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House clips EPA's wings on drilling permits
House lawmakers on Friday agreed to Rep. Don Young’s (R-Alaska) proposal to prevent the Environmental Protection Agency’s Environmental Appeals Board from blocking air pollution permits required for offshore drilling projects. The vote was 243-185.
Young’s amendment to the federal spending bill follows the board’s late December decision to remand air permits that oil giant Shell needed for planned drilling in Arctic waters off Alaska’s coast.
The decision enraged Young and other Alaska lawmakers.
His amendment to the fiscal year 2011 continuing resolution states that no funds in the bill "may be used by the Environmental Appeals Board to consider, review, reject, remand, or otherwise invalidate any permit issued" for Arctic coast projects.
The lack of permits is among the reasons that Shell has abandoned plans to begin drilling this year.
