Comment Deadline re: Oil and Gas Policy

Oil rigs off Neahkahnie....just kidding, but this is why we need drilling regulations.

The Oregon Coastal Management Program has submitted a request for a program change concerning conservation of oil and gas to the federal Office for Coastal Management.  The department wants to change and update policies involving drilling for oil and gas in Oregon.

States with a coastal management plan recognized by the federal government can then demand “federal consistency” with the state’s coastal policies.  But the other side of the coin is that if a coastal state wants to change its policies, it must clear this with the feds.  That is what is happening here.

The public has until close of business on Aug. 17 to offer comments on the proposed changes, which largely have to do with permitting for drilling.  For details and supporting documents, and the portal for submitting comments, go here: https://coast.noaa.gov/czmprogramchange/#/public/change-view/1240.

The Oregon Coastal Management Program has submitted a program change request suppressant to 15 CFR §923.84 to the federal Office for Coastal Management.  

The request seeks to incorporate updates from the following materials into the federally-approved Oregon Coastal Management Program (OCMP):

• Oregon Revised Statute 520: Conservation of Gas and Oil

All public comments must be received by August 17, 2020.