What Bill D. describes is the fate of land that was stripped and not properly 'reclaimed.' The land ends up as sort of a no mans land, which people nearby use as a dump because the land is useless for most purposes. Some of the land in Illinois that is newly reclaimed gets the same treatment; despite keep out warnings and threats of fines, the land is used for drunken parties, dumping, illegal hunting, etc. -----------------------------
The object of the management of any company is profit. The energy companies are no worse than the rest in that regard. The directors of a company are responsible to the shareholders, who want a return on their investments. Shareholders vote on company policies and direction. Shareholders may scan the proposals, but most just return the signed forms or consign them to the wastebasket. Occasionally there is a shareholders revolt, but most of us, the public, don't rock the boat. As long as we receive dividends, we are happy and don't worry about the company's direction. Those of us who have money invested in savings funds, retirement and pension funds, life insurance, bank deposits, etc., know that the funds are invested to make the interest or money that they pay you or add to your savings. The companies also receive their proxys, which usually are signed automatically and returned without thought, unless they are unhappy enough with the investment that they join a revolt- but nearly always, they just sell the stock and move on to another investment. No one complains.
Who is ultimately responsible for the direction and actions of a company? It is the investor, large or small.
Oil company exploration IS long term. Exploration, planning and finally development takes years. A large professional staff, in the laboratory, in the field, in the land department, the tax and accounting divisions, etc., is involved. Consultants from several fields may be brought in. It may be a long time before the company gets its money back and makes a profit on a particular project. The tar sands are an example; many years work and many employees working in many special fields of study are behind the current realization of profits.
Beaufort slope exploration is another Canadian example. Pilot studies on how to build ice islands (those of us who watched the large scale experiments carried out in a large artificial pool, using the expertise of engineers from several fields of study, won't forget the experience), the research of permafrost scientists, both company and government, the contributing university experts on the Arctic slope, the many in-company geologists, geophysicists, paleontologists, sedimentologists, geochemists and engineers and logistics specialists- a very large group indeed. It will be some years before significant profits are gained, if ever.