PITTSBURGH — Oil and gas drilling interests and a northwestern Pennsylvania county are suing the U.S. Forest Service and environmental groups over drilling regulations in the Allegheny National Forest.

The suit filed Tuesday in U.S. District Court in Pittsburgh claims that Forest Service will harm drillers by requiring lengthy reviews of private drilling projects.

The 800-square-mile forest lies in Elk, Forest, McKean and Warren counties. While the federal government owns the surface, more than 90 percent of the rights to underground minerals are privately owned. The government didn't buy those rights when the forest was created nearly 90 years ago.