Oil Companies Exceed Fed. Land Limit

snip

Since 1997, mainly as a result of mergers and acquisitions, six companies have exceeded the legal limit of 246,080 acres in lease holdings on public lands in states other than Alaska. But the Bureau of Land Management (news - web sites), in charge of enforcing the 1920 law, has chosen to extend compliance deadlines for years.

In fact, an Associated Press computer analysis found the Interior Department agency permitted companies it knew were in violation of the law in Wyoming to continue to acquire thousands of acres of new oil and gas leases in that state. The bureau has given the companies additional years to comply.

"They should not be purchasing leases," said Tom Lonnie, the bureau's assistant director for minerals, realty and resource protection. Before acquiring a lease, a company must certify that its holdings do not exceed the legal limit.

.....

The lax enforcement coincides with the Bush administration's push to open new public lands for oil and gas development. In March, bureau records showed 40 million acres of federal lands were under lease in the continental United States. That is 5.3 million more acres than when President Bush (news - web sites) took office.

more

http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=514&e=12&u=/ap/20040530/ap_on_go_ot/oil_leases_3

the new motto of the Bush Administration-Gee how about some conservation as part of an energy policy

who was in charge of the BLM in those days???

that big oil controls not just the Republicans but the Democrats as well ??? i must say i'm shocked at such an accusation ...

do you think our government is for sale ??? the next thing you know, you'll be arguing that the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq were fought to benefit the oil industry ... what could you be thinking !!!

Welcome to DU, Johnny Yuma ...

Welcome to DU!! :toast:

Duplicate, please continue discussion in this thread:

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=102&topic_id=591864