Executive Order 13927

[Oak]

On June 4, 2020, President Trump signed E.O 13927, "Accelerating the Nation’s Economic Recovery from the COVID-19 Emergency by Expediting Infrastructure Investments and Other Activities." The E.O. directed agencies to use their emergency powers under the Covid-19 federal emergency declaration to bypass ESA, NEPA, and other environmental laws, and to provide a report of planned or potential actions to facilitate the Nation’s economic recovery.

Attached is the Department of Interior list of projects under consideration that was reported to OMB/CEQ and Kudlow. This is on my radar because the list includes the Gunnison BLM Domestic Sheep Grazing Permit Renewals EIS, a project on which I've been engaged since 2012. You can see past posts from me on this project here (Case #1) and here.

Take a look at the list. There may be projects of interest to you that are being considered for a rubber stamp.

 

[AvidIndoorsman]

Jordan Cove + ANWR

 

[BuzzH]

Never let a good crisis go to waste...

What a joke.

 

[Schaaf]

From my perspective, the regulatory response to this crisis has basically been all industry's wish list for the last 20 years.

 

[Ben Lamb]

The Converse County Project will nuke a ton of critical mule deer, pronghorn and sage grouse habitat. 5,000 wells are planned w/no compensatory mitigation required at the Fed level.

So, we got that going for us.

 

[AvidIndoorsman]

The Converse County Project will nuke a ton of critical mule deer, pronghorn and sage grouse habitat. 5,000 wells are planned w/no compensatory mitigation required at the Fed level.

So, we got that going for us.

Which again bizarre as there are now 0 rigs running in WY. As has been said so many times now... Whose driving this train?

Wyoming’s Drilling Rig Count Hits Zero: What That Means For The State And Its Economy

According to Baker Hughes , the rig count in the Cowboy State fell to zero for the second time this summer, and also for just the second time in the last 136 years.

www.forbes.com

 

[Ben Lamb]

Which again bizarre as there are now 0 rigs running in WY. As has been said so many times now... Whose driving this train?

Wyoming’s Drilling Rig Count Hits Zero: What That Means For The State And Its Economy

According to Baker Hughes , the rig count in the Cowboy State fell to zero for the second time this summer, and also for just the second time in the last 136 years.

www.forbes.com

The Secretary of the Interior, Director of the Bureau of Land Management & the Oil and Gas companies who understand that getting these plans locked in now insulates them from the next administration that isn't as compliant as this administration. It's about controlling as much land as possible, with as little regulation as possible.

 

[kwyeewyk]

It's sickening really, hard to imagine how many thousands of hours have gone into public input, cooperator meetings, draft documents, etc. in an attempt to actually make NEPA useful for these projects. I'm all for expediting NEPA when it makes sense, but to rubber stamp a list of projects this huge in the name of covid is a total disgrace. Don't say this very often but hopefully lawsuits can stop at least some of it.

 

[Deleted member 18333]

The Secretary of the Interior, Director of the Bureau of Land Management & the Oil and Gas companies who understand that getting these plans locked in now insulates them from the next administration that isn't as compliant as this administration. It's about controlling as much land as possible, with as little regulation as possible.

Unfortunately I think you are correct. Don't forget to add Big Green Energy companies to this list. Over 70,000 acres of public land that is key habitat for mule deer, eagle, fox, squirrel and tortoise just rubber stamped by this administration all for the benefit of Big Green.

 

[Ben Lamb]

Unfortunately I think you are correct. Don't forget to add Big Green Energy companies to this list. Over 70,000 acres of public land that is key habitat for mule deer, eagle, fox, squirrel and tortoise just rubber stamped by this administration all for the benefit of Big Green.

Yep. If we don't hold all development to the same level of accountability, then we're being hypocritical. I'm not a big fan of large scale industrial development of public lands. We've sacrificed enough already. Mining at least lives up to their mitigation & reclamation requirements. The others should take a page out of their book.

 

[Irrelevant]

Interesting that there appears to about about a half a dozen hunters in the HT family that give-a-shat about this.

The Converse County Project will nuke a ton of critical mule deer, pronghorn and sage grouse habitat. 5,000 wells are planned w/no compensatory mitigation required at the Fed level.

So, we got that going for us.

5k new wells... I would support an effort where in lieu of direct fees (or a portion of the fees) O&G had to plug X # of abandoned wells for each new well. https://www.hcn.org/articles/pollution-whos-minding-montanas-abandoned-oil-and-gas-wells

At least according to several of the HT experts current O&G wells are fairly well reclaimed, but we still need to address the old ones.

 

[Deleted member 18333]

Interesting that there appears to about about a half a dozen hunters in the HT family that give-a-shat about this.



5k new wells... I would support an effort where in lieu of direct fees (or a portion of the fees) O&G had to plug X # of abandoned wells for each new well. https://www.hcn.org/articles/pollution-whos-minding-montanas-abandoned-oil-and-gas-wells

At least according to several of the HT experts current O&G wells are fairly well reclaimed, but we still need to address the old ones.

I would support this as well. We got an Abandoned Mine Land fee on every ton of coal sold, why not an Abandoned Well Head fee on every barrel sold.

 

[Hunting Wife]

Interesting that there appears to about about a half a dozen hunters in the HT family that give-a-shat about this.



5k new wells... I would support an effort where in lieu of direct fees (or a portion of the fees) O&G had to plug X # of abandoned wells for each new well. https://www.hcn.org/articles/pollution-whos-minding-montanas-abandoned-oil-and-gas-wells

At least according to several of the HT experts current O&G wells are fairly well reclaimed, but we still need to address the old ones.

We have several orphaned wells that I’d be happy to let someone use as mitigation credits.

That’s a hell of a list to just sweep through with no reviews or process. But unfortunately nothing coming out of DOI these days surprises me.

 

[MO Betta]

I'd suggest contacting your representatives, there are a few mechanisms to block/overturn an executive order but they are generally difficult to succeed with. If enough stink is raised we have a slim chance that the president may revoke/modify the order.

 

[rtraverdavis]

I missed this earlier in the week. Good grief, this year just keeps getting better. Besides contacting our reps, is there anything that can be done to stop some of this bs?

 

[Deleted member 20812]

From my perspective, the regulatory response to this crisis has basically been all industry's wish list for the last 20 years.

I'm tired of winning....

 

[runningmt]

Happy to see Montana NOT on the list

 

[Deleted member 20812]

But unfortunately nothing coming out of DOI these days surprises me.

Which is why I'm highly skeptical they have dotted their I's and crossed their T's with respect to the wolf delisting.

 

[ibehuntin]

Nice to see action being taken to help out the rural counties.