Position on S. 15 and S. 1230

S. 15: Protecting States’ Rights to Promote American Energy Security Act and S. 1230: Memoranda of Understanding with State Oil and Gas Programs - NPCA opposes these pieces of legislation because they would strip the authority of the Bureau of Land Management to regulate oil and gas development on federal lands.

National park air, water, wildlife, visitor experiences, and other resources are at risk when oil and gas development is sited too close to park borders or is poorly regulated. The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) is charged with regulating oil and gas development on federal lands, and has gone through extensive public processes to develop rules that permit continued development of the resources while providing common-sense protections for national parks, visitor use, and other natural resources. Removing the authority of the BLM to regulate oil and gas development on public lands would put at risk all of the other uses and users—hikers, bikers, campers, fishermen, hunters, etc.—who utilize BLM public lands.