"Plan for Fracking's Waste Pits Could Save Millions of Birds"

"Federal agency aims to save the 500,000 to 1 million birds that die in the industry's vats of oily residue each year."

"In parched Jim Wells County, Texas, the glistening pits brimming with oil and gas waste appear to be an inviting refuge for birds seeking a hospitable place to find water and rest.

But the pits offer anything but sanctuary–and safety––for birds. They are filled with oily sludge or liquid contaminated with toxic chemicals used by drillers to frack wells in the booming oil and gas fields of south Texas.

County Deputy Hector Zertuche, the local environmental crimes officer, said the pits become deadly traps for birds. 'The birds see these pits and come in and before they know it are covered in oil or chemicals,' he said. 'It's a bad deal.'"

David Hasemyer reports for InsideClimate News June 15, 2015.