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Tag: US Forest Service

  • U.S. Moves To Fast-Track Oil, Gas Drilling On National Forest Lands – KXL

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    Sun shines through Douglas fir trees in the Willamette National Forest in Oregon. (AP Photo/Amanda Loman, File)

    WASHINGTON, DC – The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Forest Service on Tuesday finalized revisions to its rules governing oil and gas development on National Forest System lands, a move the Trump administration says will speed permitting and boost domestic energy production but that has drawn concern from officials in the Pacific Northwest over potential environmental harm.

    The updated regulation, published in the Federal Register, streamlines how federal agencies manage oil and gas leasing across millions of acres of public land. Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins and Interior Secretary Doug Burgum said the changes align with President Donald Trump’s executive orders declaring a national energy emergency and calling for expanded U.S. energy production.

    “President Trump has made it clear that unleashing American energy requires a government that works at the speed of the American people, not one slowed by bureaucratic red tape,” Rollins said in a statement. She said the revisions would give energy producers more certainty while “safeguarding forests and communities.”

    Burgum said the rule replaces what he described as delays under the previous administration with a more efficient system that will “boost production, slash energy costs, and guarantee our global leadership.”

    The final rule, known as 36 CFR 228 Subpart E, updates federal oil and gas leasing procedures to allow the Forest Service and the Bureau of Land Management to coordinate more closely when issuing permits. It establishes a single leasing decision point and reduces duplicative environmental reviews, steps the agencies say will reduce backlogs and speed decisions on applications to drill.

    Under federal law, the Forest Service manages the surface of national forest lands, while the BLM oversees subsurface mineral rights. The agencies jointly develop permitting conditions under their separate authorities.

    According to federal data, 5,154 oil and gas leases currently cover about 3.8 million acres — roughly 2% — of National Forest System lands. About 2,850 of those leases, spanning 1.8 million acres across 39 national forests and grasslands, have producing oil or gas wells.

    Officials in Oregon and Washington, however, have expressed concern that faster leasing and permitting could threaten the region’s natural beauty and sensitive ecosystems, arguing that federal policies should prioritize environmental protection and recreation alongside energy development in the Pacific Northwest’s forests and public lands.

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    Tim Lantz

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  • Forest Service tribal liaisons work to bridge gap between federal government, Indigenous communities

    Forest Service tribal liaisons work to bridge gap between federal government, Indigenous communities

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    PUEBLO, Colo. — The U.S. Forest Service is working to bridge the gap between the federal government and Indigenous communities through the work of tribal liaisons.

    Dr. Jason Herbert was hired to serve as the first tribal liaison for the Pike-San Isabel National Forests & Cimarron and Comanche National Grasslands region. He started his position in August 2023.

    “The idea behind this is to better administer these lands by talking to the Indigenous stakeholders here, the people who have always lived here in Colorado, western Kansas,” said Herbert. “There are tribal leads liaisons throughout the federal government, whether you’re talking about the National Forest Service, the United States Forest Service, Fish and Wildlife, National Park Service, Bureau of Land Management. There are tribal liaisons everywhere.”

    Herbert said the start of his new position consists of a lot of learning, both from other Colorado tribal liaisons, tribal leaders and the landscape itself.

    “If I was going to come out here, I felt like I owed tribes my due diligence to come out here and learn these landscapes that they call home,” said Herbert. “My job is to talk to people. And ultimately, that’s all a tribal liaison does is I want to make sure that tribal voices are being heard within our national forest system.”

    Ultimately, Herbert said his goal is to ensure everyone benefits from a better administration of the federal land.

    “The whole reason we have these national forests is because we have a 250-year-old system of colonialism,” Herbert said. “The reason why I’m out here is because the people who call Colorado home were violently removed from these landscapes. Now, I don’t tell people that to upset them or to make them feel guilty. You didn’t do this, but you are responsible. And by that, I mean, you’re responsible for learning about these pasts, right? So that we can create a better present, so we can create a better future.”

    A historian at heart, Herbert said he wants to first establish a real working relationship with tribes based on trust.

    “The only way to do that is to be humble, is to be serious about the nature of the job,” said Herbert. “I look at myself here as a guest upon these lands. And in my position, I have to. These are native lands.”

    “I don’t think it’s too much to do right by tribes and the United States Forest Service. We can accomplish both of those things,” Herbert continued. “When you change the landscape, you change culture. When you change the culture, you threaten the viability of people. That’s what’s at stake here is making sure that we honor these landscapes and manage them in ways that are appropriate to Indigenous communities.”

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    Colette Bordelon

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