By Brien Southward
A report issued by Democratic members of the House of Representatives on February 8 says that regulation of oil and gas drilling on public lands is lax and inconsistent. Over a 13 year span from 1998 to 2011, only 6 percent of drilling violations resulted in monetary fines, and the total of all the fines over the entire period is less than $750,000.
The Democratic staff of the House Natural Resources Committee have characterized such small fines as "pocket change" for oil and gas companies. No fines were issued during the period in eight of the 17 states where drilling occurred. The 2,025 citations issued during that time were spread across 335 companies, with $273,875 of the total fines spread across 64 companies.
Representative Edward Markey (D-MA), the committee's leading Democrat, said that "It would be an overstatement to even call these fines a slap on the wrist. For oil and gas companies making billions from drilling on America’s public lands, this kind of inadequate oversight and enforcement is little more than a pin prick."
According to the report, requested by Markey and Rep. Rush Holt (D-NJ), the government does little to ensure accountability and environmental protection, and little has changed even as more and more drilling occurs on federal lands. "American citizens and workers should feel confident that oil and gas companies are conducting business in the safest manner possible," Markey said, "and when they don’t, that the U.S. government will step in and make sure they pay the price for their actions.
Much of the increase in drilling on federal lands has been spurred on by developments in hydraulic fracturing technology, a technology that makes oil accessible that would otherwise not have been recoverable, but which has been the source of political controversy. Opponents say the process is dangerous and damages the environment, but increasing demand for petroleum and insufficient investment in alternative fuel sources have made it an attractive means for meeting the world's demand for energy.
In last month's State of the Union address, President Obama said that the Interior Department will begin requiring energy companies to disclose publicly the chemicals they use in drilling operations on public lands. This week, the federal government is set to release rules for fracking on public lands.
