Today’s Key Takeaways: Cutting review times for oil and gas leasing in half? Pebble lawsuit stays on hold. UAE energy investments in US will rise five-fold.
OIL & GAS:
Interior slashes review times for oil and gas leasing
Ian M. Stevenson, E & E News, May 14, 2025 (subscription required)
The Interior Department announced a new policy Tuesday designed to speed up and expand oil and gas leasing on public land.
The plan shortens lease parcel reviews by Interior’s Bureau of Land Management to six months — a timeline that could cut review times in half from what they were during the last two years of the Biden administration.
BLM manages 245 million acres of federal land and 700 million acres of subsurface mineral estate, making its decisions closely watched by the energy industry as well as conservation groups. In a news release, Interior pointed to President Donald Trump’s push to open up more land for development while cutting review times.
“Under President Trump’s leadership, we are ending the unnecessary delays and bureaucratic roadblocks that have held back American energy production for too long,” Adam Suess, acting assistant secretary for land and minerals management at Interior, said in a statement.
MINING:
Northern Dynasty approves 30-day extension
A.J. Roan, North of 60 Mining News, May 15, 2025
Pebble lawsuit stays on hold as key federal positions remain unfilled.
Northern Dynasty Minerals Ltd. May 14 announced that it has consented to a request by the Environmental Protection Agency and U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to extend the current abeyance in ongoing litigation over the Pebble project by an additional 30 days, allowing more time for the new administration to review the case.
In the wake of ongoing changes in the new administration, EPA and USACE initially requested a 90-day pause in February to allow the agencies time to fill key roles and to familiarize themselves with the case surrounding Pebble.
Given the procedural history and regulatory scope of the matter, the agencies have now requested an additional 30-day extension, citing the continued absence of key appointments as personnel transitions remain underway.
According to Northern Dynasty, one of the primary factors in the request is the continued vacancy in the position of Assistant Attorney General for the Environment and Natural Resources Division of the U.S. Department of Justice – a role central to federal litigation strategy and agency coordination.
“We have not objected to the request for this additional and shorter abeyance because there still is not a confirmed Assistant Attorney General for the Environment and Natural Resources Division of the Justice Department in place,” said Northern Dynasty President and CEO Ron Thiessen. “This is an important position in any negotiation between a project proponent and a regulator, and for a process that could, hopefully, remove the veto and re-start the permitting process.”
The current pause is now scheduled to expire in mid-June unless the court approves a further extension or proceedings resume.
POLITICS:
UAE to up value of US energy investments to $440 billion by 2035
Youse Saba, Reuters, May 16, 2025
- UAE says value of energy investments in US to rise five-fold
- US firms to invest $60 billion in UAE energy projects
- Trump says there is progress on UAE’s $1.4 trillion pledge
DUBAI, May 16 (Reuters) – The United Arab Emirates plans to raise its energy investments in the United States to $440 billion in the next decade, it said on Friday, boosting U.S. President Donald Trump’s efforts to secure major business deals on a Gulf tour.
The wealthy oil power’s strategy – which aligns with global growth ambitions for its companies – was announced during a presentation by Abu Dhabi oil giant ADNOC’s CEO Sultan Al Jaber to Trump during the last stage of the president’s regional trip.