05.29.20

Next Week’s Livestream Schedule: Cleaning Up Orphaned Oil and Gas Wells on Monday, Risks of Premature National Park Openings on Tuesday

Washington, D.C. – The House Natural Resources Committee is hosting two livestreamed events next week.

Monday, June 1

On Monday, June 1, Rep. Alan Lowenthal (D-Calif.), chair of the Subcommittee on Energy and Mineral Resources, will lead a forum on the economic and environmental benefits of putting Americans back to work by plugging and remediating orphaned oil and gas wells.

The issue has gathered attention from states worried about rising cleanup costs and ongoing environmental damage from tens of thousands of orphaned oil and gas wells across the country. Lawmakers in Colorado [denverpost.com], West Virginia [shaledirectories.com], California [latimes.com] – where orphaned well cleanup could cost upwards of $500 million – and other states have grappled with the problem for years, without much success in achieving widespread remediation or strengthening corporate responsibility.

The forum will examine the benefits of a comprehensive national well-plugging strategy that could create jobs and generate long-term environmental benefits.

Title: Reclaiming Orphaned Oil and Gas Wells – Creating Jobs and Protecting the Environment by Cleaning Up and Plugging Wells

When: 1:00 p.m. Eastern time

Watch Live: https://bit.ly/3c8K6MN [bit.ly] (Facebook) or https://youtu.be/pBMBe9Oldiw [youtu.be] (YouTube)

Speakers

Lynn Helms

Director, North Dakota Department of Mineral Resources

Appearing on behalf of the Interstate Oil and Gas Compact Commission

Adrienne Sandoval

Director

New Mexico Energy, Minerals & Natural Resources Department – Oil Conservation Division

Daniel Raimi

Senior Research Associate

Resources for the Future

Sara Kendall

Program Director

Western Organization of Resource Councils

Tuesday, June 2

On Tuesday, June 2, Rep. Deb Haaland (D-N.M.), chair of the Subcommittee on National Parks, Forests, and Public Lands and vice chair of the full Committee, will lead a forum on the risks of prematurely opening national parks to the public without adequate input from affected local communities and without proper safeguards in place.

Among other examples, Grand Canyon National Park has partially reopened to the public despite a lack of consultation with the nearby Navajo Nation, which now officially has a higher per capita coronavirus infection rate than any state. Navajo Nation President Jonathan Nez, who is among the speakers at the forum, has repeatedly called on [williamsnews.com] the National Park Service not to reopen the park at this time, a call echoed by [coppercourier.com] environmental and public health advocates.

Title: Not So Grand Opening: Examining Local Perspectives on the Department of the Interior’s Plan to Reopen National Parks During the Coronavirus Pandemic

When: 2:30 p.m. Eastern time

Watch Live: https://bit.ly/2TMKwSQ [bit.ly] (Facebook) or https://youtu.be/xVx_IYqnngQ [youtu.be] (YouTube)

Speakers

Jonathan Nez

President

Navajo Nation

Carletta Tilousi

Councilwoman

Havasupai Tribe

Phil Francis

Chair

Coalition to Protect America’s National Parks

Dan Puskar

President and CEO

Public Lands Alliance

Press Contact

Media Contact: Adam Sarvana

(202) 225-6065 or (202) 578-6626 mobile