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Agriculture secretary directs national forests be used for more mining, oil and gas

Sun Mountain Logging employee Jeremy Lott operates a stroke boom delimber in the Beaverhead-Deerlodge National Forest in September 2019. Photo: Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images

Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue directed the USDA Forest Service on Friday to prioritize resource extraction in national forests and grasslands, particularly for grazing, mining, oil and gas development.

Our thought bubble via Axios' Amy Harder: The move shows how deep into the federal bureaucracy the Trump administration is reaching to remove regulations and, it argues, help the economy recover from the pandemic-induced recession.

Yes, but: The memo isn't a new direction, per Bloomberg Law: "The directive encapsulates efforts already underway at the Forest Service, which is working on revamping its oil, gas, and mining regulations in a way that would promote faster decisions on oil and gas drilling and mining."

Details: Perdue is directing the Forest Service to expedite broadband development, allow for more grazing on national grasslands, and use the land to "identify new opportunities to increase America's energy dominance."

Go deeper: USDA Forest Service plans to expand logging in Tongass National Forest

Go deeper

Amy Harder, author of Generate
Sep 17, 2020 - Energy & Environment

How sudden geopolitical events bring about long-term changes in oil use

Expand chart
Reproduced from Morgan Stanley; Chart: Axios Visuals

Sudden changes in world politics can bring about permanent changes in oil-and-gas use, per a recent Morgan Stanley report.

Driving the news: Geopolitical unrest in the late '70s and early '80s — the Iranian Revolution and start of the Iran-Iraq war — disrupted a lot of oil supply that, in turn, sent prices skyrocketing. That sudden jolt to the global oil system permanently cut oil consumption per capita that’s stayed with the world ever since, says Martijn Rats, managing director for equity research for Morgan Stanley.

Go deeper (<1 min. read)Arrow
Rebecca Falconer
7 hours ago - Politics & Policy

In photos: D.C. and U.S. states on alert for pre-inauguration violence

National Guard troops stand behind security fencing with the dome of the U.S. Capitol Building behind them, on Jan. 16. Photo: Kent Nishimura / Los Angeles Times via Getty Images

Security has been stepped up in Washington, D.C., and state capitols across the U.S. as authorities brace for potential violence this weekend.

Driving the news: Following the Jan. 6 insurrection at the U.S. Capitol by some supporters of President Trump, the FBI has said there could be armed protests in D.C. and in all 50 state capitols in the run-up to President-elect Joe Biden's inauguration Wednesday.

See photos (<1 min. read)Arrow
Axios
15 hours ago - Politics & Policy

The new Washington

Illustration: Sarah Grillo/Axios

The Axios subject-matter experts brief you on the incoming administration's plans and team.

Deep Dive (5 min. read)Arrow