DEQ, DNR to host oil and gas meetings
April 23, 2013 13-0423
For More Information Brad Wurfel, 517-241-7395, wurfelb@michigan.gov
Ed Golder, 517-335-3014, goldere@michigan.gov
Leasing and fracturing key agenda issues for public forums
The DEQ today announced three public information meetings scheduled in key areas of the state to help residents better understand the process for gas and oil development in Michigan.
The meetings, scheduled for Troy, Muskegon and Traverse City, will include presentations by DEQ and Department of Natural Resources experts to outline how the state leases and oversees development of gas and oil deposits while protecting the environment and public health.
The DNR will host a biannual mineral rights auction May 9 in Lansing, and officials want to give residents who live in the affected 17 counties an opportunity to better understand the process and get answers to questions.
The following public meetings will run from 6:30 to 9 p.m.:
April 30 -- TROY: The Management Education Center (MEC)
Eli Broad Graduate School of Management
811 West Square Lake Road, Troy, MI 48098
May 1 - Muskegon: Stevenson Center, 1100 Lecture Hall
Muskegon Community College
221 S. Quarterline Road, Muskegon, MI 49442
May 2 - Traverse City: Holiday Inn West Bay
615 East Front St.
Traverse City, MI 49686
Michigan has a long history of developing gas and oil reserves, dating back nearly 90 years. Operators in the state have used hydraulic fracturing to maximize well production on more than 12,000 wells since the 1952 without harming surface or groundwater. While market prices have subdued development for the past few years, regulators expect future growth and want to inform interested residents about how the process works and what they can expect.
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