DEPA and State of Oklahoma sue US Fish and Wildlife Service for sue-and-settle abuse

OKLAHOMA CITY - March 18, 2014 - PRLog -- The Domestic Energy Producers Alliance (DEPA) and the State of Oklahoma filed a lawsuit yesterday against the US Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS), citing the agency’s use of “sue-and-settle” tactics to regulate behind closed doors.

The suit is in response to two unprecedented secret settlements between the FWS and anti-development interest groups through which FWS voluntarily committed to complete hundreds of Endangered Species Act (ESA) listing decisions within the span of only a few short years. According to the joint lawsuit, American citizens were deprived of their rights under the United States Constitution and the Administrative Procedure Act to participate in FWS proceedings which led to the secret settlements. As a result, the ESA, a statute originally created to protect species, is now being used to thwart oil and natural gas development and destroy private property rights throughout the United States.

“It is important that our federal government and its agencies follow the law, be transparent and afford all parties the protections of due process and participation guaranteed by the United States Constitution,” said DEPA President Mike McDonald. “DEPA joins the State of Oklahoma in this litigation, not only on behalf of our members, but all citizens of this great country, whose rights are threatened when our government precludes participation in the political, administrative and judicial process.”

Based in Oklahoma, DEPA is a national alliance of independent producers, royalty owners, oilfield service companies, and state and national oil and natural gas associations committed to common sense legislative and regulatory solutions that strengthen the industry’s pursuit of American energy security.