Biden Admin Blames Math Error On Oil & Gas Permit Delays
May 22, 2022 15:23:26 GMT -5
Post by J.J.Gibbs on May 22, 2022 15:23:26 GMT -5
Biden Admin Blames Math Error On Massive Oil & Gas Permitting Delays
BY TYLER DURDEN
SUNDAY, MAY 22, 2022 - 12:35 PM
The Biden administration quietly acknowledged in an April letter to oil & gas industry execs that a "miscalculation" is responsible for a massive backlog in offshore drilling permits.
According to the April 29 letter from the head of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), Richard Spinrad, a subagency "discovered a miscalculation" that's responsible for the massive backlog, the Daily Caller reports.
Who's to blame? The National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) - which is responsible for analyzing the impact of offshore drilling projects on wildlife - used faulty modeling which overestimated the effects on wildlife.
"NMFS understands the concerns of industry and is working with [the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM)] to expeditiously develop … revised regulations," wrote Spinrad.
The NOAA administrator’s letter came in response to an April 5 letter from NOIA, the American Petroleum Institute and the EnerGeo Alliance, warning that energy producers had experienced significant permitting delays. In particular, oil and gas companies have reported delays in obtaining letters of authorization (LOA) from the NMFS to conduct pre-drilling activity, including seismic surveying and geological exploration, in the Gulf of Mexico. -Daily Caller
The faulty modeling was used by the Biden administration via an April 2021 regulation according to the industry groups.
According to the Department of Commerce, which oversees both NOAA and NMFS, the administration is "working to consider all possible solutions to expedite the rulemaking process to the greatest extent possible."
"NMFS is also engaged with affected members of industry and with industry trade associations as it considers both short-term and long-term solutions," the spokesperson told TheDCNF in an email. "The Commerce Department understands the concerns of industry and is working expeditiously to address the incorrect data it received for the initial rule and to proceed in earnest with the revised rule."
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