After the U.S. Forest Service proposed regulation changes in September that “would promote domestic oil and gas production by allowing industry to begin production more quickly,” the public was only given 30 days to comment — and environmental groups are furious, Outside Online reports, both at the prospect of the changes and what they see as a lack of transparency in what they’re really for.
“What they want to do is clear and pave the way for faster permits for the oil and gas industry,” Kristin Davis, a staff attorney with the Southern Environmental Law Center, told Outside.
This comes at the expense of the concerns of the public, argues Sam Evans, a senior attorney at the group.
“There’s not a single reference to what the risks associated with this [drilling] activity will be, not to mention accelerating it,” Nada Culver, senior counsel for the Wilderness Society, told Outside.
For the Trump administration, this is one component of a larger goal to increase the amount of energy production in the United States, Outside reports. This includes action items like potential offshore drilling expansion to deconstructing methane rules.
According to Outside, discussions aren’t over yet: “The Forest Service will draft new regulations and publish them for public review and comment sometime next year.”
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