API Comments to the Draft Resource Management Plan and Draft Environmental Impact Statement for the BLM Carlsbad Field Office, New Mexico

API has consistently supported access to natural gas and oil resources under Federal administration in a manner that allows environmentally responsible development and appropriate management and protection of habitat, wildlife and other resources. We believe this balance is achievable on the public lands that the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) administers in the CFO planning area where crude oil and natural gas resources of national and strategic significance are located.

The Permian Basin stands out as a region with both a strong history of oil and gas production and the potential to provide resources at scale for decades to come. The CFO planning area encompasses key portions of the Permian Basin, which is the most prolific onshore play in the nation and includes some of the most critical acreage anywhere in the United States. The RMP/EIS will affect the development plans for 2.1 million surface acres and 2.7 million mineral estate acres within the CFO planning area, which has been engaged in oil and gas drilling for nearly a century. The continued development of the resources within the CFO planning area balances conservation strategies and policies with the need to create jobs that directly align with the purpose of Secretarial Order No. 3349. Additionally, continued development within the CFO planning area aligns with Presidential Executive Order No. 13783 issued March 28, 2017 on Promoting Energy Independence and Economic Growth, which highlights the national interest in promoting the clean and safe development of the federal energy resources while avoiding regulatory burdens that would encumber energy production and prevent job creation.

For these and additional reasons detailed in the submitted API comment letter, we endorse the letter dated November 5, 2018 sent to the Bureau of Land Management’s Carlsbad Field Office by NMOGA providing comments to the CFO RMP/EIS document. We support the efforts of NMOGA and its members to promote safe and environmentally responsible development of the oil and natural gas resource endowment found in New Mexico, and trust that you will give their comments due consideration in the final document and Record of Decision.

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API Comments to BLM Carlsbad RMP and DEIS

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