A possible change in the US House of Representatives’ majority from Republican to Democrat following the midterm elections would affect the US oil and gas industry most in two committees: Natural Resources, and Energy and Commerce. It’s worthwhile to consider, therefore, what Democrats on those committees have been saying recently when they have not been in charge or able to set the agenda.
At Natural Resources, now-Ranking Minority Member Raul M. Grijalva (D-Ariz.) and Chairman Rob Bishop (R-Utah) would switch jobs. So would their counterparts on the Energy and Mineral Resources Subcommittee: Ranking Minority Member Alan Lowenthal (D-Calif.) and Chairman Paul Gosar (R-Ariz.).
Grijalva and 43 other House Democrats sent a letter to US Bureau of Land Management Deputy Director Brian Steed on Oct. 22 urging him to rescind a policy memorandum that a federal judge has partially enjoined. Instruction Memorandum 2018-034, which was issued in February, overturned earlier leasing reforms that the Democrats said ensured meaningful public input would be considered in energy development decisions on public lands.
They noted that a federal judge issued a preliminary decision on Sept. 21 finding that the leasing process outlined in IM 2018-034 could not be used to approve new leases on greater sage grouse habitat, which covers 67 million acres across the US West.
Grijalva and the other House Democrats called on Steed to restore the previous policy that mandated a public participation period during the lease nomination process, reinstate a 30-day public comment period for environmental reviews preceding a BLM state director’s leasing decision, and reverse IM 2018-034’s reduction of the protest period for oil and gas lease sales from 30 to 10 days.
“Since the oil and gas lease sales scheduled for December 2018 have already reached a point such that the planning for those sales has violated the terms of the Sept. 21 ruling, those lease sales should be delayed to allow the public to fully participate,” they told Steed.
Energy and Commerce changes
Over at Energy and Commerce, now-Ranking Minority Member Frank Pallone Jr. (D-NJ) and Chairman Greg Walden (R-Ore.), would change places, along with their counterparts on the Energy Subcommittee: Ranking Minority Member Bobby Rush (D-Ill.) and Chairman Fred Upton (R-Mich.).
Pallone slammed the US Environmental Protection Agency’s Sept. 11 proposed changes in its 2016 New Source Performance Standards for oil and gas operations that the agency said are expected to save as much as $484 million in regulatory costs from 2019 through 2025.
“EPA’s move to weaken commonsense and cost-effective requirements to find and repair leaks in a timely manner undermines critical public health protections from harmful pollutants like methane, benzene, and volatile organic compounds,” he warned.
