Geoscience Policy Monthly Review
november 2017

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energy

Senate takes first step to open ANWR for oil and gas leasing

November 8, 2017

On November 8, the Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources introduced reconciliation legislation, fulfilling instructions in the fiscal year (FY) 2018 budget resolution (H.Con.Res.71) for the committee to provide legislative recommendations to the Senate Committee on the Budget that would result in $1 billion in new revenue over ten years to offset federal tax cuts. The legislation would direct the Secretary of the Interior to implement an oil and gas leasing program for the coastal plain (1002 Area) of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR), which the Congressional Budget Office estimates would increase net offsetting receipts by about $1.1 billion over the 2018-2027 period.

Sources: Congressional Budget Office, Department of the Interior, U.S. Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources, White House Office of the Press Secretary

Nebraska approves Keystone XL pipeline

November 20, 2017

Nebraska regulators from the Nebraska Public Service Commission approved the building of the Keystone XL pipeline on November 20. This pipeline would ship approximately 830,000 barrels of oil per day, according to the Commission, from Alberta, Canada through the state of Nebraska, before connecting to existing infrastructure delivering to refineries on the U.S. Gulf Coast. The approved route for the pipeline is different than the route that was initially proposed by the TransCanada Corporation, in that it is angled to cut more sharply across the northern part of the state, therefore avoiding the endangered whooping crane habitat and Sand Hills ecological area.

Source: Nebraska Public Service Commission