Government eases rules on drilling

[Judi Lynn]

Oct. 19, 2005, 12:17AM

Government eases rules on drilling
Aggressive push has some worried about environment
By JOHN HEILPRIN
Associated Press

WASHINGTON - In an aggressive push by the Bush administration to open more public land to oil and natural gas production, the Interior Department has quit conducting environmental reviews and seeking comments from local residents every time drilling companies propose new wells.

Field officials have been told to begin looking at issuing permits based on past studies of an entire project, even though some of those assessments may be outdated.

President Bush and Congress authorized the streamlining as part of a 1,724-page energy bill signed into law in August. Bureau officials, saying the need for energy supplies is immediate, showed unusual speed implementing it. Kathleen Clarke, the agency's director, sent out the new guidance Sept. 30.

"Yes, it is a priority of the White House," bureau Deputy Director Jim Hughes said in an interview. "We are moving expeditiously to implement the law. We think all these items will increase the supply this winter. However, everyone is saying it won't be enough to wipe out the impact of the hurricanes and all that."
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http://www.chron.com/cs/CDA/ssistory.mpl/business/3402676
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[liberal N proud]

1. They can drill for all the oil they want, but the refineries are still

below pre hurricane levels.
This is an excuse by the bu$h regime to get away with destruction of our pristine wilderness areas.

[alarimer]

2. I was shocked to see a new well on the Padre Island National

Seashore. It is far enough donw the island that they would have needed to build a road to get the equipment there. More destruction of what was a fairly pristine areas. I hate these fuckers so much.