There are places that are good fits for oil and gas exploration. Laura Robinson is convinced her community is not one of them.

 

Scio Township, which abuts Ann Arbor, is far from the plains of Texas or the wilds of Alaska. But like those traditional homes to drilling, it is being eyed as a source of oil. So is Rochester Hills. And Jackson County.

 

Communities around Michigan are being targeted for oil and gas exploration as new technologies make it easier to find deposits of oil and natural gas. But when local residents organize to oppose mining projects, they often find there is an uphill battle to stop exploration and eventual drilling under a 3-year-old state law.