Bureau of Land Management

New Interior Department drilling rule relies on industry-sponsored database

The Canadian PressMay 16, 2013 16:47

WASHINGTON - Companies that drill for oil and natural gas on federal lands will be required to disclose publicly the chemicals used in hydraulic fracturing operations, the Obama administration said Thursday. The new "fracking" rule replaces a draft proposed last year that was withdrawn amid industry complaints that federal regulation could hinder an ongoing boom in natural gas production.

Federal agency postpones all oil and gas lease auctions in California, citing budget problems

The Canadian PressMay 7, 2013 19:25

SAN FRANCISCO - Federal land managers are postponing all oil and gas lease auctions in California until October, citing budget problems and low staffing, and the toll of environmental litigation. The U.S. Bureau of Land Management announced Tuesday it would put off an auction planned for later this month to sell leases to drill almost 1,300 acres of prime public lands near the Monterey Shale, home to one of the largest deposits of shale oil in the nation.

COLUMN-Tribes call for faster drilling on Indian lands: Kemp

Thomson ReutersFebruary 5, 2013 11:31

(John Kemp is a Reuters market analyst. The views expressed are his own) By John Kemp LONDON, Feb 5 (Reuters) - Native American communities are often portrayed as victims of avaricious oil and gas drillers and pipeline companies, who despoil the prairie with little thought for sacred sites. In fact, tribes are some of the largest petroleum developers in the United States and are pressing the federal government for more control over drilling on their own territory.