Non-Federal Oil & Gas Activities on 

National Wildlife Refuge System Lands

U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service 

Oil & Gas on Refuges 

 Non-Federal oil and 

gas wells can be found 

on 103 refuges and 4 

Wetland Management 

Districts.

 Existing activities consists of over 5,000 wells 

of which about 1,700 

are active.

 As shown on the map 

below, new activities of 

unconventional oil and 

gas resources has the 

potential to add to the 

numbers of wells and 

refuges affected. 

Orphaned wells have no solvent 

owner. This pumpjack was left to 

rust on a refuge/USFWS

Development of nonfederal mineral 

rights must be balanced with protection 

of natural systems on which people 

depend. 

Oil and gas activities presents a conservation challenge because it can contribute to habitat loss and fragmentation, 

increase spread of invasive species, result in soil and water contamination, and 

increase water scarcity. 

Legacy of Orphaned Wells. 

Refuges are burdened with a legacy of 

an estimated 450 unplugged wells and 

unrestored sites that no longer have a 

known or solvent operator. Fully addressing the problem could cost the 

public in excess of $20 million. 

Human health and safety can be compromised by having inadequate safeguards. 

Leaks, spills and physical hazards pose 

health and safety risks to refuge staff 

and visitors. Those risks could be better 

managed with operational standards, 

which would lower the risk of adverse 

effects on human health and safety.

 

The Service has finalized its 

oil and gas regulations that 

will help staff implement a 

higher and more consistent 

level of protection for 

National Wildlife Refuge 

System resources and uses 

from the effects of nonFederal oil and gas 

Distribution of National Wildlife Refuges and major unconventional oil and 

gas resources (shale and tight sands) in the continental U.S.

Why are there non-Federal oil and gas 

wells in Refuge System lands?

Non-federal (e.g., private) oil and gas 

wells exist in Refuges because: 1) the 

wells/mineral rights remained in private, state/local government, or tribal 

ownership when a refuge was established or lands were added, and 2) in 

Alaska, the wells/mineral rights are part 

of land interests conveyed to Native 

corporations under the Alaska Native 

Claims Settlement Act, or held by the 

State of Alaska and other private landowners. 

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Pump jack in a flooded wetland/USFWS

Oil isn’t the only thing that leaks. 

Highly saline formation water or brine is 

extracted along with oil and gas. Often, 

brine is collected in storage tanks and 

injected under pressure back into the 

formation to force more oil out of the 

ground. A network of pipes or flowlines 

moves the brine from the oil wells to 

storage tanks and to injection wells. Pipe 

failures and leaks are common due to the 

corrosive nature of the brine. 

Brine leaking from oil well/USFWS

Refuges:

 Support habitat for > 700 species of 

birds, 220 species of mammals, 250 

reptile and amphibian species and 

more than 1,000 species of fish

 Protect > 380 threatened or endangered plants or animals 

 Host over 47 million visitors each 

year, generating $1.7 billion and creating about 27,000 jobs in local 

economies

Aging flowlines and corrosion are major cause of oilfield leaks/USFWS

For additional information: 

Scott Covington

NWRS Energy Coordinator

Scott_Covington@fws.gov

(703) 358-2427

http://www.fws.gov/refuges/oil-and-gas/

November 2016

Why does the Service acquire land without purchasing the mineral rights?

Service policy is to purchase the minimum interest necessary to accomplish its 

conservation mission. In many cases, it 

would be prohibitively expensive to purchase the mineral rights. Instead, the 

Service manages oil and gas activities to 

avoid or minimize their adverse impacts 

on refuge resources and uses, while recognizing that private rights holders are 

fully entitled to explore and develop their 

petroleum resources. Balancing oil and 

gas actvities with the management of a 

refuge presents complex challenges. 

Does the Service seek reimbursement 

from owners of abandoned, plugged 

or shut-in wells when they cause environmental damage?

When the Service becomes aware of a 

problematic well, we seek all available 

avenues of reimbursement from the 

owners if they have damaged federal 

resources. However, often there is no 

solvent owner to pursue for damages. 

In those cases, taxpayers shoulder the 

cost of the environmental damage. 

Of the active wells on refuges, how 

many are oil wells?

Based on best available information, 

257 wells produce primarily oil and 

eight wells produce a combination of 

oil and gas.

Why does the Service need to manage 

oil and gas activities on refuges when 

the states regulate such activities?

State oil and gas commissions have a 

different mission than the Service. 

State commissions are charged with 

administering oil and gas permits, while 

providing some level of protection to 

the surface owners. In addition, while 

state regulations provide an important 

set of environmental protections, they 

vary significantly by state. The Service, 

by law, is charged with meeting a high 

environmental standard. The Service is 

seeking to complement State regulations to better protect ecosystems and 

wildlife on refuges. 

How does the Service know how many 

wells occur on refuges?

We have a database developed from well 

information collected from each oil and 

gas producing state. 

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