Geology
Our programs help facilitate the energy, mining and geologic activities that take place within your national forests and grassland. The goals of the Forest Service minerals and geology program are to:
- Manage the vast and diverse mineral and energy resources of the national forests and grasslands in a fashion that ensures sustained ecosystems and maintains healthy watersheds;
- Provide the geological expertise and scientific information necessary for sustained forest management and for watershed health and restoration;
- Manage paleontological resources and geologic features on the forests and grasslands for present and future generations.
- Restore ecosystems and watershed affected by past mining practices
Oil and Gas
The U.S. Forest Service (USFS) does not lease oil and gas rights. That role is held by the Bureau of Land Management (BLM). However, for all oil and gas exploration, development, production and reclamation activities/operations on National Forest System lands, which includes the Pawnee National Grassland, the USFS is responsible for protecting the surface resources.
There are currently around 20 active oil and gas well operations located on the Pawnee National Grassland (PNG). These numbers vary as wells are drilled or reclaimed. Oil and gas development has been occurring from time to time since the 1950s on the grassland. You can find detailed information in the Pawnee Oil and Gas Leasing Analysis.
Q: What is the current oil and gas program on the PNG?
A: There are approximately 20 active oil and gas wells on the PNG (this number is constantly fluctuating). Much of the development seen when visiting the Pawnee National Grassland is taking place on private land.
Q: Are the mineral rights under the PNG private or federal?
A: Both private and Federal mineral rights exist under the Pawnee National Grassland.
- 100% Privately Held Rights: 58,113 acres (30%)
- Mixed Private and Federal Rights: 63,182 acres (32.8%)
- 100% Federal Rights: 71,925 acres (37.2%)
Q: How does the USFS work with the Bureau of Land Management (BLM)?
A: The BLM has the final say to authorize (for Federally-owned oil and gas) all oil and gas leasing and production operations on NFS lands. The USFS conducts a NEPA (National Environmental Policy Act) analysis pursuant to a decision for these activities, too. Once the analysis is done, the Forest Service makes a recommendation to the BLM’s authorized officer regarding the proposed activity. Where any authority for oil and gas-related activities is shared between the USFS and BLM, both agencies work cooperatively under a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) to ensure the appropriate level of care and resource protection is undertaken. Such authorizations are a high priority for the USFS’s to ensure the project is finished as quickly as possible. However, it is important to understand that in several key areas, the USFS and BLM have to follow different laws, regulations and policies that often result in the USFS process taking longer. The BLM, for example, under some circumstances can do an Environmental Analysis (EA) in as little as six weeks. The USFS usually requires about a year to conduct an EA.
Q: Who manages oil and gas leasing?
A: The BLM administers leasing of all Federally-owned fluid minerals (oil and gas) throughout the nation. Only surface activities related to exploring, developing and producing oil and gas, where those leases are located on NFS lands, are managed by the USFS.
However, if parcels of NFS lands are nominated for Federal oil and gas leasing, so long as the parcel nominated is available for such leasing, the USFS reviews the nomination and makes recommendations to the BLM regarding stipulations to protect surface resources as prescribed in the ARP’s Forest Plan.
Q: Could drilling rigs potentially be placed anywhere on the PNG?
A: No. In addition to the areas determined to not be available for oil and gas leasing, any most new Federal leases following the recently completed Leasing Analysis decision include the "No Surface Occupancy" stipulation. It is important to remember much of the Pawnee National Grassland is heavily intermixed with private lands and the Forest Service does not have authority to direct action on these private lands.
Q: What does the surface analysis include?
A: It includes the need for and location(s) of access along with potential effects (direct, indirect and cumulative) to surface resources such as cultural resources/archaeology, botany, terrestrial and aquatic wildlife, and paleontological (fossil) resources, as well as others. For some resources (cultural resources and wildlife are examples), the analysis of the potential effects to that resource will be considered and disclosed on lands that are not NFS lands.
Q: Must a company have an authorized oil and gas lease from the BLM?
A: In order to develop Federally-managed oil and gas (whether wholly- or jointly-owned), an authorized Federal oil and gas lease must be in place before drilling for that oil and gas may be considered. The USFS makes recommendations to the BLM for the leasing of Federally-managed oil and gas beneath lands located within the administrative boundary of the PNG. The BLM holds the ultimate decision authority for where, when, how and under what conditions Federally-owned oil and gas will be leased. An individual or company does not have to have a lease to explore for oil and gas (e.g., vibroseis geophysical exploration). Note that this is for Federally-managed oil and gas rights and not private rights.
