Salazar to Toughen U.S. Drilling Rules

Source: WSJ

By STEPHEN POWER

Interior Secretary Ken Salazar is expected to announce Wednesday that his agency will require oil and natural-gas companies to clear more regulatory hurdles before they are allowed to drill on federal lands.

Mr. Salazar's action is likely to make it more difficult for the U.S. Bureau of Land Management to fast-track the permitting of oil and gas projects on federal land. BLM field staffers would be required to seek additional approvals from their supervisors and to undertake more visits to areas where energy companies are seeking access, according to people familiar with the matter

The BLM manages more than 260 million acres of federal land, and with it, a significant chunk of U.S. energy supplies. Domestic production from federal onshore oil and gas wells accounts for 11% of U.S. natural-gas supplies and 5% of the nation's oil.

The Obama administration is already locked in a bitter fight with the oil and gas industry over proposals to raise billions of dollars in additional taxes from energy companies, and to cap the emissions of gases caused by burning fossil fuels, which have been linked to global warming.


Read more: http://online.wsj.com/article/SB126274070210717245.html?mod=WSJ_newsreel_us

yeah quibble with a few decisions, but overall he's a huge improvement.

:applause:

The new policy will require a more detailed environmental review prior to leasing oil and natural gas on public lands. The Bureau of Land Management will engage the public in developing master leasing and development plans before leasing areas where intensive new oil and gas development is anticipated, it said. Interior said the intent is to fully consider other important natural resource values prior to making an irreversible commitment to develop an area.

Interior will also require a comprehensive parcel review process that takes a site-specific approach to individual lease sales. Each potential lease sale will undergo increased internal and external coordination, public participation, interdisciplinary review of available information, confirmation of resource management plan conformance, and national, state and local guidance, as well as site visits to parcels when necessary to supplement or validate existing data.


http://www.nytimes.com/gwire/2010/01/06/06greenwire-interior-curbs-oil-and-gas-lease-streamlining-59957.html

And a good thing that, because that's where the drilling will be pushed to.

National NIMBY thinking in a global ecosystem.