Seven oil companies charged with violating Migratory Bird Treaty Act

Devils Lake, ND — Seven oil companies were charged in separate cases by criminal information with violation of the Migratory Bird Treaty Act for the illegal killing of migratory birds.

The companies charged include:

• Slawson Exploration Company, Inc., of Wichita, Kansas, is charged with illegally taking three Mallards, two Gadwalls, two Blue-Winged Teal, one Redhead, one Common Golden Eye, one Northern Pintail, one migratory waterfowl of unknown species and one migratory bird of unknown species between on or about May 6, 2011 and June 20, 2011;

• ConocoPhillips Company, of Houston Texas, is charged with illegally taking two Mallards, two Gadwalls, one Pied-Billed Grebe, one Northern Shoveler and one Dove between on or about May 4, 2011 and May 18, 2011;

• Newfield Production Company, of Houston, Texas, is charged with illegally taking two Mallards, one Northern Pintail and one Ring-Necked Duck between on or about May 18, 2011 and May 19, 2011;
• Brigham Oil and Gas, LP, of Williston, North Dakota, is charged with illegally taking two Mallards on or about May 6, 2011;

• Continental Resources, Inc., of Enid, Oklahoma, is charged with illegally taking one Say’s Phoebe on or about May 6, 2011;

• Fidelity Exploration and Production Company, of Denver, Colorado, is charged with illegally taking one Solitary Sandpiper on or about May 6, 2011; and

• Petro Hunt, LLC, of Dallas, Texas, is charged with illegally taking one Northern Shoveler on or about May 6, 2011;

In Bismarck on Aug. 22, United States Attorney Timothy Q. Purdon said, “These allegations of violations of the Migratory Bird Treaty Act by companies operating in North Dakota’s oil patch should be troubling to those interested in preserving North Dakota’s rich heritage of hunting and fishing and to the many oil companies who work hard to follow the laws protecting our wildlife.”

He said, “At the North Dakota U.S. Attorney’s Office, we are committed to enforcing laws that protect North Dakota’s outdoors and to providing companies who follow the law with a level economic playing field.”
The statutory maximum sentence for violation of the Migratory Bird Treaty Act is six months in federal prison and a $15,000 fine.

The date for the initial appearances for the seven companies is set for September 22 in Bismarck, N.D.