As a matter of basic fairness, this 2005 report contends oil and gas companies should pay to cleanup their oil and gas operations, not taxpayers or landowners. To guarantee responsible behavior, the U.S. Bureau of Land Management (BLM) and state agencies should require companies to post a full damage deposit – financial assurance – as a security against possible problems, along with reclamation plans detailing how a site will be restored. Unfortunately, the amounts of this financial assurance currently required fall grossly short of potential cleanup costs.
Download summary of Filling the Gaps
Download Filling the Gaps
Download the Appendix to the report
View the PowerPoint supplement to the report
News Conference
Read WORC's News Release
Statements by speakers:
- Jim Kuipers, Kuipers and Associates
- Keith Ashdown, Taxpayers for Common Sense
- Tom Irgens, Dakota Resource Council
- Ray Muggli, Northern Plains Resource Council
- Don Spellman, Powder River Basin Resource Council
- Peggy Utesch, Western Colorado Congress
Resources
- Read WORC’s fact sheet on reclamation
- Read WORC’s fact sheet on WORC’s Oil and Gas Industry Responsibility Petition
- Read WORC’s "Law and Order in the Oil and Gas Fields"
- Read the GAO report “OIL AND GAS DEVELOPMENT – Increased Permitting Activity Has Lessened BLM’s Ability to Meet Its Environmental Protection Responsibilities.”
- Read the Oil and Gas Accountability Project’s publication, "Oil and Gas at Your Door."
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