American Oil and Gas Reporter - October 2018 - 31

species on public lands and waters under
(DOI's) jurisdiction."
"Each of us must recognize the fundamental role of the states in fish and wildlife
management-especially where states have
primary authority and responsibility-to
foster improved conservation of fish and
wildlife, and encourage a good neighbor
policy with the states," Zinke says. "The
effective stewardship of fish and wildlife
requires the cooperation of the various
states and the federal government."
The memo to the heads of DOI bureaus
and offices directs them to review all
regulations, policies and guidance pertaining to conserving and managing fish
and wildlife that are more restrictive than
applicable state provisions. Those agencies
then are to make recommendations on
ways to better align their regulations and
policies with state provisions to the deputy
secretary, who is to deliver an implementation plan to Zinke.
The secretary's plan "makes sense,"
according to IPAA Senior Vice President
for Government Relations Dan Naatz.
"Any effort that can further clarify
the management of wildlife and allow
the states to be heard is important," Naatz
affirms. "We applaud the secretary. It's
important for the agencies to know stewardship of fish and wildlife really does
require a partnership between the federal
government and the states."
DOI Reorganization
The 12 unified regions announced Aug.
29 by Secretary Zinke for all of DOI's
bureaus except the Bureau of Indian Affairs
and related agencies "will allow important
decisions to be made nearer to where our
stakeholders and intergovernmental partners
live and work, and will make joint problem
solving and improved coordination among
our bureaus and other federal, state and
local agencies easier," he declares.
Zinke says the 12 new regions (see
Figure 1) were identified on an ecosystem
basis to include critical components such
as wildlife corridors, watersheds and trail
systems. They were adjusted to follow
state lines, where possible.
Western Energy Alliance President
Kathleen Sgamma endorses the new regions, saying, "It makes sense to implement common regional boundaries that
can result in more efficient management.
The Alliance supports the regional boundaries DOI is considering."
Forest Service Reform
The NOPR published in the Sept. 13
Federal Register is intended to modernize
and improve procedures for developing
federal oil and gas resources on National
Forest System lands, observes a report

from the Texas Independent Producers
& Royalty Owners Association.
It would do this, TIPRO says, by
streamlining U.S. Forest Service internal
processes related to environmental reviews
and permitting, simplify decision making
for oil and gas leasing, and aligning
USFS processes with those of the BLM.
The Federal Register notice specifically
seeks public input on ways to:
· Reform USFS's procedures for
identifying lands that BLM may offer
for oil and gas leasing;
· Update lease stipulation waivers,
exceptions and modifications;
· Clarify procedures for approving
surface use plans;
· Update language addressing an operator's responsibility to protect natural
resources and the environment;
· Clarify language regarding inspections and compliance; and
· Address geophysical/seismic operations.
Expediting LNG
On Sept. 6, the U.S. House of Representatives approved the Ensuring Small
Scale LNG Certainty and Access Act.
HR 4606 essentially codifies a rule published July 25 by the Department of Energy, says Congressman Bill Johnson, ROh., who cosponsored the bill with Henry
Cuellar, D-Tx.
DOE's rule, which became effective
Aug. 24, speeds approval of applications
for small-scale LNG exports to non-freetrade-agreement countries by deeming
them to be in the public interest (AOGR,
August 2018, pg. 19). HR 4606 was
pending in the Senate Energy and Natural
Resources Committee.
TIPRO mentions that another House
bill, HR 6552 introduced in July by Representatives Pete Olson, R-Tx., and Gene
Green, D-Tx., will give FERC flexibility
to offer greater pay for specific jobs so it
can hire qualified personnel to review
export applications. It was referred to
the Energy and Commerce Committee.
Meanwhile, on Aug. 31, FERC announced updated environmental review
schedules for 12 LNG export terminal
applications that it said reflected its recent
efforts to streamline its review process.
Among the actions FERC cited are hiring
additional LNG staff, its June 19 memorandum of understanding to utilize the
Pipeline and Hazardous Material Safety
Administration's expertise in evaluating
potential impacts to public safety, hiring
an outside contractor to assist staff with
construction inspections, and working
with project applicants to hire third-party
contractors to conduct analyses involving
nonproprietary information.
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American Oil and Gas Reporter - October 2018

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