Today, the Subcommittee on Energy and Mineral Resources held an oversight hearing on the status of onshore oil and gas leasing and drill permitting processes on federal lands. Members and witnesses discussed improvements to the duplicative and costly bureaucratic policies discouraging operators from leasing federal minerals.
“[N]onfederal production far outpaces federal production… Read more »
Today, the House Committee on Natural Resources passed a slate of mining reform bills: H.R. 1731, the “Revitalizing the Economy of Coal Communities by Leveraging Local Activities and Investing More Act of 2017” or the “RECLAIM Act,” H.R. 2053, the “Mining School Enhancement Act,” and H.R. 2937, the “Community Reclamation Partnerships Act.”
“The last eight years have wreaked havoc… Read more »
Today, the Subcommittee on Energy and Mineral Resources held a legislative hearing on a discussion draft of the “Helium Extraction Act of 2017.” The bill authorizes the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) to lease federal land for the purpose of helium production under the same lease terms as oil and gas.
“[M]ajor concerns remain regarding the future of the domestic helium market,”… Read more »
Yesterday, Rep. Darin LaHood (R-IL) introduced H.R. 2937, the “Community Reclamation Partnerships Act.” This bill authorizes partnerships between states and non-governmental entities for the purposes of expanding abandoned mine reclamation projects.
“I commend Rep. LaHood for his leadership to build bipartisan consensus on legislation that will help solve a pressing national challenge.… Read more »
Today, the Subcommittee on Energy and Mineral Resources held an oversight hearing on the Office of Surface Mining Reclamation and Enforcement’s (OSMRE) Abandoned Mine Lands (AML) Program.
The Surface Mining Reclamation and Enforcement Act of 1977 (SMCRA), which created the AML program, is the primary federal law regulating the environmental effects of coal mining in the United States.… Read more »
Yesterday, Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke signed a Secretarial Order to jump-start oil and gas production in Alaska and update resource assessments in the North Slope. Chairman Rob Bishop (R-UT) issued the following statement:
“This Order further demonstrates the Trump administration’s commitment to harnessing America’s domestic energy resources to support economic growth, empower local… Read more »
Today, the Subcommittee on Energy and Mineral Resources held a legislative hearing on the “Community Reclamation Partnerships Act” (Rep. Darin LaHood, R-IL), discussion draft legislation to authorize partnerships between states and non-governmental entities for the purpose of expanding abandoned mine reclamation projects.
“I’m honored to be the author of this proposed legislation… I’ve… Read more »
Today, the Subcommittee on Energy and Mineral Resources held a hearing on “Reviewing Recent State Successes with the Rigs to Reefs Program.” The panel focused on the environmental benefits of maintaining decommissioned oil and gas platforms as marine habitat and ways to optimize the program's use and benefits.
"Since the program’s formal inception in 1984, over 500 platforms of… Read more »
Today, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced an agreement to allow the Pebble Mine project in southwest Alaska to proceed to regular permitting under the Clean Water Act and the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA). The proposed mineral development project was preemptively denied by the Obama administration outside of the traditional NEPA process.
Chairman Rob Bishop… Read more »
Today, the Senate failed to advance H.J. Res. 36 by a vote of 49-51. The joint resolution of disapproval under the Congressional Review Act (CRA) would repeal the Bureau of Land Management’s (BLM) rule on methane emissions from oil and gas operations on Federal and Indian land. Chairman Rob Bishop (R-UT) issued the following statement:
“The Senate was just one vote shy of disposing of a… Read more »
