House Democrats, GAO Want Higher Oil, Gas Fee on Public Land (1)

House Democrats, the Government Accountability Office, and a Colorado state official called for higher fees and stricter regulations on oil and gas companies drilling on federal lands during a House Natural Resources subcommittee hearing Sept. 24.

The subcommittee is considering four bills that would raise bonding and royalty rates, and contain methane leaks and venting for fossil fuels development.

The Interior Department can’t identify wells with no productive future in a timely way, and there isn’t enough money to pay to clean up the wells after the department determines they’ve been abandoned, Frank Rusco, GAO director of ...