Apr 15, 2014 IPAA: NEPA Process Opaque and Burdensome for Independent Producers
Today, IPAA Vice President of Federal Resources & Political Affairs Dan Naatz commented on the release of the U.S. Government Accountability Office’s (GAO) report on the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA).
“The GAO’s audit of NEPA confirms IPAA’s longstanding concerns with the implementation of this act. The NEPA process has been found to be costly, largely hidden from the public, and duplicative of other environmental legislation.
“This report echoes the problems America’s independent producers have encountered when dealing with a variety of federal agencies regarding environmental assessments, environmental impact statements, and categorical exclusions. America’s independent producers continue to struggle to operate on federal lands and NEPA continues to be an opaque barrier for entry for those seeking to develop America’s vast reserves natural gas and oil.
“IPAA applauds Rep. Bishop (UT-01), Rep. Hastings (WA-4), Rep. McKeon (CA-25), Rep. Upton (MI-6), and Rep Shuster (PA-9) for their oversight and efforts to inject sound science and transparency into the NEPA process.
