By Barry Russell, President, Independent Petroleum Association of America (IPAA)
Just over a week into the New Year, energy has taken Washington’s main stage as a top issue for 2013—and rightfully so. Technological advancements and new found energy reserves have redefined America as a global energy superpower. The use of hydraulic fracturing and horizontal drilling in North American shale plays alone has provided thousands of jobs and millions in federal, state and local tax revenues. But there is one issue that could cloud the bright future of American energy all the same: the Endangered Species Act (ESA).
On December 28, 1973, President Richard Nixon signed into law the ESA. The definition to “protect and recover imperiled species and the ecosystems upon which they depend.” Unfortunately, the noble goal of ESA has been muddled and manipulated by anti-development groups aiming to stop critical energy production in its tracks. Just this past December, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) announced its decision to begin consideration to list the Lesser Prairie Chicken as threatened under the ESA. The home of the prairie chicken is also home to robust oil and natural gas reserves.
As Texas, Oklahoma, Colorado, and New Mexico flourish thanks to the hard work of our independent energy producers—companies with an average of 12 employees who drill 95 percent of America’s wells—the anti-development movement is attempting to hijack the ESA to stop economic progress in our resource-rich regions. Listing the Lesser Prairie Chicken as threatened could all but paralyze development in these states, and undercut the independent initiatives that are already taking place to assure energy development does not adversely impact local and regional ecosystems. After all, environmental stewardship is a fundamental pillar of the operations of America’s independent producers. These companies and their employees are integral members of the communities where they live and work, and they have a personal interest in protecting the environment and surrounding wildlife.
Already, several groups including the Panhandle Producers and Royalty Owners Association and the Permian Basin Petroleum Association have come together to draft voluntary conservation agreements for oil and natural gas companies operating in areas that overlap with prairie chicken habitats. Companies who choose not to participate could face fines or jail times should there be a negative impact on wildlife or habitat due to their operations. Governors from the southern Great Plains have also announced they will release a five-state strategy to protect the lesser prairie chicken early in 2013, demonstrating states’ ability to manage, protect, and support local ecosystems and avoid unwarranted federal listings by the United States FWS.
Taking protection away from the states and placing the prairie chicken on the threatened species list would be the start of a slippery slope that would set a dangerous precedent for future energy production, economic growth, and working conservation efforts. And not just for oil and natural gas development. Wind energy has come under attack from these same groups targeting an end to energy infrastructure and development. Our independent producers will continue to work with state agencies to ensure the continued protection of our nation’s robust ecosystems and species. We are also meeting with the administration to voice our concerns and determine the best balance going forward. Only through transparent and reasonable discussion of these important issues can our ecosystems be protected while our critical energy sources are developed. To use the ESA as a means of halting development altogether stands against the true meaning of its existence and certainly against the all-the-above energy promise President Obama pledged to the American people.
See IPAA’s post in the National Journal online HERE.
