Interior Department drops wildlife and historic site reviews for orphaned well cleanups

Interior Department drops wildlife and historic site reviews for orphaned well cleanups

The U.S. Interior Department will no longer require endangered species or historic preservation reviews for states using federal grants to plug abandoned oil and gas wells, a change that could speed cleanups but raises legal questions.Ian M. Stevenson reports for E&E News.In short:The Trump administration ruled that orphaned well cleanup grants are not subject to the Endangered Species Act or National Historic Preservation Act, removing a step s…