COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) -- State Treasurer Josh Mandel (man-DEHL') is calling on the supervisor at Wayne National Forest to reverse her position and allow for oil and gas exploration at Ohio's only national forest.

The U.S. Forest Service has dropped plans to auction natural gas and oil drilling rights next month on thousands of acres in the southeast Ohio forest because administrators there want to study the possible impacts from the gas extraction method known as fracking.

Fracking is a horizontal drilling technique that blasts chemical-laced water deep underground to break up shale and release natural gas locked in the rock.

Mandel said Friday he supports the use of fracking on federal lands.

Mandel has filed paperwork to be a U.S. Senate candidate, though the Republican has not formally declared he's running in 2012.