Bush orders speed-up of energy extraction in the West; oil industry applauds

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Bush orders speed-up of energy extraction in the West

>

> <chronfeedbackElizabeth Shogren, Los Angeles Times

> a3c8461.jpg Friday, August 8, 2003

>

> Washington -- The Bush administration on Thursday directed government land

> managers to remove environmental and procedural obstacles that are slowing

> development of oil and gas resources in several areas in the West with a

> high potential for energy production.

>

> Oil industry representatives applauded the policy changes, which they say

> will streamline the bureaucracy involved in energy production on federal

> lands.

>

> But environmental groups accused the Bush administration of sacrificing

> environmental quality in its effort to boost energy production in

> government- managed areas.

>

> The new policies, which take effect immediately and do not require

> congressional review, are the latest in a series of administration

> initiatives aimed at increasing oil and gas production on federal lands.

>

> The policies are directed at areas managed by the federal Bureau of Land

> Management in Montana's Rocky Mountain Front, Wyoming's Powder River and

> Green River basins, Utah's Uinta Basin, Colorado's Piceance Basin and New

> Mexico's San Juan Basin.

>

> Bush administration officials said the environment would not be a victim

of

> the new policies.

>

> " Our overall objective is to ensure the timely development of these

> critical energy resources in an environmentally sound manner, " said

> Kathleen Clarke, the bureau's director.

>

> The new policies direct land managers to allow companies to make up for

> environmental damage in the areas with the highest energy potential by

> improving the environment elsewhere.

>

> The new policies also tell land managers to make sure that companies are

> not forced to do any more than necessary to protect the land, water and

> wildlife nearby. They should ensure that " the mitigation is the least

> restrictive necessary to accomplish the desired protection, " the policy

> states.

>

> The new policies also give land managers the option to review existing

> leases for oil and gas drilling and reduce existing requirements on

> companies to protect the environment.

>

> The initiative " exposes the real agenda of the administration, which is

> about promoting energy development, " said Sharon Buccino, a senior

attorney

> for the Natural Resources Defense Council, a Washington environmental

> organization. " They're not serious about protecting the environment. "

>

> But oil industry representatives said that the changes were necessary to

> address the current legal and bureaucratic quagmire that prevents them

from

> efficiently producing oil and gas on federal lands.

>

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