The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s decision to list the northern long-eared bat as threatened under the Endangered Species Act (“Major Pa. Bat Species ‘Threatened,’” April 6) imposes unnecessary and burdensome costs on myriad U.S. businesses, including natural gas development in Pennsylvania.

The real threat to the northern long-eared is a fungal disease known as white-nose syndrome — and a listing does absolutely nothing to address this underlying problem. Every reasonable effort should be made to halt the spread of this disease, but preventing highly regulated oil and natural gas activities from moving forward will have no tangible benefits to its population or the management of white-nose syndrome.

Oil and natural gas producers are strongly committed to habitat conservation and protection. Not only do these companies abide by numerous federal and state rules to minimize their impacts on the surrounding habitat, species and environment, but they also utilize new technologies and individualized restoration techniques to limit surface disturbances.

Natural gas development has transformed Pennsylvania’s economy, providing clean-burning energy, creating thousands of jobs for the state’s workforce and contributing $34.7 billion to the state’s economy.

The Fish and Wildlife Service should avoid implementing restrictions that would stifle this economic growth and should instead work to find a solution to this unfortunate disease. That would ensure that species conservation and economic growth can thrive together across Pennsylvania and the nation.

BARRY RUSSELL
President and CEO
Independent Petroleum Association of America
Washington, D.C.

First Published: April 15, 2015, 4:00 a.m.