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.