Dear Mr. Schwartz:

It's only corruption and bureaucratic inefficiency that allows the continued practice of hydraulic fracturing for oil and gas to continue unabated in Los Padres National Forest (and other federal lands).  It's time to halt these risky, devastating and dangerous practices and to give a much wider and greater scrutiny as to how and why our federal lands are misused in this way.  What are the federal agencies incentives in leasing acreage at next to nothing to oil concerns?  How does the wealth generated benefit the communities involved?  And most importantly, what are the real long term health and environmental impacts of this risky endeavor?  These are all huge unknowns to the public at large - and where light has been shed, it reveals a picture none too pretty.  It doesn't reflect kindly on your stewardship of this vital resource; allowing this to continue is gross mismanagement.  This is why I'm urging you to put the breaks on this practice.  As a tax payer who deeply values our national forests and reaps no benefits whatsoever from these oil plays, please respect the will of the people you ostensibly serve and protect the forest rather than selling it off to oil companies.

Best and thank you,
Sam Foster

sam foster

san fancisco, CA 94112