U.S. Senators Michael Bennet and Mark Udall hailed the passage of their bipartisan plan to promote job creation, support U.S. energy self-reliance and the responsible development of Colorado oil and gas resources. The bipartisan BLM Permit Processing Improvement Act of 2014, which passed late Tuesday, will streamline the oil and gas permitting process and ensure the Bureau of Land Management has the resources it needs to promote responsible energy development across the West.
The American Petroleum Institute, Independent Petroleum Association of America and the Western Energy Alliance supported the legislation.
“This bill will help make BLM more efficient and responsive to Coloradans and allow our state to better take advantage of our abundant energy resources in a responsible manner,” Bennet said. “It will ensure the agency has the resources and tools to work with and manage the needs of our energy producers while protecting our public lands. The House should act quickly to pass this bipartisan bill.”
“Colorado’s energy industry is showing the nation how we can create jobs and achieve true energy self-reliance, but permit backlogs at the BLM are holding us back. This common-sense and bipartisan plan will streamline the BLM’s permitting process and promote the responsible development of our abundant oil and natural gas resources,” Udall said. “I am proud the U.S. Senate passed this common-sense bill, and I urge the U.S. House of Representatives to quickly take it up.”
Bennet and Udall have championed Colorado’s energy industry, including working to streamline the permitting process for renewable energy projects on public lands. They also have fought to ensure Colorado receives its fair share of mineral leasing revenues, derived from energy development in the Centennial State.
The BLM Permit Processing Improvement Act of 2014, introduced earlier this year by U.S. Senators John Barrasso (R-Wyo.) and Tom Udall (D-N.M.), has 12 co-sponsors including Colorado’s U.S. senators.