More Carson national forest land opened to drilling The release Wednesday of a final decision four years in the making opens the last portion of Jicarilla Ranger District forest land in Rio Arriba County to natural gas and oil drilling. It permits the lease of 4,992 acres of never-leased National Forest land about 50 miles east of Farmington. The decision regarding the land in Carson National Forest is reviled in some quarters and startling to other entities. "I can't believe they've finally done it," said Tom Mullins, principal/engineering manager of Synergy Operating, LLC. "We are pleased a final decision has been reached. It's been almost four years." Local environmentalists are stoic but saddened by the decision because of damage already done to the forest from drilling since the 1940s....