On federal land, oil and gas companies have more than 24 million acres under lease but close to half are not producing, partly due to speculative bidding.
California Governor Gavin Newsom signed a controversial oil and gas bill that could lead to more state oversight of refineries on Monday following a 42-16 vote to approve it in the state Assembly.
A number of oil and gas leases in southern Utah, one of which was so controversial that seven Democratic U.S. senators urged the federal government to cancel it, are now the subject of an environmental lawsuit.
The Colorado Senate unanimously approved a now-bipartisan bill that will implement new protections for waters left vulnerable by a U.S. Supreme Court decision that narrowed the reach of the Clean Water Act.
Democrats in the Colorado Senate on Saturday approved a pair of bills levying a new fee on oil and gas production and tweaking pollution laws, sending the compromise package negotiated by industry and environmental groups to the House.
The bill was a top climate priority for the governor this session but critics questioned the cost and whether the state could keep sensitive corporate data safe from hackers.
A federal court judge in Anchorage dismissed two challenges against ConocoPhillips’ Willow project, saying plaintiffs failed to show that the federal government made significant mistakes when it approved the project.
Aubrey Bertram writes, "The amount of public lands available for oil and gas leasing is just one glaring indication among many that the Department of the Interior has, for far too long, favored private interests over the American public."