API: Exploration of the Outer Continental Shelf is critical for expanding domestic energy supplies
Carlton Carroll | 202.682.8114 | carrollc@api.org
WASHINGTON, June 2, 2011 –The American Petroleum Institute today welcomed action by the House Energy and Commerce Committee to approve The Jobs and Energy Permitting Act with bipartisan support which would provide an orderly and consistent permitting process for oil and gas exploration in the nation’s Outer Continental Shelf (OCS).
“This bill will help companies obtain air quality permits so that they can drill in the OCS,” said Erik Milito, API’s group director for upstream and industry operations. “Development of new oil resources in the Alaskan OCS will open the door to potential new domestic energy supplies. “It is encouraging to see that members of both parties in the House Energy and Commerce Committee recognize the importance of the OCS to our nation’s energy security and as a source for job creation and revenues to the federal treasury.”
“By streamlining the air permit process, the bill would also encourage the exploration of new energy resources in areas of the OCS like the Chukchi and Beaufort Seas north of Alaska, or in areas under study for future leasing off the Atlantic Coast,” Milito said.
The legislation clarifies the intent of the 1990 Clean Air Act governing air permits that emissions from drilling operations should be measured in terms of their impacts onshore, and that the drilling operation—not vessels that come and go—should be considered the emissions source, according to API. It also provides a clear timetable for agency action on these air permits, and provides a right of appeal for judicial review directly to federal court without need for additional administrative review.
API represents more than 470 oil and natural gas companies, leaders of a technology-driven industry that supplies most of America’s energy, supports 9.2 million U.S. jobs and 7.7 percent of the U.S. economy, delivers $86 million a day in revenue to our government, and, since 2000, has invested over $2 trillion in U.S. capital projects to advance all forms of energy, including alternatives.
Legal Disclaimer:
EIN Presswire provides this news content "as is" without warranty of any kind. We do not accept any responsibility or liability for the accuracy, content, images, videos, licenses, completeness, legality, or reliability of the information contained in this article. If you have any complaints or copyright issues related to this article, kindly contact the author above.
