Geoscience Policy Monthly Review
july 2017

The Monthly Review is part of a continuing effort to improve communications about the role of geoscience in policy.
Current and archived monthly reviews are available online.

Subscribe to receive the Monthly Review directly.

energy

Secretary Zinke signs order to streamline permitting for onshore resources development

July 6, 2017

Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke signed Secretarial Order 3354 on July 6 to promote energy exploration and development through better management of leasing programs for onshore oil and gas resources and solid mineral resources on federal lands. The Order directs the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) to hold quarterly lease sales, as outlined in the Mineral Leasing Act of 1920, and to identify additional options to enhance the leasing programs. The Order also intends to streamline the permitting process overall.

The Mineral Leasing Act requires oil and gas lease sales, where eligible, to be available at least quarterly or more frequently if determined necessary by the Secretary of the Interior.  According to Secretary Zinke, multiple quarterly federal lease sales have been postponed or cancelled since 2009.

The Order aligns with the Trump administration’s goal to make America energy dominant, as announced by Energy Secretary Rick Perry in the White House Daily Briefing on June 27. Over the past decade, the total amount of onshore and offshore oil production on federal lands has fallen by 10%, while oil production on private and state lands in the same time frame has more than doubled. Secretary Perry expressed his belief during the briefing that unleashing the energy potential in this country with a diverse energy portfolio will lead to job growth and economic expansion in every sector.

Sources: C-SPAN, E&E News, Department of the Interior 

Atlantic offshore oil and gas development discussed in House

July 12, 2017

The House Natural Resources Subcommittee on Energy and Mineral Resources held an oversight hearing on July 12 to evaluate the potential development of offshore drilling on the Outer Continental Shelf (OCS).

Earlier in the year, President Donald Trump issued an executive order “Implementing an America-First Offshore Energy Strategy,” which authorizes the Department of the Interior (DOI) to begin oil and gas leasing on the OCS. Following the Executive Order, Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke issued Secretarial Order 3350 to implement the president’s order and establish regulations for the leasing process.

While offshore drilling has long been a part of American energy production, it is currently limited to the Gulf, North Atlantic, and West coasts. One provision of the secretarial order is to expedite the consideration of seismic permitting applications in the Atlantic. A witness at the hearing, Dr. James Knapp, pointed out in his testimony that the Mid- and South Atlantic regions have never been adequately explored for oil with commercial seismic surveys.

Several representatives from coastal states, however, were hesitant at the prospect of leasing on the Mid- and South-Atlantic OCS. Representatives Niki Tsongas (D-MA-3) and Anthony Brown (D-MD-4) voiced their concerns about the impact OCS energy production would have on the tourism, recreation, and fishing industries for their respective states.

Sources: E&E News, Office of the Federal Register, U.S. House of Representatives