Mar 7, 2017 Statement on the Senate Repeal of the BLM Planning 2.0 Rule
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Representing the independent producers that develop 90 percent of America’s oil and natural gas wells, Independent Petroleum Association of America (IPAA) Senior Vice President of Government Relations and Political Affairs Dan Naatz issued the following statement following today’s repeal of the BLM Planning 2.0 rule by the U.S. Senate:
“The BLM’s Planning 2.0 rule presents a number of challenges that will discourage multiple use interests and sway against oil and gas resources on public lands. The impacts of this rule will impose a significant and harmful burden on individual operators and the industry as a whole. The mitigation standard of a net benefit, or net conservation gain, is policymaking that has been put in place through recent Executive and Secretarial directives and memorandums, and is not based upon laws or rules that have gone through the lawmaking or rulemaking process. This new standard is inconsistent with a balanced, multiple use concept of federal lands and conflicts with the realities of current oil and natural gas development which, due to technological advances in horizontal drilling, has a vastly reduced footprint – in some cases up to 70 percent or more – on federal lands.
“Further, the Planning 2.0 rule provides no certainty for land users or businesses and instead creates ambiguity in the planning process. The final rule would allow for all planning documents to be changed at any moment, which does not allow for a set understanding of expectations and long-term planning. Oil and natural gas businesses are not able to adjust plans on a whim and depend on certainty throughout the planning process. This added uncertainty will likely result in reduced development of federal minerals and, therefore, will lead to a loss of royalty and tax revenue for federal, state, and local governments. IPAA welcomes congressional repeal of this rule, as it will bring meaningful relief to independent producers and small business job creators across the country.”
About the Independent Petroleum Association of America
The Independent Petroleum Association of America (IPAA) is a national upstream trade association representing thousands of independent oil and natural gas producers and service companies across the United States. Independent producers develop 90 percent of the nation’s oil and natural gas wells. These companies account for 54 percent of America’s oil production, 85 percent of its natural gas production, and support over 2.1 million American jobs. Learn more about IPAA by visiting www.ipaa.org and following @IPAAaccess on Twitter.
