Regulacje i polityka gospodarcza · 28.11.1995

Onshore Oil and Gas Operations

The Department of the Interior, through the Bureau of Land Management (BLM), proposes to amend the provisions of 43 CFR Part 3160 that address BLM's responsibility for managing oil and gas operations on lands administered by the United States Forest Service (Forest Service). This action is being taken to clarify the regulations implementing the Federal Onshore Oil and Gas Leasing Reform Act of 1987 (Reform Act), to establish clearly that BLM's responsibility on National Forest System (NFS) lands is limited to the approval of applications for permit to drill (APD), the approval of other development or operational proposals involving subsurface activity, related impacts, and any appeals regarding the same. On NFS lands the approval of an APD does not, in itself, constitute approval of the surface use plan of operations (SUPO). Surface use plans of operations on NFS lands require separate approval by the Forest Service, and all appeals related to the SUPO are appeals from the decision of the Forest Service. Agency responsibilities under this rule and the Reform Act are determined on the basis of subsurface (BLM) and surface (Forest Service) authority for oil and gas operations on NFS