A recent report from the Congressional Research Service found that oil and natural gas production on federal lands has declined since 2009 despite a boom in production on non-federal lands.
From 2009 to 2013, production of crude oil on non-federal lands increased 61 percent while production on federal lands fell six percent. Natural gas production increased 33 percent on non-federal lands and decreased 28 percent on federal lands during that time, according to the report.
House Energy and Commerce Committee Chairman Rep. Fred Upton (R-Mich.) said President Obama often cites the country’s energy boom, but gains have been despite administration policies that thwart energy production.
“Our committee and the full House of Representatives continues to pass legislation to allow America to fulfill its full energy potential – helping to cut red tape, speed up permitting and allow the construction of the Architecture of Abundance,” Upton said. “By expanding energy access and making it easier to produce on federal lands, the president has the opportunity to join us in this bipartisan effort and live up to his ‘all-of-the-above’ promises.”
According to the CRS report, there are 5.3 billion barrels of oil reserves on federal acreage onshore and 5.6 billion barrels of reserves offshore that are accessible under current policy, price and technology.
The time to process an applications to drill on federal lands, however, increased 41 percent from 2006 to 2011.
Federal lands hold approximately 85 trillion cubic feet of dry gas reserves, according to the report.
“The shale gas revolution on non-federal lands has transformed our economy and propelled America into the position of a global energy superpower,” House Subcommittee on Energy and Power Vice Chairman Rep. Steve Scalise (R-La.) said. “But we cannot become complacent with this progress. America can secure energy independence by developing all of our energy resources on both federal and non-federal lands. Unfortunately, the Obama administration has turned its back on energy exploration on federal lands, costing us hundreds of thousands of good jobs and billions in potential federal revenue.”
Subcommittee Chairman Rep. Ed Whitfield (R-Ky.) said America is producing more oil than it is exporting for the first time in two decades.
“We can continue to build on this success, but only if we have the right policies in place,” Whitfield said. “Just think of where we could be if we truly utilized all of our nation’s energy resources.”