threat to the George Washington National Forest, much of which overlays the Marcellus Shale formation. The Forest Service soon will decide whether to make portions of this forest available for oil and gas drilling. SELC's immediate priority is to prevent any drilling in the national forest, which is a source of clean drinking water for many Shenandoah Valley communities and provides important fish and wildlife habitat and recreational opportunities, among other values.