Apr 12, 2024 IPAA: BLM Leasing Rule Ignores People in Local Towns and Communities to Placate Environmentalists
WASHINGTON – The Independent Petroleum Association of America (IPAA) issued the following statement in response to the Bureau of Land Management’s final Fluid Mineral Leases and Leasing Process rule released today that revises oil and gas leasing regulations including increases to bonding requirements, royalty rates, and minimum bids.
Dan Naatz, IPAA COO and EVP: “The final rule will not improve stewardship of federal lands, as BLM claims, but will have the effect of driving mineral production off of these areas. The regulatory environment has become so hostile to American oil and natural gas producers operating on federal land that it’s clear the Biden Administration intends for “multiple use” lands to only be used for conservation and recreation. The true losers with this misguided policy are states and localities that rely on revenues from federal land extractive industries to meet their budget obligations year after year. Rather than taking their mandate to be good stewards of federal land for the betterment of the American people seriously, the Biden Administration continues to ignore the people in local towns and communities across the West in order to placate a small group of environmentalists and to further reduce American oil and natural gas production.”
In September, IPAA joined with the American Petroleum Institute and 12 other energy trade associations in comments calling on the Biden administration to prioritize the energy needs of the American people by developing fair and consistent federal leasing regulations. In comments submitted to the Department of the Interior’s Bureau of Land Management (BLM), the associations reiterated the oil and natural gas industry’s longstanding record of responsible development of the United States’ vast natural resources but expressed concern over the damaging impact this rule could have on American energy security.
