Feds Seek Rules To Plug Harmful Oil And Gas Leaks on Wildlife Refuges

"About 5,000 oil and gas wells sit on national wildlife refuges — some of the prettiest land that American taxpayers own — and more than a thousand of them are spewing oil and brine because regulations written a half-century ago don’t force owners to plug leaks that are harmful to animals.

On Thursday, the Obama administration moved to rectify that by reworking the old rules to strengthen regulation. If approved early next year, the proposal would require oil and gas companies seeking to drill in refuges to obtain a U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service permit before altering their operation in any way. Future projects would have to comply with stricter government rules that would force companies to remove rusting equipment, plug leaks and generally proceed in ways that do not disturb any number of creatures in marshy habitats, including waterfowl, otters and beavers.

The proposed revisions would not stop the extraction of oil and gas but would require close adherence to best management practices, particularly when it comes to hauling away abandoned pumps, tanks and debris, said Fish and Wildlife Director Dan Ashe. They 'strike an appropriate balance between the rights of owners to develop energy resources with the service’s critical role in protecting refuges and the fish and wildlife that depend upon them.'"

Darryl Fears reports for the Washington Post December 10, 2015.