Permitting

Conflict of interest: State Department contractor on Keystone XL study lied about ties to TransCanada & oil industry
2013-07-11
ERM employee tried to cover up deceit online WASHINGTON, D.C. – The company hired by the State Department to review the environmental impact of the Keystone XL tar sands pipeline lied on its conflict of interest disclosure form about its work for pipeline builder TransCanada and other oil companies, according to research released today by Friends… Read more »
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For House Republicans, the season of oil and gas giveaways has begun
2013-06-6
As reported by Politico’s Andrew Restuccia, Tuesday, House Republicans will spend the summer trying to breathe new life into tired ideas filled with industry giveaways. It’s no wonder given these politicians receive huge contributions from the oil and gas industry. Ironically, these “conservatives” want more mandates and quotas for oil companies while also cutting common… Read more »
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Analysis: Colorado BLM failing to enact Obama energy reforms – creating red tape, uncertainty
2013-05-23
A stunning new analysis shows striking inefficiencies at work in Colorado that should infuriate anyone looking for a smarter approach to federal oil and gas leasing – including both conservationists and energy companies. In Colorado, leases sold by the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) have attracted nearly three times the number of costly, time-consuming lawsuits… Read more »
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Group’s new oil shale report contains wildly inaccurate claims
2013-05-9
The Institute for Energy Research (IER), recently posted a blog about oil shale that doesn’t have its facts straight. The IER blog falsely claims that the federal government put oil shale resources ‘under lock and key’. Oil shale companies have been awarded billions in taxpayer-funded subsidies and received research, development, and demonstration (RD&D) leases on publicly… Read more »
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Industry presentation on energy development misses a few facts
2013-04-26
Yesterday, we attended an industry webinar about the future of Bureau of Land Management (BLM) energy development on publicly owned lands – Master Leasing Plans (MLPs). The intent of MLPs is to reform BLM oil & gas leasing in order to ensure smart energy development by reducing red tape for industry and proactively protecting the… Read more »
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Western Energy Alliance spokesperson wins this week’s Pinocchio Award
2013-04-5
The oil industry is once again trying to re-write history. Kathleen Sgamma, spokesperson for industry mouthpiece Western Energy Alliance, claimed in a news story that more lands were put under protection than drilled, during President George W. Bush’s Administration. A quick review of the amount of lands leased for drilling compared to the amount of… Read more »
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Wall Street Journal Editorial Twists CRS Report Like a Drill Bit
2013-03-13
In an editorial today, the Wall Street Journal claimed a “sharp drop in production on federal lands is the direct result of Obama Administration policies.” They cherry pick statements from a Congressional Research Service (CRS) report to try and support their claim, but ignore sections of the report that directly refute them. The CRS report… Read more »
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Industry and allies twist facts on U.S. oil and gas production report
2013-03-6
Price and geology have incentivized oil and gas companies to drill on nonfederal lands in recent years.  Yet this fact hasn’t stopped industry group Western Energy Alliance (WEA) and Congressmen Ed Whitfield (R-KY.), who chairs the House Energy and Commerce Subcommittee on Energy and Power, from mischaracterizing a recent Congressional Research Service (CRS) report on… Read more »
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