BLM delays e-filing drilling permit rule

Following an instruction from the White House to postpone by 60 days any new federal regulation that has been published in the Federal Register but has not gone into effect, the Bureau of Land Management has placed on hold a rule enabling the electronic filing of applications for permits to drill on federal land. The new rule was to have gone into effect on Feb. 9.

With limited exceptions, the rule makes online e-filing the required technique for the filing of applications to drill and notices of well staking. BLM has said that the e-filing system is part of an ongoing effort to increase the efficiency and transparency of the drilling permit review and approval process. The agency says that its new electronic filing system, which became fully operational in 2016, includes increased automation of the permitting process, allows operators to obtain real-time feedback on the status of their permits, makes the permitting process more transparent and enhances the agency’s ability to manage workflow. The agency anticipates that the new procedures will reduce the processing time for drilling permit applications by as much as 50 percent.

BLM says that the 60-day delay in implementing the new rule will enable the administration to review the rule.

- ALAN BAILEY