THE HILL: Upton probes Interior’s offshore oil permitting, warns against delays
Washington, DC,
Dec 3 -
By Ben Geman -
Rep. Fred Upton (R-Mich.) – the frontrunner to lead the Energy and Commerce Committee – is pressing the Interior Department for information about offshore drilling permits and warning that new safety rules “must not be used as a delaying tactic” to slow projects.
A detailed letter from Upton to Interior late last month signals that he intends to pursue oversight of offshore drilling if he wins the committee gavel, even though energy development in federal waters is also major part of the Natural Resources Committee’s jurisdiction.
Upton’s Nov. 26 letter, obtained by The Hill, cheers Interior’s October decision to lift the deepwater drilling freeze imposed after the BP oil spill began, calling the ban a “job killing” policy.
“But I urge you not to replace it with a ‘Permitorium,’ a de facto moratorium on the grounds that no new permits are being issued,” states Upton’s letter to Michael Bromwich, director of Interior’s Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, Regulation, and Enforcement.
Interior, in lifting the deepwater ban, said companies must show compliance with beefed up safety rules to obtain drilling permits.
Upton calls safety of the “utmost importance” and writes that federal officials must ensure all rigs are ready to operate safely. But he adds, “safety must not be used as a delaying tactic.”
Upton is battling three other lawmakers seeking chairmanship of the Energy and Commerce Committee when Republicans take over the House next year.
The letter comes as Bromwich is urging Congress to fully fund Interior’s recent request for $100 million for new inspectors and enhanced oversight (lawmakers have provided only some of the money to date).
“Holding the entire offshore drilling industry hostage so that you can obtain more funding for your agency is unacceptable and wrong,” Upton writes.
“I seek your assurances that BOEMRE is indeed moving forward with the necessary inspections and is making significant progress towards the goal of getting the offshore drilling industry back to normal operating levels,” writes Upton, who is currently the ranking Republican on the Energy and Environment Subcommittee.
Upton and other Interior critics also say the agency is dragging its feet on permits for shallow-water projects.
The letter asks a series of questions about permits, inspections, the number of jobs lost as a result of the deepwater drilling freeze, and several other matters.
http://thehill.com/blogs/e2-wire/677-e2-wire/131855-upton-probes-interiors-offshore-oil-permitting-warns-against-delays
