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The Federal Lands Freedom Act: Empowering States to Control Their Own Energy Futures

The Federal Lands Freedom Act: Empowering States to Control Their Own Energy Futures

Full Title: The Federal Lands Freedom Act: Empowering States to Control Their Own Energy Futures
Author(s): Katie Tubb and Nicolas D. Loris
Publisher(s): The Heritage Foundation
Publication Date: February 1, 2015
Full Text: Download Resource
Description (excerpt):

The United States is now the world’s leader in both natural gas and oil production— centuries’ worth of oil, natural gas, and coal resources lie beneath private property as well as under lands owned by state governments. While federally owned lands are also full of energy potential, a bureaucratic regulatory regime has mismanaged land use for decades. The tremendous economic benefits of open energy markets and the proven track record of the individual states’ regulatory structures dictate a re-examination of the way the federal government manages re- sources on federal lands. The Federal Lands Freedom Act gives states the authority to administer leasing, permitting, and regulatory pro- grams for development of all energy resources on federal lands. States are already well positioned to help make a transition to better management of these resources. While Congress should pursue opportunities to reduce the size of the federal estate, the Federal Lands Freedom Act is a significant step toward better management of America’s lands and natural resources.

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