Tossing aside NEPA and 55 years of precedent of federal land environmental protections, the Department of the Interior today announced a Bureau of Land Management policy update designed to expedite the oil and gas leasing process on public lands. Through a newly issued Instruction Memorandum “Oil and Gas Leasing – Land Use Planning and Lease Parcel Reviews,” the BLM is committing to faster lease parcel reviews by aiming to complete the entire process within six months.
To meet this goal, the BLM will no longer defer parcels prior to completing all National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) reviews as has been required for the past 55 years. The National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) is a United States environmental law designed to promote the enhancement of the environment. It created new laws requiring U.S. federal government agencies to evaluate the environmental impacts of their actions and decisions, and it established the President's Council on Environmental Quality (CEQ).
The Act was passed by the U.S. Congress in December 1969 and signed into law by President Richard Nixon on January 1, 1970. To date, more than 100 nations around the world have enacted national environmental policies modeled after NEPA.
To read the BLM Press Release, CLICK HERE.
To meet this goal, the BLM will no longer defer parcels prior to completing all National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) reviews as has been required for the past 55 years. The National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) is a United States environmental law designed to promote the enhancement of the environment. It created new laws requiring U.S. federal government agencies to evaluate the environmental impacts of their actions and decisions, and it established the President's Council on Environmental Quality (CEQ).
The Act was passed by the U.S. Congress in December 1969 and signed into law by President Richard Nixon on January 1, 1970. To date, more than 100 nations around the world have enacted national environmental policies modeled after NEPA.
To read the BLM Press Release, CLICK HERE.
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