01.22.21

Hoeven Statement on Federal Oil, Gas & Coal Permit Moratorium

WASHINGTON – Senator John Hoeven, a member of the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee, today issued the following statement after the Biden administration issued a moratorium on new federal oil, gas and coal permits. 

“The moratorium placed on new federal oil, gas and coal permits harms our ability to produce energy domestically, especially in western states like North Dakota, where there is a significant presence of federal land. This kind of heavy-handed regulatory approach raises prices for consumers, increases our reliance on foreign energy sources and undermines the environmental goals of this administration as it prevents the construction of the infrastructure needed to capture natural gas and prevent flaring. Instead of increasing our dependence on countries with less stringent environmental standards, we should be producing more energy at home with better environmental stewardship. To this end, we will continue working to advance regulatory relief and new innovative technologies.” 

Hoeven is working to streamline the federal approval process for energy and infrastructure development. Doing so would promote U.S. energy security, support economic growth and help address flaring. Hoeven’s efforts include:

  • The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) Mineral Spacing Act, which would waive the requirement for a federal permit when less than 50 percent of subsurface minerals are owned or held in trust by the federal government and there is no federal surface land. 
    • This regulatory relief would help alleviate the backlog of BLM oil and gas permits.
    • Hoeven’s BLM legislation was also included in the ONSHORE Act, a bill he introduced with Senator John Barrasso (R-Wyo.) last Congress to empower states with the authority to manage oil and gas permitting on federal lands within their borders.
  • Working as chairman of the Senate Agriculture Appropriations Committee to fill vacant U.S. Forest Service positions at the Dakota Prairie Grasslands offices in order to more quickly process Surface Use Plans of Operations (SUPO)
  • Supporting the Trump administration in modernizing regulations under the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA).

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