Denver Post
Interior Secretary Ken Salazar
The federal Bureau of Land Management is moving to an online drilling permit system that could cut permitting time – a sore point for western operators – by two-thirds to as little as 60 days.
It has taken as long as 298 days to get a permit, according to the Western Energy Alliance, a trade group.
“By upgrading and improving our oil and gas drilling permit processing systems and technologies we believe we can improve efficiencies while ensuring thorough reviews for safety and compliance,” Interior secretary Ken Salazar said in a statement.
The new system will enable companies to file applications for permits to drill online and to respond to questions and update the filing electronically.
Paper applications are currently filed and neither the driller nor the public can access them. Most of the delays are from waiting for more information from the companies, according to the agency.
The new system, which will be in full operation in May 2013, will enable companies and the public to track the progress of applications.
“We’re glad that BLM is taking such positive steps to decrease regulatory times lines, which for many years have created extreme uncertainty for companies,” said Kathleen Sgamma, the Western Energy Alliance vice president of government and public affairs.
Article source: http://blogs.denverpost.com/thebalancesheet/2012/04/03/oil-gas-leasing-west-streamlined-obama-administation/4146/
