"Interior: Key Obama-Era Leasing Reform To Get The Ax"

"Among the federal regulations targeted by the Interior Department for elimination is a key Obama-era leasing reform strategy designed to guide oil and natural gas development away from areas with high natural and cultural resource values.

Interior plans to rescind the use of master leasing plans (MLPs), which has allowed the Bureau of Land Management in specific instances to keep energy development away from national parks and other environmentally sensitive areas. The MLPs were a key component of federal onshore leasing reforms the Obama administration rolled out in early 2010.

Interior's 44-page report, released this week, says the agency is working on "ending" the use of MLPs by year's end. Instead, BLM will use individual resource management plans to guide where energy development will be allowed on public lands."

Scott Streater reports for Greenwire October 27, 2017.