Montanans shouldn't have to pay to clean up orphaned wells | Tanner Saul

That simple principle is now at risk.

The Department of the Interior has proposed repealing federal oil and gas bonding reforms that require companies to put up adequate financial assurances before drilling begins. These safeguards were updated just two years ago to ensure that companies — not taxpayers — pay to reclaim well sites when production ends.

It is difficult to argue with that idea. If a company profits from extracting resources that belong to the American people, it should also be responsible for cleaning up afterward.

Yet for decades, that hasn't always happened.

Across the country, tens of thousands of abandoned and orphaned oil and gas wells dot the landscape. Many leak methane into the atmosphere, threaten groundwater, fragment wildlife habitat, and create hazards for nearby communities. Too often, the companies that drilled them have gone bankrupt or disappeared, leaving taxpayers to pay millions of dollars for cleanup.

And the problem is about to get worse. A National Wildlife Federation report released last year identified 338 idled federal wells in Montana that are at risk of becoming abandoned. Most are located in sage grouse habitat or critical winter range for big game species. If those wells are left abandoned, they threaten the healthy landscapes that support Montana's world-renowned hunting, fishing, ranching, and outdoor recreation economy.

The reforms now on the chopping block simply reflected today's economic reality by requiring companies to provide realistic financial guarantees before development began so that funds would be available if a company failed to complete reclamation.

That isn't an attack on the energy industry. It's good business.

Responsible operators already plan for reclamation as part of the cost of doing business. Strong bonding requirements level the playing field by ensuring that companies that cut corners don't gain an unfair financial advantage over those that operate responsibly.

Montanans understand balance. Our economy depends on both responsible resource development and healthy landscapes. Clean rivers, productive wildlife habitat, working ranches, and abundant public lands are not obstacles to prosperity — they are part of what makes Montana prosperous.

Repealing these safeguards would move us backward. It would increase the likelihood that abandoned wells become tomorrow's taxpayer liability while placing wildlife habitat, water quality, and public lands at greater risk.

The Department of the Interior is currently accepting public comments on this proposal. If you cherish public lands, please speak up.

When companies profit from developing public resources, they should also be responsible for restoring the land they leave behind. That's not an unreasonable burden. It's simply keeping a promise to taxpayers — and to future generations who deserve to inherit healthy, productive public lands.