Comment on Biden's administration pauses ongoing energy development efforts on federal land for 60 days

By Jack MoneyBusiness writerjmoney@oklahoman.comThe U.S. Department of Interior’s acting secretary on Thursday suspended new permitting activities for a wide range of energy recovery activities on federal lands during the next 60 days. The move by acting Interior Secretary Scott de la Vega is getting characterized as the first step of a pledge made by President Joe Biden's campaign to bar future oil and gas activities from federal lands. But Thursday’s order has a much-broader scope than that. The order requires Interior’s various agencies to suspend any types of actions that would grant rights of way, easements or any conveyances of property or interests in property, including land sales or exchanges, or any notices to proceed under previous surface use authorizations that would allow “ground-disturbing” activities. That language impacts solar and wind farms, pipeline projects and the mining for various rare earth elements, among other types of activities. “This order is made for the purpose of implementing a targeted and time-limited evaluation of relevant decisions at the Department of the Interior for the purposes of reviewing the questions of fact, law and policy they raise,” de la Vega wrote, adding it "ensures that the department continues its existing operations — including operations necessary for health, safety and national security matters — consistent with all legal obligations and policy goals to uphold trust and treaty responsibility to tribal nations and to responsibly steward the nation’s public lands, waters and resources for current and future generations.” The order suspends: • The publication of any notice in the Federal Register involving proposed or final agency actions taken in accordance with the National Environmental Policy Act. • The issuance, revision or amendment of resource management plans created under authority of the Federal Land Policy and Management Act. • The approval of new or amended mining plans authorized by the General Mining Law of 1872. • The issuance of any final decisions on claims related to a provision of the mining law that at one time allowed for the granting of rights of ways for non-public highways on federal lands. • The hiring or promotion of any workers at Interior that would start at or above a GS 13 level, excluding needed emergency or seasonal personnel. As for fossil fuel operations, the order has no effect on existing operations under valid leases, and the order also indicates the suspension of new or amended permits during the 60 days could be bypassed in cases where actions need to be taken to avoid conditions that might pose a threat to human health, welfare or safety or to avoid adverse impacts to public lands or mineral resources. During the suspension, only confirmed or acting members of Interior’s leadership team will have the authority to act on those types of issues, though. Those include the agency’s secretary, deputy secretary, solicitor and assistant secretaries for policy, management and budget, lands and minerals management, water and science, fish, wildlife and parks, Indian affairs and insular and international affairs, de la Vega wrote. Energy industry organizations were upset by de la Vega's order. Mike Sommers, the CEO of the American Petroleum Institute, noted the suspension impedes natural gas and oil development efforts across some of the most productive regions of the country. “Restricting development on federal lands and waters is nothing more than an ‘import more oil’ policy.Read more on NewsOK.com