American Oil and Gas Reporter - November 2018 - 110

"A priority for this administration is to
respond to American industries' demands
that we address unfair trade practices
through increased enforcement of trade
laws," Ranck indicated.

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The U.S. Department of Interior commitment to allowing access to minerals on
federal lands in a timely manner is crucial
to North Dakota's oil production,
Katharine MacGregor, deputy chief of
staff for policy, says in her presentation
at the North Dakota Petroleum Council's
annual convention, held Sept. 24-26 in
Fargo, N.D.

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year-over-year, Ranck said. Liquefied
natural gas exports also are up, jumping
57 percent from 2017's levels. She added
the mission of her employer, the U.S.
Commercial Service, was to work directly
with companies to expand exports and
to attract foreign investment into the
United States.
The Trump administration is focused
on reducing the nation's trade deficit
and ending unfair international trade
practices, Ranck pointed out. In support
of the presidential policy, the Commerce
Department's commercial agenda supports and bolsters the U.S. economy by
promoting free, fair and reciprocal trade,
she said.
"When we have a level playing field,
U.S. companies can compete and win.
Energy security and being an energy
leader are top priorities for the Trump
administration and that extends to trade
policies. The administration has included
U.S. energy exports as a key priority in
its talks with other nations, especially
in Asia where the United States faces
deficits with many of our trading partners," Ranck said.
Reporting on trade negotiations between the United States, Canada and
Mexico, she discussed President Trump's
emphasis on rewriting the North American
Free Trade Agreement, saying the new
agreement was a mutually beneficial win
for North American farmers, ranchers,
businesses and workers.
The Trump administration also is encouraging China to revise its policies regarding state-led industry investments
and intellectual property theft, she said.

110 THE AMERICAN OIL & GAS REPORTER

Federal Lands
MacGregor told NDPC that the Obama
White House, through its promulgation
of significant regulations, guidance and
restrictive land management policies,
demonstrated the Interior Department's
importance.
"For years, you have shared frustrations
with the static energy production on
federal lands at a time when output was
booming on state and private lands," she
noted. "Interior manages roughly 20 percent of this country's land mass. Whether
it is developing energy or trying to move
it, it is highly likely that at some point,
you have been knocking on our door for
siting a well pad, procuring a pipeline
right-of-way, receiving a nonjeopardy determination under the Endangered Species
Act, or getting clarification on the nuance
in a regulation."
Under Trump and Interior Secretary
Ryan Zinke's leadership, MacGregor said,
the department was committed to fostering
multiple uses of federal lands. She said
federal officials recognized that being
able to access minerals on federal lands
in a timely manner, under clear and certain
regulations, was crucial to North Dakota's
oil production.
"Over nearly the past two years, the
Interior team has been hard at work reviewing and adjusting land management
actions, regulations and guidance in order
to increase access, promote responsible
energy development and foster rural prosperity," she recounted. Among its successes were overturning the moratorium
on coal leasing, rescinding the Bureau
of Land Management's hydraulic fracturing rule, eliminating restrictions for
mineral withdrawals on more than 10
million acres and revising guidance on
statutory categorical exclusions for oil
and gas development.
MacGregor added the department also
had issued new guidance regarding
fee/fee/fed policies, changing how permits
were issued for wellbores that produce
federal minerals from pads located on
nonfederal lands. After 18 months of
agency work, Interior also released its
final revision of BLM's venting and
flaring rule, MacGregor noted.
"The final rule represents what we believe to be a rule making on a strong legal
footing that doesn't attempt to usurp the
Clean Air Act's authority," she said. "This
rule also recognizes the role and importance
of independent producers."
r

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American Oil and Gas Reporter - November 2018

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