Page 17 - The Voice 2017

THE IAGC IAGC WEIGHS IN AS NEW
ADVOCATES FOR FIVE-YEAR PLAN GETS
EXTENSION OF
PERMITS; BOEM UNDERWAY

AGREES TO
ONE-YEAR G&G
PERMITS he U.S. Department of the The IAGC and its allied trades'
Interior on 29 June 2017 comments on the Five-Year-Plan
Tannounced work on a new urged the Administration to fully
n August, the IAGC five-year offshore oil and gas leasing evaluate and consider all OCS areas
achieved another plan with a Request for Information in light of continued safety and
Isignificant victory and (RFI) for public input. The RFI environmental performance
step to ensure our members' considers leasing in the Atlantic OCS improvements and the expected
license to operate offshore and notes the "tremendous advances global economic and population
the U.S. As a result of in instrumentation and technology growth, energy efficiency
IAGC's successful for the acquisition and analysis of improvements and alternative
engagement with the G&G data" since the Atlantic was last energy sources which will not be
Administration and surveyed which demonstrate "the sufficient to meet anticipated U.S.
regulatory agencies, BOEM need to better understand the scope and global energy demand.
has agreed to extend all of existing resources."
existing and future
geophysical permits to one-
year terms. Previously,
BOEM permitted
geophysical survey activity DOI SECRETARIAL ORDER
for 2-month terms requiring
the applicant to request SEEKS TO OPEN ALASKA
frequent and successive
2-month extensions, for a FOR LEASING
maximum permit period of
one year. The IAGC's
success removes this
administrative burden for the aying, "The President has now U.S. Department of the Interior
applicant and the agency. declared that the war on North Secretary Ryan Zinke took a major
SAmerican energy is now over," step on 31 May toward opening the
North Slope of Alaska to energy
development. Secretary Zinke
ordered new geophysical studies on
the oil and gas potential of federal
land on the North Slope, including
the coastal plain of Arctic National
Wildlife Refuge (ANWR).

This is one of many steps resulting
from the IAGC's direct efforts to
ensure the geophysical industry
remains at the forefront of energy
exploration and development policies
and to communicate the message that
energy starts here.

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