Natural Resources: Minerals

Mineral resources are an important component of the Forest. Approximately 30 percent of the mineral rights on the Daniel Boone National Forest are in federal ownership. There are currently 110 oil and gas leases on the forest. In 1995, three requests to lease federal mineral rights were received, totaling 1,979 acres.

A total of 47 abandoned oil wells have been plugged on the forest in the past three years, 32 by EPA and 15 by the Kentucky Department of Mines and Minerals.

Seventy percent of the mineral resources (oil, gas and coal) underlying the surface of the national forest is in private ownership. The majority of the privately-owned minerals when developed is subject to surface protection measures stipulated in the Secretary of Agriculture's Rules and Regulations for reserved rights. The rights of the mineral owners and the surface owner must be protected and honored.

The Daniel Boone National Forest, in cooperation with the Office for Surface Mining and Reclamation (OSM), has used OSM administered fine settlement agreements to reclaim abandoned mine land on national forest land.

Title: Minerals
Last Updated: February 19, 2005