Q: How long could a well be on the PNG for?
A: A given well may produce enough oil and gas to be economically viable for a decade or more. Most of the oil and gas wells on PNG have been producing for over 15 years, some for more than 20 years. Most, however, do not produce for more than 20 years.
Q: What is the USFS’s position on hydraulic fracturing (a.k.a., “fracking”)? Are there any special USFS requirements?
A: The USFS does not regulate this activity. There are State agencies that do this. The USFS role is to analyze and disclose effects of the activity with respect to surface resources (wildlife, for example). While we recognize the commonly used term “fracking,” it is more correctly called “hydraulic fracturing.”
Q: Are there or could there be any water pits used in association with hydraulic fracturing on the Pawnee National Grassland?
A: No. Fresh water and all other fluids and materials used for hydraulic fracturing are contained in tanks.
Q: What is the breakdown of private/Federal leases on the Pawnee National Grassland?
A: Approximately 30% of National Forest System lands on the Pawnee are 100% privately-held mineral rights; 33% mixed private and Federal rights; and 37% Federal rights.
Q: How does industry decide where to drill?
A: A company who owns a lease may drill on any are for which they hold a lease to the subsurface resources, oil or gas. In the past three years the U.S. Forest Service has processed applications for 3-dimentional seismic testing on the Pawnee National Grassland, using a type of sonar to determine the size of an oil or gas reservoir, the depth and capacity of that reservoir, and it generally gives some insight to the efficiency of extracting that resource. Seismic testing reduces the incidence of “wildcat” drilling and therefore reduces the number of unsuccessful wells, which then need to be rehabilitated.
Q: What is an APD?
A: An APD is an Application for Permits to Drill. A company submits APD when they are ready to proceed with development and have secured the legal rights to the minerals. These provide the basis for site-specific analysis. APDs are also managed by the BLM since they involved the oil or gas resources but the activity proposed is analyzed for its effect to surface resources by the Forest Service.
Q: What are stipulations?
A: Stipulations are conditions attached to leases that must be adhered to on National Forest System Lands.
Mineral Collecting
Gold panning is a common prospecting technique used to identify locations where gold dust and flakes have collected in stream sediments. Prospecting is the first step in locating a mineral deposit. Because this step usually entails collecting hand samples and mapping, and no mechanized equipment, is usually does not require a Plan of Operation.
Filing a Notice of Intent (NOI) will enable Ranger District personnel to verify that the area in which you plan to operate is open to mining (some lands are withdrawn from mineral entry). It is your responsibility to ensure that there is not a mining claim on the land on which you will be prospecting. This can be done by checking the Master Title Plat at your local BLM office or the records at the county courthouse. You do not need file a claim to prospect, but you cannot conduct any mining activity on another’s claim without permission.
This is the popular hobby of rockhounds. The collection of small specimens for personal use falls under the same category as prospecting and requires only a NOI be filed. If you intend to sell the specimens, you must talk to the district personnel to see if the level of activity requires a Plan of Operation or a Special Use Permit (SUP). A SUP may be obtained for a small quantity of material for a nominal fee. If the deposit is of sufficient size and economic value to be mined using mechanized equipment, a Plan of Operation must be filed.
Prospecting and Mining
Many people are surprised to learn that mining takes place on National Forests and Grasslands. There are several laws that govern mineral resource management on public lands including: The General Mining Law of 1872, The Mineral Leasing Act of 1920, and The Multiple Use Mining Act of 1955. These laws, and others, establish the authority of the USDA Forest Service to manage any surface disturbing activities on National Forest System lands. If you wish to prospect for mine for minerals, prior Forest Service authorization may be required.
A mining claim is not required to prospect for minerals. A mining claim is staked to establish the miner’s exclusive rights to a mineral deposit. State laws govern the staking requirements. The claim must be recorded at the county records office and the local Bureau of Land Management office. It is the individuals responsibility to check the county records to ensure that a claim hasn’t already by filed before beginning work. It is also important to note that some areas are withdrawn from mineral entry; these typically include Wilderness, developed recreation sites and administrative sites. Please check with the local office for more information.