Salazar: Oil-and-gas leasing reforms on tap
Interior Secretary Ken Salazar will unveil changes to federal leasing practices in January that are aimed at increasing confidence in the system, according to a report Sunday.
“I think the uncertainty that has been pervasive over the last several years on oil and gas leasing has been brought about because there’s been a rush to lease,” Salazar said in a New Year’s Eve interview with the Associated Press. “We are not just about the business of letting the oil and gas industry run the Department of Interior.”
Salazar, a centrist when he was a Colorado senator, has drawn attacks from oil and natural gas industry groups during his tenure as Interior Secretary under President Obama.
The industry alleges he has stymied domestic exploration, pointing to decisions such as deferral and withdrawal of leases in Utah and extending review of Bush-era plans to expand offshore drilling.
Salazar has said during his first year that he is seeking to restore balance between domestic production and environmental protection that was absent under the prior administration.
He does not detail the planned reforms in the AP account but said he was seeking to restore confidence for all sides, including industry.
Salazar told reporters in November that he was reviewing the leasing program to reduce the number of leases subject to legal and administrative challenges.
Salazar also is planning changes in the implementation of the Endangered Species Act, he told AP.
http://thehill.com/blogs/e2-wire/677-e2-wire/74117-salazar-oil-and-gas-leasing-reforms-on-tap