US no longer requires green analyses for oil and gas leases in Western States

The Trump Administration announced on Thursday that they will no longer be requiring environmental impact statements (EIS) for oil and natural gas leases in the U.S. West. This is a move to remove green barriers that will likely be challenged in court by environmental groups.

Interior Department released a statement saying that its Bureau of Land Management will no longer be required to prepare environmental impact assessments for approximately 3,244 oil-and-gas leases in Colorado, Montana and New Mexico.

Environmental impact statements provide a detailed analysis of the effects that federal actions will have on the environment. The National Environmental Policy Act, a 1970 U.S. law that governs the environment, requires them for major projects.

Donald Trump, the president of the United States, has been fighting NEPA requirements for years. On his first day in office on January 20, he signed an order to speed up energy permits by ordering the head of White House Council on Environmental Quality, to suggest eliminating NEPA requirements. This included consideration of greenhouse gases emissions for major projects.

Interior stated that the BLM was evaluating the options to comply with NEPA in the leasing decisions for oil and gas.

(source: Reuters)