American Oil and Gas Reporter - July 2015 - 151

as an endangered species is a prominent
example of Alliance activity, adds Ekstrom, vice president of corporate and
government relations for Whiting Petroleum Corp. in Denver. Other key issues
include a lawsuit filed against the BLM
over the bureau's hydraulic fracturing
regulations for public and tribal lands.
In June, U.S. District Judge Scott Skavdahl granted a request to allow the cases
brought by the Alliance and the Independent
Petroleum Association of America to be
combined into a single lawsuit with those
filed by the states of Wyoming, Colorado,
North Dakota and Utah. The association's
lawsuit was designated as the lead case,
according to published reports.
Utah was the most recent state to take
legal action against the BLM rule (AOGR,
June 2015, pg. 14). Governor Gary Herbert
says the proposed rules "create an inconsistent, costly and inefficient regulatory
system that provides no additional environmental protection or public safety than
is offered by programs already enforced
by the state."
He adds that the rule could cost operators an additional $250,000 a well.
Six environmental groups have requested to join the case in support of the
federal rules. In the meantime, Judge
Skavdahl was scheduled to rule June 23

on motions filed by the states and trade
associations for injunctions to block the
June 24 implementation of the rules. (Editor's Note: Judge Skavdahl issued a
stay on the proposed regulations until
BLM could file its administrative record
with the court. See story page 45.)

Other Key Issues
Elsewhere, the Alliance says it joined
302 interested groups in supporting legislation in the U.S. Senate aimed at simplifying and streamlining the federal permitting process. S 280, the Federal Permitting Improvement Act, would coordinate responsibilities for environmental
reviews of permit applications, provide
concurrent agency reviews rather than
serial reviews, include state-level reviews
where available, improve transparency,
and shorten the window for filing protests
to 150 days from six years under National
Environmental Policy Act rules, the association summarizes.
The Alliance says it also supports a
greater role for states in regulating oil
and gas development on public lands. It
notes that in a letter to congressional
leaders, the governors of 12 states advocate
for states to take the lead on regulating
oil and gas development as well.
State agencies are "both more flexible

and effective in regulating the industry,"
the letter from the governors contends.
Alliance President Tim Wigley mentions that since November, the Alliance
has filed comments with federal agencies
on storage tank emissions rules, the Environmental Protection Agency's proposal
to lower the National Ambient Air Quality
Standard for ozone, revised greenhouse
gas reporting requirements, a proposal to
change how permits are issued for rights
of way on Indian lands, and the EPA's
and U.S. Army Corps of Engineer's redefinition of "waters of the United States"
under the Clean Water Act.
On the tax and royalty front, he says
the Alliance filed comments on the Office
of Natural Resources Revenue's proposal
to consolidate federal oil and gas royalty
valuations, saying it would "divert resources away from productive, revenue
generating activities and into complex
accounting and legal wrangling."
Wigley says the Alliance will remain
actively engaged in federal issues, no
matter what effect the market has on industry activity. "The price of oil does
not matter," he insists. "The federal government is not going to stop what companies are doing, and we must stay involved."
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American Oil and Gas Reporter - July 2015

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