TU Urges U.S. Dept. of the Interior to Protect Fish and Wildlife Habitat from Energy Development

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Erin Mooney
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703-284-9408 

TU Urges U.S. Dept. of the Interior to Protect Fish and Wildlife Habitat from Energy Development

Arlington, Va. - At a U.S. Department of the Interior forum on natural gas hydraulic fracturing, Trout Unlimited (TU) called on the nation's energy industry to work with stakeholders to find innovative ways to protect fish and wildlife habitat.

Steve Moyer, TU's Vice President for Government Affairs, testified at today's forum, urging for responsible energy development on the nation's public lands.

"Done improperly, gas development can harm aquatic habitat in ways that cancel out hard-won conservation gains," Moyer testified.  "However, many of these problems are avoidable if development is done in the right places with the right practices."

Moyer detailed the ways in which the natural gas extraction process of hydraulic fracturing can have lasting effects on fish and wildlife habitat. From water withdrawals to road construction, Moyer gave examples how energy development has had lasting impacts on fish and wildlife habitat.

"It is essential that steps are taken wherever development occurs so that water quality and aquatic habitat are not harmed by construction, drilling, fracturing and reclamation," Moyer said.

TU called on the energy industry to develop innovative ways to approach development and asked that the industry establishing mandatory operating procedures for responsible development and, among other things, improve the monitoring of fish, wildlife and water resources so that impacts can be detected and avoided. TU applauded the Department of the Interior for sponsoring the forum and for its ongoing efforts to reform the nation's onshore oil and gas leasing process.

Read Moyer's full testimony: http://www.tu.org/press_releases/2010/statement-of-trout-unlimited-at-th... [1]

TU and its partners, the National Wildlife Federation and the Theodore Roosevelt Conservation Partnership helped create a coalition called Sportsmen for Responsible Energy Development, made up of more than 500 organizations and businesses. In 2008, the group convened a symposium of land managers, scientists, planners and fish and wildlife experts to come up with a set of recommendations for improving the management of oil and gas development on public lands. www.sportsmen4responsibleenergy.org [2]

Trout Unlimited is the nation's largest coldwater conservation organization, with 140,000 members dedicated to conserving, protecting, and restoring North America's trout and salmon fisheries and their watersheds. www.tu.or.g [3]