Federal

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.

Industry and environmental advocates disagreed sharply on Wednesday during a Congressional subcommittee hearing in Washington, DC, about an increasingly common practice of environmental legal settlements morphing into de facto regulation.

In a stunning defeat for the Trump administration, the Republican-controlled Senate narrowly failed to pass a bill calling for repeal of an Obama-era rule governing flaring and venting of associated natural gas on public and tribal lands.

Western governors are giving the Trump administration some feedback, and it is not all favorable, regarding the president’s executive orders on the handling of federal lands — on and offshore.

President Trump is reportedly planning to sign a series of executive orders (EO) this week before his 100th day in office, including one on energy and another on the environment, which collectively could help facilitate onshore and offshore oil and gas drilling.

A U.S. District Court judge for the District of Nevada last Friday ruled that the federal government may proceed with plans to protect the sage grouse habitat in the state after a supplemental environmental impact statement (EIS) on the programs is completed.