DOI: $1.5T in U.S. Approved Projects Awaiting Permits


   
Maria Eugenia Garcia
DTN Refined Fuels Market Reporter

   HOUSTON, TX (DTN)--An estimated $1.5 trillion of approved projects in the 
United States cannot obtain permits, clogging the economy and reducing 
potential growth, said Secretary of the Interior Doug Burgum on Wednesday 
(3/25) during the CERAWeek by S&P Global conference.

   The U.S. is experiencing permitting delays on mining, oil and gas projects 
and other industries, due to duplicated reviews and slow multioffice 
handoffs. The DOI is working on compressing timelines, assigning dedicated 
permit teams, and integrating AI to accelerate approvals, Burgum said.

   Separately, Burgum noted that Alaska has been sitting on one of the most 
staggering untapped natural gas reserves in the world for decades. With every 
barrel of oil extracted from Alaska's North Slope over the past 50 years, vast 
quantities of associated natural gas have had nowhere to go, forcing operators 
to re-inject it back into the ground.

   Due to the scale of LNG resources estimated in trillions of cubic feet and 
additional gas reserves held in federal lease areas like the National Petroleum 
Reserve-Alaska -with 1.3 million acres across 87 tracts- the U.S. could supply 
Asian markets, Burgum said.




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