U.S. DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR: Acting Secretary Bernhardt Statement on President Trump's Executive Orders Promoting Energy Infrastructure and Economic Growth

U.S. Department of the Interior issued the following announcement on April 10.

President Trump signed two Executive Orders promoting energy infrastructure and economic growth. Acting U.S. Secretary of the Interior David Bernhardt released the following statement:

"Today’s executive orders to streamline permitting processes will further remove barriers to responsible development. I applaud President Trump for his leadership and ability to continue delivering on promises of advancing energy security, creating high paying jobs, supporting economic prosperity, and ensuring the reliability and affordability of domestic energy."

Under the Trump Administration, DOI:

• Achieved the second straight year of growth in federal energy and mineral revenues in 2018, from production on federal and American Indian lands and offshore areas. Since 2016, revenue from federal energy and minerals are up by more than 55 percent. (DOI Press Release, 11/1/18)
  • FY2017 – $7.11 billion, an increase of nearly $1 billion over President Obama’s last year in office.
  • FY2018 – $8.93 Billion, an increase of nearly $2 billion since FY17 and an increase of $3 billion since Obama’s last year in office.
• Approved the first-ever oil and gas production facility in federal waters off Alaska. (DOI Press Release, 10/24/18)
• Set a new record with $1.1 billion in 2018 onshore oil and gas lease sales. With this revenue, $500 million has gone back to states, providing support to key institutions like hospitals and public schools. (DOI Press Release, 2/6/19)
• Held a record-shattering oil and gas lease sale on Federal lands in New Mexico, grossing nearly $1 billion; the two-day sale brought in more revenue than all federal onshore oil and gas sales in 2017 combined. (DOI Press Release, 9/6/18)
• Significantly cut the time it takes to process Applications for Permit to Drill (APDs) on Federal lands by over 50 percent. (Scott Cameron Testimony, 3/26/19)
• Crafted a regulatory environment that helped create 60,000 new mining jobs in 2018. (Bureau of Labor Statistics)
• Altogether, Interior’s energy and mineral portfolio contributed an economic output of over $150 billion and supported an estimated 740,000 jobs nationwide in 2018. (DOI Budget in Brief, March 2019)
• Smashed the record for high bids received for offshore wind auctions, with $405 million in winning bids received for the December 2018 Massachusetts offshore wind auction. (DOI Announcement, 12/14/18)
• Approved solar projects on 43,700 acres of public land. (BLM Program Overview)

Interior manages onshore lands, subsurface rights, and offshore areas that produce approximately 19 percent of the Nation’s energy, including 16 percent of natural gas, 24 percent of oil, and 43 percent of coal. Federal lands also host projects that account for a significant portion of the Nation’s renewable energy generating capacity, including 15 percent of hydropower, 7 percent of windpower, 48 percent of geothermal energy, and 33 percent of solar energy. (DOI Budget in Brief, March 2019)

Original source can be found here.