American Oil and Gas Reporter - October 2020 - 16

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IndustryDigest
Forest Service Publishes
Rule On Developing O&G
WASHINGTON-The U.S. Forest
Service has published a proposed rule it
says is intended to improve its
regulations for oil and gas development
on national forest and grasslands.
The Sept. 1 Federal Register notice
(RIN 0596-AD33) says the proposed
changes to 36 CFR Parts 214, 228 and
261 are intended to "clarify internal
processes related to oil and gas leasing
and approving operations, clarify oil
and gas operators' responsibility to
protect natural resources and the
environment, clarify the agency's
procedures regarding inspections and
compliance, and update material
noncompliance procedures."
"Updating our regulations about oil
and gas resources will help us be more
efficient while improving customer
service," states Forest Service Chief
Vicki Christiansen. "The rule will
promote responsible development of
our nation's vast energy resources while

preserving the surface resources of
national forests and grasslands."
The Forest Service announcement
notes the proposed rule supports
Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue's
directives to boost productivity on
national forests and grasslands. r

President Extends
OCS Leasing Moratoria
To North Carolina
WASHINGTON-President Donald
Trump has extended his Atlantic Coast
leasing moratoria to include Outer
Continental Shelf waters offshore North
Carolina, and hinted he may include
Virginia as well.
On Sept. 25, the president signed a
memorandum for the secretary of the
interior that states, "I hereby withdraw
from disposition by leasing for 10 years,
beginning on July 1, 2022, and ending
on June 20, 2032" federal OCS waters
extending 200 nautical miles off the
North Carolina coastline.

And at a campaign rally the same
day in Newport News, Va., the president
told supporters he would extend the
moratorium to include Virginia,
although published reports note he had
not yet issued an official directive for
that action.
However, the reports say the Virginia
moratorium is not necessarily set in stone,
quoting the president telling the crowd, "If
you want to have oil rigs out there, just let
me know. We will take it off."
The announcement came 17 days
after Trump signed an executive order
extending the federal moratorium on
leasing in the Eastern Gulf of Mexico
and establishing new moratoria on
Atlantic OCS leasing off the coasts of
Florida, Georgia and South Carolina
(AOGR, September 2020, pg. 16).
American Petroleum Institute Vice
President of Upstream Policy Lem
Smith decries the growing moratoria as
"another move in the wrong direction
for American energy security. (The
moratoria) take thousands of new jobs
and critical revenue for states off the

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American Oil and Gas Reporter - October 2020

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