American burying beetle bugs oil and gas industry

Companies had been required to hire biologists to bait and trap the bug using Styrofoam cups and rotten chicken before moving the insects out of the way.

Industry leaders have objected to the regulations, saying they were too costly and questioning their effectiveness.

They got their wish.

But it's not the answer they were hoping for.

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife service this fall ended the memorandum of understanding that outlined how companies were to deal with the endangered beetle.

Unfortunately for the industry, no alternative method has been suggested.

“It's illegal to kill beetles, but getting general guidance on how not to is a challenge, given that these two main conservation measures are no longer allowed,” said Tim Basham, operations manager of the environmental services group at Enercon Services Inc. in Oklahoma City.

Basham spoke at the Mid-Continent Oil and Gas Association's annual meeting last month.

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service's website describing how to handle the endangered bug now includes red text stating that baiting and trapping “has been removed as a conservation method.”