Because of the energy bill....
A pilot program has been created in seven Bureau of Land Management Offices in five western states to provide one-stop shopping for companies seeking federal permits to drill on their oil and gas leases. This program was created to eliminate months and even years of bureaucratic delays that have backlogged permits in these federally-approved areas. The new program will help bring 7 trillion cubic feet (almost half the annual U.S. consumption) of new gas to market in the next 15 years.
