** Fiscal fixes to oil and gas leasing: All eyes on Manchin
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Friday, December 3, 2021
Senator Joe Manchin, Third Way Think Tank, CC-BY-ND 2.0 ([link removed])
As the Senate considers President Biden's Build Back Better Act, long-overdue financial fixes to America's century-old oil and gas leasing system hang in the balance. At the center of the fight is Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee Chairman Joe Manchin, and the royalties that oil and gas companies pay when they extract oil and gas from public lands.
Oil industry groups sent a letter to Manchin this week, urging him to keep the discounted royalty rates ([link removed]) that drillers have paid since the passage of the Mineral Leasing Act of 1920. Manchin is holding his cards close, telling reporters ([link removed]) “I think adjustments need to be made. I’ve always thought adjustments need to be made,” but without elaborating on what adjustments he would support.
The version of the Build Back Better Act passed by the House would raise royalty rates on publicly owned oil and gas from 12.5 to 18.75 percent, bringing them in line with the rates that companies pay when drilling on state land. Senator Jon Tester of Montana noted that royalty rates in Texas are above 20 percent, so oil companies can easily afford a similar rate on national public land.
“I don’t know if it can pass the Senate, but I can tell you that taxpayers need to get a fair return on their investment,” Tester said ([link removed]) . “Those are public lands owned by the taxpayer.”
Quick hits
** House Science Committee demands oil and gas companies release data on Permian methane leaks
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Washington Post ([link removed])
** How is the Biden administration doing on solar and wind projects on public land?
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Los Angeles Times ([link removed])
** Offshore drilling limits appear safe in Build Back Better
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Washington Post ([link removed])
** CORE act to protect Colorado lands attached to defense authorization bill, future is uncertain
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Vail Daily ([link removed])
** Oregon officials ask for help finding killers of 8 wolves
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Associated Press ([link removed]) | OPB News ([link removed])
** As visitor pressure rises, public land managers face new challenges
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Durango Herald ([link removed])
** Tribal leaders ask Utah politicians to stop attacking Bears Ears protections
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KSL News ([link removed]) | KSL TV ([link removed])
** How ‘Dark Sky’ designations are giving Western communities new tourism appeal
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Washington Post ([link removed])
Quote of the day
We’re starting to have resource damage from just the large number of folks going up there. I don’t want to call it a problem because the increased use is a positive sign that people are enjoying their national forests. But that extensive use does create management challenges.”
—San Juan National Forest spokeswoman Lorena Williams, The Durango Herald ([link removed])
Picture this
** @usfws ([link removed])
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Desert bighorn sheep range from California, Nevada, Utah and mountains throughout the southwest. They're similar in size to mule deer.
Photo of desert bighorn sheep at Ash Meadows National Wildlife Refuge in Nevada by Vance Imhoff/USFWS @USFWSRefuges ([link removed])
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