[Washington, 4th Reuters]-The US Trump administration announced on May 4 that it would open California's federal government holdings (more than 720,000 acres) for oil and gas development.
The US Department of Homeland Land Management Bureau (BLM) has approved a resource management plan for the central coastal region of the state, rich in oil resources. Rights are also granted for 14 cases in Monterey and San Benito counties where leases were suspended. Six years ago, two environmental groups filed lawsuits and their lease rights were suspended. The government also plans to open new land for lease.
The court said that BLM did not scrutinize the impact of hydraulic fracturing (flaking), one of the drilling methods, on the environment, and illegally granted the right to lease, and sales of the right to lease have been suspended since 2013. BLM estimates that oil and gas operations on public and private land in the central coast of California will generate about 3000 jobs and state tax revenues of $ 620 million.
