American Oil and Gas Reporter - August 2017 - 33

out of compliance, and could place new
restrictions on virtually any economic
activity."
The letter supporting HR 806 was
signed by 146 chambers of commerce
and associations representing industries
ranging from oil and gas and other extractive industries to automotive, agriculture, manufacturing, transportation,
and even fashion jewelry.
Other Legislation
In other federal legislative developments, Senate Energy and Natural Resources Chairwoman Lisa Murkowski,
R-Ak., and Ranking Member Maria
Cantwell, D-Wa., on June 29 reintroduced
their comprehensive energy package.
S 1460, the Energy and Natural Resources Act of 2017, contains titles on
energy efficiency, infrastructure, supply,
accountability, conservation, federal land
management, National Park System management, sportsmen's issues, water infrastructure, natural hazards and Indian
energy, according to an Energy Committee
announcement.
Like the Energy Policy Modernization
Act of 2015, which was intended to be
noncontroversial and lacked many provisions of direct importance to independent
producers (AOGR, May 2016, pg. 28), S

1460 does create a shorter process for
permitting liquefied natural gas exports,
improves natural gas pipeline permitting,
promotes energy industry job diversity,
and initiates a pilot permitting program
for oil and gas projects.
It also reauthorizes the Methane Hydrate Research and Development Act of
2000 through 2022.
The Energy Policy Modernization Act
of 2015 passed the Senate in April 2016
and the House in May 2016, but a conference committee was unable to reconcile
differences before Congress' 114th Session
ended, Murkowski's office points out.
Elsewhere, NOIA and the International
Association of Geophysical Contractors
hailed the June 29 introduction of HR
3133, the Streamlining Environmental
Approvals Act by Representative Mike
Johnson, R-La.
"The SEA Act provides a much needed
update to the 45-year-old Marine Mammal
Protection Act by establishing clear and
firm deadlines for each stage of the Incidental Harassment Authorizations (IHAs)
permitting process associated with seismic
surveying, and establishes a consequence
for default approvals when deadlines are
not met," NOIA says. "The SEA Act
also will allow IHAs to be renewed
without a lengthy agency review so long

as there have been no changes to the underlying activity."

Budget Action
In federal budget news, IPAA reports
that the House Appropriations Committee
on July 12 passed a $37.56 billion energy
and water spending bill for fiscal 2018.
The bill includes language to block the
definition of waters of the United States
subject to regulation under the Clean
Water Act that was released in 2015 by
EPA and the Army Corps of Engineers.
IPAA says the bill also prohibits using
the social cost of carbon metric instituted
by the Obama administration in evaluating
proposed regulations, and blocks implementation of President Obama's National
Ocean Policy.
Likewise, NOIA says the Department
of Interior-EPA funding bill, which was
approved by the full Appropriations Committee on July 18, also bars funding for
the National Ocean Policy.
IPAA mentions that the $31.4 billion
Interior-EPA appropriations bill, which
cuts funding for EPA by 6.6 percent,
also delays the 2015 ozone NAAQS, allows EPA to withdraw its WOTUS definition, and halts for one year any Endangered Species Act reviews or rule makings
for sage grouse.
r

American School of Gas Measurement Technology
September 18-21, 2017 | Houston, Texas
INFORMATIVE COURSES FOR ALL EXPERIENCE LEVELS
LEADING INDUSTRY INSTRUCTORS
NATURAL GAS & NGL MEASUREMENT TRAINING
GAS & LIQUID MEASUREMENT TECHNOLOGY EXHIBITS

NEW OFFERING! GAS FLOW MEASUREMENT FUNDAMENTALS TRACK
Introducing our newest educational track providing
comprehensive, end-to end training of gas
measurement operations.
*
11 total in-depth training sessions
*
Printed student guide with all training materials
*
Elite group of instructors with extensive subject
matter expertise
*

TO LEARN MORE AND REGISTER ONLINE
VISIT WWW.ASGMT.COM

Early Registration (before August 31): $125
Registration (September 1-15): $150
Gas Flow Measurement Fundamentals Track: $220
CEU Credit: $33
AUGUST 2017 33
http://WWW.ASGMT.COM
American Oil and Gas Reporter - August 2017

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of American Oil and Gas Reporter - August 2017
