CASPER, WY – Today, U.S. Senator John Barrasso (R-Wyo.) released the following statement on Secretarial Order 3354, signed by Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke.

The order addresses the backlog of energy permit applications at Bureau of Land Management (BLM) offices across the country—especially in Wyoming. It specifically calls for the development of a strategy to process permitting applications efficiently and effectively as well as the development of clear and actionable goals for reducing the permit processing time.

“For years, energy production has been bogged down by permitting delays in BLM offices across the West. If applications aren’t being approved, our economy suffers and we lose out on job opportunities in our local communities,” said Barrasso. “I’m encouraged that today’s secretarial order will get the ball rolling on making necessary reforms to help BLM field offices address the growing backlog. It’s important that BLM has a system in place that allows them to effectively and efficiently process these permits.”

According to the Department of Interior, as of January 31, 2017, the BLM had 2,802 applications for permit to drill (APDs) pending. The five BLM field offices with the highest number of pending APDs are listed below and account for approximately 74 percent of the total pending APDs.

• Casper, Wyoming: APDs pending: 526
• Vernal, Utah: APDs pending: 506
• Dickinson, North Dakota: APDs pending: 488
• Carlsbad/Hobbs, New Mexico: APDs pending: 388
• Farmington, New Mexico: APDs pending: 152

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