WASHINGTON, D.C.— U.S. Senator John Barrasso (R-WY) delivered the following remarks at today’s Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee hearing on energy infrastructure legislation, including Barrasso’s bipartisan Natural Gas Gathering Enhancement Act (S. 411). Barrasso’s bill would prevent unnecessary venting and flaring from oil and gas wells by setting deadlines for and expedite the permitting of natural gas gathering lines located on federal land and Indian land. 

Excerpts of Senator Barrasso’s remarks:

“I want to touch on my bill, S. 411—the Natural Gas Gathering Enhancement Act and related legislation.

“The fact is the United States, I think, needs more oil and gas pipelines.

“We’re the world’s largest producer of oil and gas and we need a safe and reliable way to transport this energy to market—as a number of you have testified.

“We need more pipelines where the oil and gas is produced—in states like Wyoming, North Dakota.

“But we also need more pipelines where oil and gas is consumed—including New England. 

“I think it’s fair to say that the permitting process that we’ve heard today for pipelines is broken.

“After more than six and a half years, we still don’t have a decision on the Keystone XL pipeline. This is absurd.

“Over the last five years, we have seen significant amounts of natural gas vented and flared in states like North Dakota while New England continues to experience a shortage of natural gas—and this has resulted in some of the highest energy prices in the country.  

“So Senators Heitkamp, Hoeven, Enzi, and I have tried to address this problem by making it easier to capture natural gas that would otherwise be vented and flared.

“The bipartisan bill expedites the permitting process, gives some certainty for natural gas gathering lines—I think it’s critically important.”

Background: 

The Natural Gas Gathering Enhancement Act (S. 411) was introduced by Senator Barrasso on February 9, 2015 and is co-sponsored by Senators Heidi Heitkamp (D-ND), Mike Enzi (R-WY) and John Hoeven (R-ND).

The Natural Gas Gathering Enhancement Act would help reduce flaring by making it easier to site natural gas gathering lines across federal land and Indian land. 

The bill would, among other things:

• eliminate duplicative environmental reviews for natural gas gathering lines that are adjacent to or within an existing disturbed area or existing right-of-way corridor on federal land and Indian land; 

• require the Secretary of the Interior to issue rights-of-way for natural gas gathering lines on federal land within 90 days unless the Secretary finds the right-of-way would violate the Endangered Species Act or the National Historic Preservation Act; and

• require the Secretary of the Interior, in consultation with states and Indian tribes, to report annually to Congress on the progress made in expediting natural gas gathering lines on federal land and Indian land and to identify obstacles impeding that progress.

 The bill explicitly states that it would not affect laws requiring the consent of Indian tribes or individual Indians prior to the issuance of rights-of-way on Indian land. The bill also states that it would not affect the National Historic Preservation Act.

### 

https://www.barrasso.senate.gov

Twitter | Facebook | You Tube