Committee On Natural Resources News

NOIA President Randall Luthi released the following statement after providing testimony today before the House Committee on Natural Resources Subcommittee on Energy and Mineral Resources on H.R. “NOIA applauds Congressman Graves and Ranking Member Lowenthal for their bipartisan sponsorship of the Innovation in Offshore Leasing Act and thanks the Energy and Mineral Resources Subcommittee for holding today’s hearing. “Offshore energy development is a vital part of the U.S. economy, providing jobs, energy security and much needed government revenue. With that in mind, it is imperative that offshore lease sales remain a reliable, safe and transparent process.

National Ocean Industries Association (NOIA) President Randall Luthi issued the following statement on the hearing on seismic exploration on the Atlantic Outer Continental Shelf held today by the House Committee on Natural Resources, Subcommittee on Energy and Mineral Resources. “The National Ocean Industries Association appreciates Chairman Lamborn’s leadership on this important hearing on the crucial role of seismic surveys in the development of oil and natural gas for our nation.

Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar appointed Liz Birnbaum, an attorney with two decades of federal government and private sector experience in energy and environmental policy, as Director of the Department’s Minerals Management Service. The appointment does not require Senate confirmation. As Director of the Minerals Management Service, Birnbaum administers programs that ensure the effective management of renewable and traditional energy and mineral resources on the nation’s Outer Continental Shelf, including the environmentally safe exploration, development, and production of oil and natural gas, and the collection and distribution of revenues for minerals developed on federal and American Indian lands.

U.S. Secretary of Transportation Mary E. Peters announced the appointment of Elizabeth Megginson as Chief Counsel for the Department’s Maritime Administration. Megginson served as Majority Chief Counsel to the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure of the House of Representatives for six years beginning in 2001. She also served for five years as Majority Chief Counsel for the House Committee on Resources (now the Committee on Natural Resources) and served as a Senior Counsel as well. From 1990 until 1995, she was the Staff Director and Chief Counsel for the Subcommittee on Coast Guard and Navigation, of the Committee on Merchant Marine and Fisheries, which was abolished in 1995. She moved to Washington, D.C.

Massachusetts House Bill 59 (HB 59) was reported out of the Joint Committee on Natural Resources and Agriculture and referred to the Steering, Policy and Scheduling Committee. HB 59 is similar to bills introduced, but never enacted, in the 1997 and 1998 state legislative sessions. The bill requires all tank barges transporting bulk petroleum products be equipped with an operable anchor system and be manned, unless the state Department of Environmental Protection determines alternative technical or operational measures provide an equivalent degree of protection. If the bill is released by the Steering, Policy and Scheduling Committee, it can go to the floor for a third reading or for a vote. A third reading will enable individuals opposed to the bill to provide testimony to the committee.

The Joint Committee on Natural Resources and Agirculture of the Massachussets legislature held a hearing on a bill to require tank barges carrying petroleum products to be equipped with an anchor system, anchor chain and windlass. The bill would also require tank barges to be manned unless the Department of Environmental Protection determines other technical or operational saftey measures provide an equivalent defree of protection. The bill is similar to legislation introduced - but not enacted - in 1997.