Apr 1, 2015 IPAA: Northern Long-Eared Bat Listing Wrong Decision for U.S. Industries in 37 States
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Independent Petroleum Association of America (IPAA) Senior Vice President of Government Relations and Political Affairs Dan Naatz criticized the Obama Administration’s announcement to list the Northern Long-Eared Bat as threatened under the Endangered Species Act (ESA).
“Independent oil and natural gas producers are good stewards of our land and are committed to protecting the environment. Energy production and species conservation can go hand in hand, but not under the current regulatory framework outlined under the ESA.
“From day one, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service acknowledged that the greatest threat to the Northern Long-Eared Bat is a fungal disease called the White Nose Syndrome, not habitat loss due to human activity. This is the agency’s most restrictive designation to date – potentially affecting a myriad of U.S. industries, including oil and gas producers, wind energy developers, agriculture, and other construction projects planned in regions where the bat habitat exists,” said Naatz.
“Rather than listing the bat and limiting development, the Fish and Wildlife Service should work toward finding a solution to this deadly disease, while ensuring energy development, environmental stewardship, species conservation, and economic growth can thrive together across the nation.”
Today’s threatened listing of the Northern Long-Eared Bat under the Endangered Species Act will potentially affect development and private property rights in 37 states and the nation’s capital. IPAA joined with many other industry groups in January 2014, August 2014, and December 2014 urging the Fish and Wildlife Service not to list the Northern Long-Eared Bat as endangered. Additionally, IPAA and American Petroleum Institute filed joint comments with the Service in March 2015 requesting that all oil and gas development activities be exempted from the prohibition against incidental take of the bat through the proposed special rule. Oil and gas activities have approximately 150 times less impact on bat habitat than the forest management activities that the Service has already exempted.
About the Independent Petroleum Association of America
The Independent Petroleum Association of America (IPAA) is the leading, national upstream trade association representing oil and natural gas producers that drill 95 percent of the nation’s oil and natural gas wells. These companies account for 54 percent of America’s oil production, 85 percent of its natural gas production, and support over 2.1 million American jobs.
