Idaho Preserves Considered for Oil and Gas Drilling

After the U.S. Congress loosened controls on oil and gas drilling on public lands in 2005, the price of oil encouraged the Forest Service to open more national forests to exploration — meaning more roads and test wells in areas previously considered unsuitable for drilling. “The U.S. Forest Service is drafting a plan to lease areas of the Caribou National Forest and Curlew National Grassland along Idaho’s southeastern border for oil and gas exploration.” Jesse Harlan Alderman of the Associated Press.