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Newly-revealed documents show Cimarex Energy used its political connections to rush through a shoddy fracking permit. In 2017, the company hoped to begin fracking in the western Oklahoma oil patch, but its drilling permit application was rejected by federal regulators as "incomplete" and "deficient." The revised application needed 60 days to be reviewed. Rather than wait, Cimarex called its lobbyists.
Records show that political appointees at high levels of the U.S. Department of the Interior worked diligently to fast-track Cimarex's drilling permit, including Katharine MacGregor, Trump's recent nomination for second-in-command at the Interior Department. MacGregor's confirmation hearing is set for Tuesday.
MacGregor has a history of working with the energy industry, and has become a common 'in' to advance policy priorities. MacGregor has promoted Trump's "energy dominance" program, and has played a crucial role in many of the administration's controversial regulatory rollbacks.
With Cimarex, MacGregor bypassed many experts to bring its case to the head of the BLM, resulting in an expedited review of the permit. Cimarex had its permit within 16 days of complaining to the petroleum association.
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I’m unwilling to accept that uranium mining is more important than protecting the public health and well-being of Native communities and the tens of millions of people across the Southwest who depend on the Colorado River for their water supply.”
