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Proposal isn’t moving forward to survey for oil in park

Posted at 4:17 AM, Feb 08, 2018
and last updated 2018-02-08 04:17:58-05

KALAMAZOO, Mich. (AP) — A proposal has stalled to let an energy company survey for oil in a public park in southwestern Michigan.

The Kalamazoo Gazette reports about a dozen area residents expressed relief Tuesday at a Kalamazoo County Board of Commissioners meeting that Grand Rapids-based Wolverine Oil & Gas wouldn’t be allowed to look for subterranean oil reserves in Scotts Mill County Park.

Wolverine asked the county Parks and Recreation Commission in January to agree to an oil and gas lease. The company returned this month to ask if it could perform seismic surveys on park property along a 6-mile (10-kilometer) line in Kalamazoo County’s Pavilion Township.

Scotts Mill County Park opened to the public in 1976. It features a historic 1870s water-powered mill, trails, fishing and a picnic space.