Management of Oil and Gas Activities On National Wildlife Refuge System Lands

Target Audience:

U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service personnel involved with natural resource management or enforcement concerning oil and gas activities on National Wildlife Refuge System lands are strongly encouraged to attend. Persons involved with acquisition of sites with historical or ongoing oil and gas leasing/activities should also consider attending.

Summary and Objectives:

This course focuses on Service law, regulations, policy and procedures. Its purpose is to provide Service and other personnel with the technical, administrative, and legal information to manage oil and gas activity throughout the NWRS. The course covers legal authorities, including mineral ownership and implementing regulations; negotiating permits and agreements that protect surface rights; environmental compliance requirements; physical infrastructure of oil and gas activities; minimizing environmental damage; and health and safety considerations. This course includes an overview of the types of issues that refuge personnel should consider in managing oil and gas programs and provides examples of procedures, protocols, and permit stipulations that have been employed successfully on refuges. In addition, participants will visit an oil and gas facility located nearby in order to practice skills learned in the course in assessing an oil and gas site, including safety considerations, monitoring, permit compliance, environmental compliance, restoration, and remediation.

Upon completion of this course, participants will be able to:

• Describe the relationship between the surface owner (the Service) and the subsurface mineral estate owner and list the rights of each based on deed language, case law, and state and federal statutes and regulations.
• Describe the basics of oil and gas exploration, extraction, and production and be conversant in terminology and equipment commonly used by the oil and gas industry.
• Identify the potential environmental impacts of oil and gas activities on refuges lands and apply techniques to avoid, minimize, or mitigate for those impacts, as well as to restore and remediate affected resources when operations are completed.
• Determine when a particular oil and gas operator must obtain a Special Use Permit and how to negotiate a voluntary agreement when a SUP is not required.
• Effectively convey refuge goals and priorities to oil and gas operators using communication and negotiation techniques to avoid or minimize impacts to trust resources.
• Identify pertinent health and safety concerns associated with oil and gas activities and become familiar with the methods, equipment, and safety procedures required for accessing and monitoring oil and gas sites.

Special Requirements:

Though not a requirement, participants are requested to provide their own hard hat, safety goggles/glasses, and steel-toed boots.

THIS CLASS QUALIFIES FOR THE OSHA HAZWOPER 8-HOUR REFRESHER TRAINING. YOU MUST SUBMIT PROOF OF COMPLETION OF THE ORIGINAL OSHA HAZWOPER TRAINING IN ORDER TO RECEIVE THE REFRESHER CERTIFICATION.

Competencies Addressed: 

Wildlife and Fisheries Biology Management - Basic, Environmental Compliance - Basic, Technical Problem Solving - Awareness, Compliance - Basic, Stakeholder Management - Awareness