Cubin Hearing on Oil and Gas Development on Public Lands

By Christine Lichtenfels

On July 12, Wyoming's U.S. Representative Barbara Cubin held a field hearing in Rawlins on oil and gas development on public lands. Rep. Cubin, a member of the House Resources Committee and Chair of the Subcommittee on Energy and Mineral Resources, also serves as Vice-Chair of the all-Republican "Task Force on Affordable Natural Gas" established by House Speaker Dennis Hastert.

Study Shows Money Equals Votes: Oil and Gas Industry #1 Funder Of Rep. Cubin According to a recent Associated Press analysis of campaign finance data from the nonpartisan Center for Responsive Politics, the biggest recipients of interest group money in the U. S. House of Representatives voted the way their big donors wanted. If a special interest gives a lawmaker a lot of money, the likelihood is very high that the lawmaker will vote in support of that interest. Data on www.opensecrets.org reveals that the leading contributor in each of Rep. Cubin's campaigns has been the oil and gas industry. In each campaign cycle beginning in 1994, oil and gas companies contributed at least 50% more money to her campaign than any other industry. Although campaigns in Wyoming are inexpensive compared to other states, Cubin ranks twelfth in the House in contributions from the oil and gas industry for the 2002 campaign cycle. Of the top twelve House recipients of oil and gas money, Cubin ranks #1 in the percentage those contributions constitute of the total money spent on each representative's 2002 campaign.

WOC Executive Director Dan Heilig was invited to testify at the hearing, serving as the sole representative of conservation interests in a group of witnesses that included four oil and gas industry representatives, Wyoming BLM Director Bob Bennett, Wyoming State Geologist Lance Cook, Wyoming Stock Growers Association Executive Director Jim Magagna, and Shaun Andrikopolous, a rancher in the Upper Green River Valley.

After an Energy Policy Conservation Act (EPCA) study, requested by Cubin, found that 88% of the Rocky Mountain region's "technically recoverable" natural gas resources are, in fact, available for development (contrary to the Bush Administration's National Energy Policy's claims that as much as 40% had been placed off limits to development), industry and the administration have shifted their focus to "streamlining" development approval processes and blaming "frivolous" appeals by conservation groups for development delays (ignoring several successful appeals by WOC and other groups which, by definition, are not frivolous). Nevertheless, the hearing addressed "impediments" to development.

It was in this heated atmosphere that Dan testified on a sweltering July Saturday. Given only five minutes, he noted that:

• Many oil and gas projects have been approved without appeals;
• Over 40% of the producing oil and gas wells on federal lands in the United States are in Wyoming;
• BLM field offices approve approximately 85% of industry requests for exceptions to stipulations placed on leases to protect wildlife;
• The Federal Land Policy and Management Act mandates multiple use, which does not necessarily mean all uses at all times, but requires "harmonious and coordinated management of the various resources without permanent impairment of the productivity of the land and the quality of the environment with consideration being given to the relative values of the resources and not necessarily to the combination of uses that will give the greatest economic return or the greatest output."; and
• Development of our abundant wind resources is an important step towards achieving a reliable supply of domestic energy. Establishing a national renewable portfolio standard, requiring every power company to produce at least 20% of its energy portfolio from renewable (non-hydro) sources by 2020, could greatly spur wind and solar energy development nationwide.

The other witnesses provided a range of comments, some predictable, others less so. Notably, State Geologist Lance Cook stated that "there may very well be no quick fix" to the energy supply problem. Gas price oscillations deterring investment, as well as limited gas pipeline transmission capability in Wyoming, are two important economic pressures limiting current gas production.

Rancher Shaun Andrikopolous testified about the inequities faced by surface owners and the dire need for legislation to protect the existing property rights of surface owners. His ranch in the Upper Green is under serious threat from CBM development as part of the South Piney project.

Jim Magagna of the Wyoming Stock Growers Association likewise stressed the need for the BLM to provide surface owners more timely and complete notice of drilling activities on their lands.

To read Dan's and others' testimony, go to: www.house.gov/resources/108cong/energy/2003jul12/agenda.htm