Protect Black-Footed Ferrets, Hold Oil and Gas Companies Responsible for Cleaning up Drilling Sites
Black-footed ferrets depend on thriving, connected prairie ecosystems, making the species especially vulnerable to habitat degradation when oil and gas wells are not cleaned up after operations cease.
Now, the recovery of the species could be at greater risk as the Department of the Interior is proposing to reduce the minimum amount of financial guarantees that help ensure oil and gas companies pay the cost of cleaning up drilling sites after operations end.
Those who profit from oil and gas drilling should be responsible for paying for the cleanup after drilling ends to prevent pollution to waterways and habitat.
Tell the Department of the Interior to hold oil and gas companies accountable for safeguarding wildlife and water and to keep the burden of the restoration of lands and waters off taxpayers.
I'm writing to urge you to keep the current oil and gas financial guarantee bonding rates in place. Weakening these safeguards means that when companies abandon wells without restoring the land, taxpayers must pay for costly cleanup necessary to avoid harm to wildlife habitat and clean water. Species like the endangered black-footed ferret depend on healthy, intact prairie ecosystems that are degraded when orphaned wells pollute and fragment the landscape.
The current bonding requirements help ensure oil and gas companies, not taxpayers, are responsible for reclaiming well sites when operations end. Reducing the minimum bond amounts would undermine industry accountability and increase the number of orphaned wells that threaten wildlife, communities, and our shared public lands.
I urge you to stand up for responsible energy development, protect taxpayers, and safeguard wildlife habitat by supporting the current financial guarantee bonding requirements.
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Sincerely,
[First Name] [Last Name]
