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View Full Version : Trump Administration Further Facilitates Oil Drilling on Federal Lands




Swordsmyth
02-02-2018, 05:00 PM
The Interior Department has furthered its efforts to make oil and gas drilling on federal land easier by implementing a policy (http://thehill.com/policy/energy-environment/371912-interior-roll-backs-oil-drilling-policies-for-federal-land) aimed at streamlining the leasing process. The streamlining effectively reduces the opportunities that drilling opponents have to put the brakes on oil and gas exploration.
The policy features provisions such as a 60-day deadline for processing proposed lease sales and cutting the protest periods to 10 days. Also, the Interior Department repealed a provision approved by the previous administration that gave other users of federal land such as hunters and anglers the power to object to a lease sale.
In addition, the public participation in some lease sale reviews was redirected to lower-level government officials and environmental reviews of lease sales were reduced (https://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-interior-oil/u-s-interior-agency-speeds-up-process-to-lease-oil-gas-on-federal-land-idUSKBN1FL6P8) to six months with BLM officials no longer required to visit the site of the lease while they conduct the review.
The move is clearly a part of President’ Trump’s top focus on energy independence, but it is making a lot of groups unhappy as it effectively removes a lease sale reform introduced by the Obama administration after scores of lease sales in Utah had to be canceled under a wave of lawsuits from environmentalists.

More at: https://oilprice.com/Latest-Energy-News/World-News/Washington-Further-Facilitates-Oil-Drilling-on-Federal-Lands.html