Arctic refuge drilling to get speedy permit review, U.S. says
NEW YORK (Bloomberg) -- The Trump administration has a plan in place to speed up permit reviews for drilling in Alaska鈥檚 Arctic National Wildlife Refuge if Congress approves exploration there, an advisor to the U.S. Interior Department said Thursday.
鈥淲e do have a plan for expediting that," Vincent DeVito, the energy counselor to Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke, said at an S&P Global Platts conference in New York. For the U.S., he said, 鈥渢he pathway toward energy dominance runs through Alaska."
He declined to predict a timeline for the process, but said the department is getting 鈥渁 regular stream" of inquiries from industry about the potential for exploring in the area.
The tax overhaul moving through Congress would open a portion of the refuge for oil and natural-gas drilling, handing Republicans and the industry a victory after 40 years of vying with environmental opponents. The administration is dedicated to using public lands 鈥渞esponsibly,鈥 he said.