Zinke Unveils Massive Overhaul of Energy & Environmental Policies

DAVID REESE

 Virtually all federal energy policies will be overhauled, as will “burdensome” environmental protections, Secretary of the Interior Ryan Zinke said this week in a report on how he will “streamline” domestic energy production. The 44-page “Final Report: Review of the Department of the Interior Actions that Potentially Burden Domestic Energy” was released Wednesday. It takes broad swipes at the National Environmental Policy Act, the Endangered Species Act, fracking regulations, Arctic oil and coal mining rules, and outlines a number of Secretarial Orders Zinke has signed or will sign. Among the findings in the report is that the National Environmental Policy Act impedes domestic development of coal, oil, natural gas and nuclear energy. Accordingly, Zinke said, he has signed Secretarial Order 3358, to “establish the Executive Committee for Expedited Planning.” The Department of Interior oversees energy development on federal lands and waters, which generates roughly $10 billion a year, according to the report. The “Energy Burdens Report” is the Interior Department’s response to President Trump’s Executive Order 13783. The report “outlines the Trump Administration’s bold approach to achieving American energy dominance,” Zinke’s office said in a statement...more

Will be interesting to see if they do something similar for livestock grazing, rather than the comparatively paltry, pitiable and pathetic 6 to 12 “Outcome-Based Grazing Authorizations”  ;