CIPA is closely monitoring policy changes within the U.S. Interior Department as newly appointed Interior Secretary Doug Burgum starts implementing President Donald J. Trump’s energy agenda.
On his first day in office, Secretary Burgum signed six orders aimed at maximizing domestic energy production, reducing regulatory burdens, and expediting the permitting process for oil, gas, and mineral development.
Key directives include:
Streamlining Energy Permitting: Agencies must identify legal and emergency authorities to accelerate project approvals and reduce bureaucratic delays.
Regulatory Rollbacks: The Interior Department plans to eliminate at least 10 regulations for every new one introduced.
Offshore & Federal Lands Development: One of Burgum’s orders reverses restrictions on offshore oil and gas leasing imposed under President Biden, while another encourages resource extraction on federal and state lands in Alaska.
National Monument Review: The Interior Department will also reassess national monument boundaries created under previous administrations. This review could impact areas such as Bears Ears and Grand Staircase-Escalante in Utah, where significant coal and uranium reserves exist.
These measures highlight the importance of energy security, economic growth, and decreasing dependence on foreign oil. However, environmental groups and Democratic lawmakers are pushing back and are prepared to file legal challenges.
As discussed in our board meeting in Sacramento last week, CIPA members are planning a trip to Washington, D.C. to meet with the Department of the Interior, Energy, and the Environmental Protection Agency.
For more information, contact Sean Wallentine.