The Independent Petroleum Association of America has asked Daniel Ashe, Director of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, to give the industry a clearer understanding of the process by which the agency adds animals to the endangeries species list.

Barry Russell, President of the Association, wrote to Ashe on Nov. 5 to express the organizations “concerns regarding the continued lack of transparency with respect to timing and plans for listing decisions on candidate species under the Endangered Species Act.”

Russell told FuelFix.com that decisions about endangered species “can have widespread effects on oil and gas development,” and create uncertainty in development activity.

The agency must review 250 candidate species by 2016 as part of a 2011 settlement of a lawsuit filed by environmental groups. Russell asked the agency to “host a public forum to discuss the current review of species under consideration under the settlement agreements as well as discuss its work plan moving forward through 2016.”