The U.S. Bureau of Land Management intends to sell oil and gas leases in the Talladega National Forest, totaling tens of thousands of acres. If this happens, a process known as “fracking” will be used to fracture underground rock layers to capture the gas product. I join my fellow county commissioners and state Rep. Randy Wood in opposing this drilling for fossil fuels on the grounds that drilling could potentially cause environmental damage to the Talladega National Forest.

I am extremely concerned about the potential adverse impact the drilling will have on our environment and strongly object to this course of action by the Bureau of Land Management.

Tim Hodges
Calhoun County Commissioner
District 2