Federal

The oil and natural gas industry reacted favorably to the Trump administration’s delivery on a promise to reduce environmental oversight of U.S. waters by issuing final rules Thursday that are certain to draw litigation.

The Department of Interior (DOI) said last Thursday it disbursed $11.69 billion in fiscal year (FY) 2019 from energy production revenue collected on federal and American Indian-owned lands and offshore areas, a $2.76 billion (31%) increase compared with FY2018.

The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) plans to open 683,000 acres on federal lands in California to oil and natural gas drilling following a recent record of decision (ROD).

Burning and extracting fossil fuels on federal lands accounted for nearly one-quarter of all carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions produced domestically between 2005 and 2014, according to the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS).

A hearing has been granted to an 11th-hour attempt to delay or kill liquefied natural gas (LNG) exports from the Pacific coast of British Columbia (BC) by requiring a new federal review on top of current provincial construction and environmental approvals.

In a development sure to impact the oil and gas industry, Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke said state regulatory agencies should have a higher profile in protecting fish and wildlife, and asked his department to identify federal regulations that are more restrictive than those enacted by states.

Eight months after President Trump called for the federal government to expedite its review and permitting of major infrastructure projects, 12 agencies agreed Monday to follow permitting timetables designed to complete such reviews within two years.

President Trump signed an executive order (EO) Tuesday calling for the federal government to expedite its review and permitting of major infrastructure projects, which should include oil and natural gas pipelines.

Pledging to make the Interior Department “a better neighbor in the new Trump administration,” Secretary Ryan Zinke issued a secretarial order (SO) on Thursday that calls for streamlining the permitting process for drilling on federal lands.