ACCESS AND ROYALTIES FUEL CONGRESSIONAL DEBATE OVER FOSSIL ENERGY ON PUBLIC LANDS

Congressional attention to the development of fossil fuel resources on public lands focuses on two principal topics: access for resource extraction and money paid to the federal treasury in payment for that extraction. Which of those two topics is dominant at any given time is closely linked to the price of oil. Low prices stimulate legislation to help smaller independent producers stay in business by reducing royalties or providing other tax incentives for marginal wells. High prices bring legislation to increase domestic exploration and production, primarily by providing greater access to both onshore and offshore lands.

Political battles are waged through oversight hearings, the appropriations process, and targeted legislation. Although oil prices may determine the subject, the character of the debate is shaped along geographic fault lines reflecting the concentration of public lands in the west and the offshore interests of coastal states. In this regard, access to fossil fuel resources is just one facet of a much broader debate over the proper use of federal lands. In the current Congress, the debate over access has focused on the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, offshore natural gas development, and presidential authority to declare national monuments -- all in the broader context of defining a national energy policy.

Although the halls of Congress echo with declarations that the best available scientific information should guide decisions, those vague assertions do not provide much guidance for the scientists who find themselves and their data embroiled in highly politicized issues. Geoscientists can provide Congress with a great deal of relevant information and knowledge such as assessments of the extent of resources on federal lands and the environmental impacts of their extraction. By having a clear sense of the political landscape, geoscientists can maximize their usefulness to the process and minimize the risk of getting caught in a political minefield.