US Sen. Tom Udall (D-NM) and Rep. Rob Bishop (R-Utah) sought US Interior Sec. Sally Jewell's help in getting continued funding for a successful US Bureau of Land Management pilot program before its authorization expires in 2015.
The 2005 Energy Policy Act established the pilot program. It allows Interior to allocate some of the rental fees onshore oil and gas producers pay for working on public land to specific BLM offices in New Mexico, Utah, Wyoming, Montana, and Colorado for additional employees and resources to process mineral leasing permits and for other purposes.
The US has seen an oil and gas production surge the last 10 years, Udall and Bishop reminded Jewell in a Feb. 6 letter. "While this jump-start has mostly happened on state and private lands, multiple-use public lands have a huge role to play with vast, untapped resources," they said.
"In order to see this success replicated on public lands, programs that create a more efficient working environment for producers and permitting agencies are vital," the federal lawmakers maintained.
Udall said that in New Mexico, where two of the seven pilot offices and programs are located, 7,857 drilling permit applications were approved from 2006 to 2012, representing more than 20% of the total across BLM. Because many permits also involve potash codevelopment and other complex issues, both the BLM and the industry have benefited from the additional resources made available by the pilot program.
"The two New Mexico pilot offices are among the busiest in the country, and thanks to this program, they're more efficient and effective," Udall said. "That ensures we're making smart, strategic decisions about our energy future and providing better service to all New Mexicans. We need to keep them humming by reauthorizing this program and making any changes that would further improve on the success we've already seen."
'Critical component'
"In states like Utah, multiple use of our federal lands and resources is a critical component of our ability to address, among many other things, the state's growing education needs," said Bishop, who chairs the House Natural Resources Committee's Public Lands and Environmental Regulations Subcommittee.
"Now, through the pilot offices and the additional resources they provide, BLM staff are able to more effectively and efficiently evaluate energy opportunities in worthwhile areas throughout the West," he continued.
Interestingly, Udall's cousin, Sen. Mark Udall (D-Colo.), who is running for reelection, played a big part in getting this pilot program established when he was in the House. Phone calls and an e-mail to his Senate office to learn if he still supports it were not returned before OGJ went to press last week.
