Enzi applauds Dept. of Interior effort to streamline oil and gas permitting

Press Release

U.S. Secretary of the Interior Ryan Zinke today signed a secretarial order to help streamline the backlogged permitting process for mineral leases on federal lands.

U.S. Senator Mike Enzi, R-Wyo., applauded the decision, which directs the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) to not only address the current permitting backlogs, but identify areas where improvements in the oil and gas leasing program can be made. The order also directs the BLM to look for solutions to improve access to additional parcels of federal land that are appropriate for mineral development.

"It is important that the federal permitting process for oil, gas and other resources is consistent and reliable if we want to encourage development in Wyoming, but right now the system is obviously not working," Enzi said. "That is why I appreciate that Secretary Zinke and the Trump Administration are taking steps to not only clean up the current backlog, but improve the system for the future. We should ensure that we can safely but promptly provide the opportunity for development of our country's energy resources on federal land."

Earlier this year, the BLM reported more than 2,800 Applications for Permit to Drill (APD) pending, with the largest number pending at the Casper BLM office with 526. And according to the Department of the Interior, the BLM is required under the law to process APD review within 30 days, but current data shows the average time to approve an APD is 257 days.

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