Dear Mr. Schwartz:

I'm writing to urge you to protect the Los Padres National Forest from the impacts of fracking and oil drilling. The Forest Service should prepare a full Environmental Impact Statement, and no fracking should be approved until we know more about the potential environmental and public health impacts of this controversial practice.

Fracking has come under increasing scrutiny from scientists, regulators, and the public due to concerns with groundwater contamination, surface water pollution, water consumption, and public health. It is not acceptable to approve any more fracking in such an environmentally sensitive area until the potential impacts are fully known, and until measures are put into place to protect our forest and our water supplies from environmental harm.

I also urge you to take all measures to protect endangered California condors and steelhead from the impacts of oil development. Please ensure that spills of oil and other hazardous chemicals do not enter Sespe Creek or its tributaries.

Again, I urge the Forest Service to prepare a full Environmental Impact Statement before approving any fracking operations in Los Padres National Forest. Thank you for your efforts to protect our forest and surrounding communities.

I personally recreate in many areas of the Los Padres National Forest including the Sespe Creek area and would like to see the area preserved, not only for my generation but for future generations as well, and for the wildlife that inhabits the forest.  I understand that we must support our economy, however I would like to see full objective studies of the impacts that fracturing could have on the environment.  We must be good stewards of our environment as well as consumers of our resources.  I appreciate your consideration of my comments as well as those of others who are concerned.


George Armstrong

Anaheim, CA 92804