The Obama administration said today that applications for oil wells and ancillary facilities in two national grasslands areas of North and South Dakota will be among 14 U.S. infrastructure projects to be expedited through permitting and environmental review processes.
In a news release, the administration called the expedition process "an important next step in the Administration's efforts to improve the efficiency of federal reviews needed to help job-creating infrastructure projects move as quickly as possible from the drawing board to completion."
The Little Missouri and Dakota Prairie National Grasslands are affected. Both are under the jurisdiction of the USDA Forest Service.
"This announcement comes as a result of the Presidential Memorandum President Obama issued in late August at the recommendation of his Council on Jobs and Competitiveness," the release said.
Obama directed federal agencies to expedite environmental reviews and permit decisions for a selected number of high-priority infrastructure projects "that will create a significant number of job, have already identified necessary funding, and where the the significant steps remaining before construction are within" the federal government's control, the release said.
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The administration said approximately 80 applications currently in file for oil wells and ancillary services in the North and South Dakota national grasslands.
"The expedited process involves early coordination with the U.S. Department of Interior Bureau of Land Management and use of the 390 Categorical Exclusion provided under the 2005 Energy Policy Act," the release said.
