Overview of Oil and Gas Permitting – Issues Faced by the Bureau of Land Management in Wyoming

Alan Rabinoff, Deputy State Director, Minerals & Lands, Bureau of Land Management, Wyoming State Office, 5353 Yellowstone Rd, Cheyenne, WY 82003, phone: (307) 775-6148, [email protected]

Wyoming has become the focus intense drilling activity in recent years, and much of that drilling activity has been on lands managed by the Bureau of Land Management (BLM). As drilling activity has increased, there have been increasing demands on the bureau in terms of processing drilling permits, impact analysis, and mandated planning. This presentation will review a number of issues: the status of drilling permits, latest statistics, backlogs, BLM staffing levels, budgets, and improving efficiency in the permitting process. Other issues that impact the permitting process include appeals, protests, and other challenges. In addition, this presentation will also review the status of Resource Management Plans in several field offices in Wyoming and how the BLM planning process affects oil and gas leasing and operations.