“We are ready to work with the Trump Administration to create jobs and economic opportunities.” – Sgamma
Kathleen Sgamma of the Western Energy Alliance says the Obama Administration is rushing through new anti-oil and gas rules, including illegally cancelling leases in the Bridger-Teton National Forest of Wyoming.
The US Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) has issued the Final Supplemental Environmental Impact Statement regarding oil and natural gas leasing in the Bridger-Teton National Forest, which will result in the “unlawful” cancellations of 39,490 acres of leases sold by the Bureau of Land Management in 2006.
“We are well aware that the Obama Administration is rushing to get as many job-killing regulations in as possible before its final expiration, but this retroactive cancellations of leases takes it a step further” said Sgamma, president of the Alliance, in a press release.
“Not only is it another attempt to rewrite history, but the Agriculture Department isn’t even following basic procedures required by the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA).
Sgamma claims following regulation would mean the formal decision couldn’t be made until after Jan. 20, when President-elect Donald Trump’s administration assumes office.
“The failure to follow regulation should make it easier for the Trump Administration to overturn this unlawful act,” she said.
This latest retroactive cancelation of leases joins two other such actions in the White River National Forest of Colorado and the Badger-Two Medicine area of Montana. All these involve leases, which are property rights, sold a decade or more ago. Retroactively denying property rights long after those rights were granted is contrary to basic American jurisprudence.”
Sgamma says the Master Leasing Plan (MLP) for Moab and preliminary alternatives for the San Rafael Desert MLP were also released last week .
“MLPs are the result of an unlawful executive action in 2010 with neither congressional authority nor an open, public rule-making process,” she said.
“MLPs add yet another layer of NEPA analysis that’s intended to further delay or prevent responsible energy development in the West. We are ready to work with the Trump Administration to create jobs and economic opportunities that have been prevented for eight long years.”
