Feds clamp down on oil drilling on wildlife refuges

The Obama administration continues to put pressure on the oil and gas industry as it prepares to issue new rules covering oil wells on national wildlife refuges.

The new regulations will be made final on Monday, according to a pre-publication copy of a Federal Register notice by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. The rules haven’t been updated in more than 50 years and would require that newer technologies be used to ensure the safe operation of the wells to safeguard wildlife and visitors, the service said.