May 13 (UPI) — Oil and gas producers can accelerate their efforts to make the United States energy independent thanks to streamlined federal oil and gas leasing rules on public lands.
An updated Bureau of Land Management policy expedites the leasing process on public lands to increase the amount available for onshore oil and gas leases, decrease the leasing timeframes and ensure oil and gas lease sales follow federal laws.
“Under President [Donald] Trump’s leadership, we are ending the unnecessary delays and bureaucratic roadblocks that have held back American energy production for too long,” Adam Suess, acting assistant secretary for land and minerals management, said Tuesday in a news release.
“This policy puts us on a fast track to energy dominance” and sends a “clear message that the United States is serious about job creation, low energy costs and putting American energy first,” Suess added.
He said the revised policy nearly cuts in half the time it takes to review lease sales, which makes more federal land available for responsible oil and gas development.
The BLM will complete reviews of parcels designated for oil and gas lease sales within six months from the start of scoping.
BLM reviews previously took between eight and 15 months to complete.
The updated policy “reflects the Interior’s commitment to responsible resource development, transparency and compliance with environmental laws,” according to the Department of Interior.
The policy change also ensures “American energy producers can operate with greater certainty and efficiency,” the DOI says.
Establishing a “predictable and streamlined leasing process” enables the DOI to “fulfill statutory requirements [and] strengthen public trust through continued participation opportunities.
It also helps to “advance the Trump administration’s broader goals of energy security, economic growth and reduced reliance on foreign sources of energy,” according to the DOI.
The Biden administration in April 2022 resumed oil and gas leases on federal lands but also increased the royalty rate that leaseholders would have to pay to the federal government.
Shortly before leaving office, President Joe Biden in January announced plans to prohibit offshore drilling along the East Coast, the eastern Gulf of Mexico and the Pacific Ocean’s waters near the shores of California, Oregon and Washington.
