Oct 13, 2017 IPAA: Oil, Natural Gas Producers Are Committed to Being Smart, Responsible Stewards of Federal Lands
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Independent Petroleum Association of America (IPAA) Senior Vice President of Government Relations and Political Affairs Dan Naatz testified today at a legislative hearing before the U.S. House Natural Resources Subcommittee on Energy and Mineral Resources on the important role U.S. independent oil and natural gas producers play in the safe, responsible development of federal onshore resources to grow America’s economy, create well-paying jobs, and strengthen the nation’s energy security. IPAA represents the companies that develop 90 percent of the nation’s oil and natural gas wells.
“IPAA’s members are truly the face of small business in the oil and natural gas industry and support millions of direct and indirect jobs across the United States.
“While oil and natural gas production in the United States has increased dramatically over the last several years, the growth has occurred largely on state and private lands. Unfortunately, over the same time, production from onshore federal leases has [remained flat or] declined. Oil and natural gas projects on federal lands face months of delay due to regulatory obstacles from the federal government that require a given producer to face countless challenges and slow the process to a crawl. Significant federal delays only deter companies from wanting to operate on federal lands, translating into lost federal revenue from the royalties generated. This is critical funding for Western states who rely on oil and gas revenues to fulfill budget priorities for local communities.
“Over the last several years, the Bureau of Land Management’s (BLM) relationship with states, local governments and stakeholders has been severely tested. Congress must ensure the agency is fully cooperating with state and local communities when making land use planning decisions. During the Obama administration, the BLM turned the agency’s ‘multiple-use’ mandate on its head and focused instead on land conservation to the detriment of all other activities from which all American taxpayers benefit.
“The states and tribes have a proven track record of safely and effectively regulating hydraulic fracturing operations. States and tribes understand the geology and hydrology of their regions far better than federal officials in Washington, D.C. Rather than establishing a duplicative, ‘one-size-fits-all’ regulatory regime governing hydraulic fracturing, we commend the committee for deferring to state and tribal regulations, permitting and guidance for all activities related to hydraulic fracturing.
“IPAA and our members are committed to being smart, responsible stewards of federal lands and we believe many of the provisions of the ONSHORE Act will help us achieve that important goal.”
Naatz’s prepared testimony is available on IPAA’s website.
About the Independent Petroleum Association of America
The Independent Petroleum Association of America (IPAA) is a national upstream trade association representing thousands of independent oil and natural gas producers and service companies across the United States. Independent producers develop 90 percent of the nation’s oil and natural gas wells. These companies account for 54 percent of America’s oil production, 85 percent of its natural gas production, and support over 2.1 million American jobs. Learn more about IPAA by visiting www.ipaa.org and following @IPAAaccess on Twitter.
