Oil/Gas Permitting Keeps BLM too busy (to protect) Environment (ENS)

[Up2Late]

(I know I should have expected this, but it still pisses me off.) :mad:

Oil and Gas Permitting Keeps BLM Staff Too Busy For Environment

WASHINGTON, DC, July 22, 2005 (ENS) - The Bureau of Land Management's ability to meet its environmental mitigation responsibilities for oil and gas development has been lessened by a dramatic increase in oil and gas operations on federal lands over the past six years, according to a report issued Thursday by Congressional investigators. Nationwide, the total number of drilling permits approved by the Interior Department's Bureau of Land Management (BLM) has more than tripled over the six year period - from 1,803 in fiscal year 1999 to 6,399 in fiscal year 2004.

BLM officials in five out of eight field offices visited by investigators from the Government Accountability Office (GAO) explained that as a result of the increases in drilling permit workloads, staff had to devote increased time to processing drilling permits, leaving less time for mitigation activities, such as environmental inspections and idle-well reviews. The investigation was conducted at the request of Senator Joseph Lieberman, a Connecticut Democrat who serves as the ranking minority member on the Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs.

Lieberman said Thursday, that the BLM is "so focused on issuing permits for oil and gas drilling that it’s neglecting its responsibility to protect the land, air, water, fish, and wildlife damaged by the drilling." In its report the GAO said, "Rising U.S. energy consumption and concerns about dependency on foreign energy sources have prompted the administration to aggressively pursue domestic oil and gas production, including production on public lands, which in turn has generated concern that the impacts of this activity may compromise the use of public land for other purposes."

“This administration appears to have lost its sense of balance between granting drilling permits to the oil and gas industry and protecting the natural wonder of the environment,” Lieberman said. “Striking the right balance is BLM’s statutory responsibility. Irresponsible stewardship of public lands while the oil and gas industry profits is not an acceptable balance.”

<http://www.ens-newswire.com/ens/jul2005/2005-07-22-01.asp>
(more at link above)