Maurice

Rep. Maurice Hinchey (D-NY) Thursday called on Interior Secretary Dirk Kempthorne to halt oil and natural gas lease sales of wilderness-quality land in Utah, as well as put a hold on any new drilling on lands that are already leased but not producing.

A group of House Democrats, led by Reps. Edward Markey of Massachusetts and Maurice Hinchey of New York, has called on Interior Secretary Dirk Kempthorne to support a measure that would foreclose producers from bidding on future oil and natural gas leases if they refuse to renegotiate their royalty-free lease contracts.

Rep. Maurice Hinchey (D-NY) last Wednesday called for an internal Interior Department investigation into a recently obtained e-mail from a Utah lobbyist that he believes suggests that agency officials may have conspired behind closed doors to “fix” new land-use plans to assure more oil and natural gas development on wilderness-quality lands in the state.

Rep. Maurice Hinchey (D-NY) has called for an internal Interior Department investigation into a recently obtained e-mail from a Utah lobbyist that he believes suggests that agency officials may have conspired behind closed doors to “fix” new land-use plans to assure more oil and natural gas development on wilderness-quality lands in the state.

Sen. John Kerry (D-MA) and Rep. Maurice Hinchey (D-NY) have introduced legislation that would repeal at least $28 billion in tax breaks over a 10-year period for oil and natural gas companies, as well as end royalty relief for offshore production.