Two policy statements concerning issues facing the upstream industry have been approved by the AAPG Executive Committee on behalf of the U.S. members of the Association.
In addition, the Executive Committee has directed a third policy statement on Regulation of Hydraulic Fracturing be published in the EXPLORER to allow member comments prior to the Executive Committee's final approval, which would make it the thirteenth statement adopted since 1988.
The statements were produced by - and will be distributed by - the AAPG Division of Professional Affairs Governmental Affairs Committee.
The two statements approved dealt with the U.S. National Energy Supply and Federal Land Withdrawals.
The National Energy Supply statement points out that the petroleum supply shortages that cause significant personal hardship and disruption to the U.S. economy "are likely to occur this winter and for several years beyond if Congress fails to implement a comprehensive national energy supply policy.
"The U.S. has the potential, through both the discovery of new oil and gas resources and the recovery of substantial additional reserves in known oil and gas fields, to eventually mitigate or avoid future petroleum supply shortfalls and resulting price shocks."
The Federal Land Withdrawals statement decries the "misguided application of the 1906 Antiquities Act, administrative withdrawals and other executive orders for massive withdrawals of land from multiple-use," stating that the actions "are misuse of otherwise good laws."
It states "the executive branch . . . should not be permitted to hold sole authority over public land usage, or unilaterally implement restrictive land use policies without congressional oversight and review."
The proposed Hydraulic Fracturing statement opposes blanket application of federally mandated controls concerning permitting of fracturing treatments due to the "wide variety of possible designs of safe fracture treatments, and the geologic relationships of reservoir beds and aquifers unique to each area."
The statement supports instead, scientifically designed, state-based environmental regulation related to fresh-water aquifers.
Topics of previous Position Papers of the Association include:
- Climate Change Policy.
- Tax Reform. Natural Gas Supply Concerns.
- Reformation of the Endangered Species Act. Reformation of the Clean Water Act - Wetlands Access.
- Offshore OCS Access. National Petroleum Reserve - Alaska Access.
- Alaska National Wildlife Refuge Access. Research and Development Needs of the Domestic Industry.
- Grandstaircase-Escalante Monument Access.
Click here to read the complete statements of all AAPG Position Papers.