American Oil and Gas Reporter - June 2022 - 40

seriously without any prejudgment of the
outcome. "
During the hearing, Senator Joe
Manchin, D-W.V., pointed to DOI's statement
that the leasing plan did not commit
to issue leases or allow new development
and expressed dismay. " It looks like you
are going to shut everything down, " he
countered. " It shows what your intent is.
" My frustration is at an all-time high
that we are talking to OPEC, Iran and
Venezuela to increase oil output while
we are at the same time blocking increased
energy production at home, " published
reports quote Manchin.
He is not the only Democrat pushing
the administration to expand federal
leasing. A May 4 letter from four Texas
House Democrats, representatives Vicente
Gonzalez, Sylvia Garcia, Henry
Cuellar and Lizzie Fletcher, urged Biden
to do more to meet global energy demand,
and cited other Democratic officeholders'
support.
" During U.S. Energy Secretary Jennifer
Granholm's speech at a recent International
Energy Agency ministerial meeting, she
stated fighting energy supply disruptions
and climate change was 'not a binary
choice,' " the letter says. " Additionally, a
2016 Obama-Biden administration Bureau
of Ocean Energy Management analysis
found that failing to implement a five-year
plan for offshore oil and gas development
would actually increase GHG emissions. "
Although Haaland's testimony marks
the first time the Biden administration
has hinted it will consider a new fiveyear
plan, LOGA's Moncla indicates that
the secretary's refusal to commit to include
new lease sales in the plan squelches any
reason for encouragement.
" What good is a new five-year plan
if there will be no new lease sales? " he
poses. " The whole purpose of the fiveyear
plan is to plan out new drilling in
the Gulf of Mexico over the coming
five years. This is nothing more than
showboating by the Biden administration,
and it is borderline insulting for Haaland
to insinuate that (the department) will
present a plan that doesn't include new
lease sales.
" So no, I don't see this as a step in the
right direction, " Moncla continues. " If
anything, it's a step backwards. This administration
continues to slap the oil and
gas industry directly in the face with its
attitude towards new drilling. "
NOIA faults the administration for
dragging its feet on a process required
by law. The association points out that
proposing a program is merely the
second of three lengthy phases in developing
a final leasing program. The
phase must include a 90-day comment
period on the proposed leasing program,
which will be followed by a comment
period on the programmatic environmental
impact statement that may extend
to 90 days, as well as a 60-day congressional
review period for the proposed
final program. These comment periods
add to the time it takes for the requisite
work to finalize the program and environmental
review.
" Interior has had 16 months to fulfill
its statutory obligation to develop and
maintain an offshore oil and gas leasing
program and it has failed, " NOIA's Milito
assesses. " No other administration has
failed in this way. Until now, every administration,
whether Democrat or Republican,
has recognized the critical,
strategic advantages of continued U.S.
offshore oil and gas production that are
achieved through an uninterrupted national
leasing program. The intentional
obstruction and delays in U.S. energy
development that we are now witnessing
have devastating consequences for Americans
at the gas pump, our national security,
global geopolitics, our near- and
long-term energy security, and highpaying
jobs across the country.
Frank Macchiarola, senior vice president
of policy, economics and regulatory
affairs for the American Petroleum Institute,
says Haaland's announcement
reveals DOI is significantly behind in
the multiyear leasing process. " The practical
effect of this is that it is unlikely
there will be offshore lease sales before
the end of 2023, " he predicts. " This is
one more example of the disconnect between
the administration's political rhetoric
and policy reality. As energy prices
and geopolitical volatility continue to
rise, we urge the administration to end
the continued mixed signals on energy
policy and remove regulatory hurdles
that are hindering American producers'
ability to increase supply and meet the
growing energy demand. "
❒
Texas Gets Power Supply Chain Map
AUSTIN, TX.-The Texas Electricity
Supply Chain Security and Mapping
Committee has adopted an electricity
supply chain map of critical infrastructure-the
first of its kind in the Lone Star
State-for use during disaster and emergency
preparedness and response.
" This map will save lives in Texas, "
affirms Thomas Gleeson, Public Utility
Commission of Texas executive director
and chairman of the mapping committee.
" Our agencies have collected an enormous
amount of critical information in one
place, available to state emergency officials
with a click of a mouse. That means
better coordinated preparedness before a
disaster and faster response times in an
emergency, to protect the Texas grid. "
" This map is an important tool to protect
all Texans during weather emergencies, "
assesses Wei Wang, Texas Railroad
Commission executive director and the
committee's vice chairman. " It is also a
40 THE AMERICAN OIL & GAS REPORTER
great example of how the agencies have
been collaborating. Our teams worked
shoulder-to-shoulder together and exchanged
a very large amount of data and
information. All the layers of facilities
on the map will help the state's planning
and response to fix problems in real time
and prioritize electricity service during
emergencies. "
According to the RRC, the map identifies
critical infrastructure facilities that
make up the state's electricity supply
chain, including electric generation plants
and the natural gas facilities that supply
fuel to power the plants. State emergency
management officials will use the map
during weather emergencies and disasters
to pinpoint the location of critical electric
and natural gas facilities and emergency
contact information for those facilities.
The map shows more than 65,000 facilities
including electricity generation
plants powered by natural gas, electrical
substations, natural gas processing plants,
underground gas storage facilities, oil
and gas well leases, saltwater disposal
wells, as well as more than 21,000 miles
of gas transmission pipelines and approximately
60,000 miles of power transmission
lines, the commission says.
In addition to infrastructure layers,
the RRC says the electricity supply chain
map includes elements such as Texas Division
of Emergency Management regions,
emergency contact information for facilities,
as well as visualization of weather
watches and warnings as they occur in
any part of the state. The map is an evolving
document, the commission notes, and
will be updated at least twice a year. ❒
View the industry's latest
leading indicators at
www.aogr.com!
http://www.aogr.com
American Oil and Gas Reporter - June 2022

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