The package would reverse many of the Inflation Reduction Act's oil and gas reforms and gut NEPA, but has little chance of becoming law.

Look West: Public lands and energy news from the Center for Western Priorities


** House Republicans unveil 'Big Oil wish list'
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Thursday, March 16, 2023
Drilling equipment in Wyoming, Bureau of Land Management ([link removed])

This week, after months of hype, House Republicans unveiled ([link removed]) their energy and permitting reform package. H.R. 1, the "Lower Energy Costs Act," ([link removed]) combines several bills that have already moved through committees in the House. The resulting package is a grab bag of Republican messaging priorities—such as a section expressing disapproval of the cancellation of the Keystone XL pipeline—and a variety of industry wish list items.

Included in the package is the "Transparency, Accountability, Permitting and Production of American Resources Act." This bill proposes, among other things, to reverse many of the Inflation Reduction Act’s reforms to the onshore oil and gas leasing program. The bill would also grant an oil industry wish list of exemptions from the environmental analysis requirements of the National Environmental Policy Act. At the same time, the bill would require assessments of resource and revenue potential before agencies update land use management plans or enact mineral withdrawals, a provision that is intended to elevate drilling and fracking over other important public land uses and values such as recreation and conservation.

"This absurd legislation makes it clear that Big Oil’s goal is to profit off America’s public lands above all else, when polls show ([link removed]) that this is the exact opposite of what Western voters want," Center for Western Priorities Policy Director Rachael Hamby said in a statement ([link removed]) on the bill's passage out of the House Natural Resources Committee last month. "The proponents of this bill have exposed themselves for who they really represent: oil and gas CEOs, not the American people."

Two other bills included in the package—the "Building US Infrastructure through Limited Delays and Efficient Reviews (BUILDER) Act" and the "Permitting for Mining Needs (PERMIT-MN) Act"— attempt to streamline permitting by gutting the National Environmental Policy Act. While some permitting updates have bipartisan support because they would also benefit renewable energy projects, combining those provisions with a laundry list of industry giveaways makes the package ([link removed]) a "nonstarter" ([link removed]) for Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer. "The package is a wish list for Big Oil, gutting important environmental safeguards on fossil fuel projects," Schumer said. House leadership aims to hold a floor vote on the package by the end of March, but it will be "dead on arrival"
([link removed]) in the Senate.


** White House announces conservation summit at Interior department
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The Interior department will host a "White House Conservation in Action Summit" next Tuesday, according to a White House announcement ([link removed]) . President Biden is scheduled to speak at the event, which will highlight the administration's conservation actions and investments.
Quick hits


** House Republicans unveil energy and permitting reform package
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E&E News ([link removed]) | Axios ([link removed]) | Politico ([link removed])


** The dubious strategy behind the Willow approval
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Grist ([link removed]) | E&E News ([link removed])


** Natural gas production likely cause of southern Colorado earthquakes, experts say
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Colorado Newsline ([link removed])


** With enforcement lacking, companies may be flouting New Mexico's gas flaring rules
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Inside Climate News ([link removed])


** Why farmers are hesitant to participate in water leasing to save Great Salt Lake
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Salt Lake Tribune ([link removed])


** Rare earth mine could impact Montana trout stream
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Field & Stream ([link removed]) | Missoulian ([link removed])


** The 17-year effort to build a power line critical to US climate action
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Bloomberg ([link removed])


** Opinion: Biden administration must ban waste of natural gas
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Nevada Independent ([link removed])
Quote of the day
” We cannot drill our way to a sustainable future.”
—Ben Jealous, Sierra Club, E&E News ([link removed])
Picture this


** @elmalpaisnps ([link removed])
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What a beautiful morning!

While any day is a great time to admire nature’s artwork, today is especially gorgeous! It has been changing by the minute. We have had fog, fog with the sun shining through, and now sunshine with ragged clouds off in the distance. The magical frost is quickly disappearing, leaving behind water droplets that shimmer in the sunlight.

If you visit the same outdoor places again and again during different seasons and different weather conditions, you will be rewarded with beautiful moments like these.

📷NPS/S. Deibler

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