TFI says new bill could impede energy flow

Washington-The Fertilizer Institute is urging Congress to oppose the “Energy Policy Reform and Revitalization Act” (H.R. 2337) recently introduced in the U.S. House of Representatives by Natural Resources Committee Chairman Nick Rahall (D-W.Va.). TFI said H.R. 2337 would repeal several important provisions of the “Energy Policy Act of 2005” that allow the U.S. Interior Department to expedite drilling for natural gas and other energy supplies. The bill would eliminate a 30-day deadline for the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) to process permit applications and a two-year deadline for designating right-of-way corridors for needed pipelines, transmission lines, and distribution facilities. The legislation would also direct BLM to amend its best management practices for directional drilling, well spacing, and wildlife habitat mitigation, slowing down efforts to bring much needed supplies of natural gas to U.S. consumers.