PLANS are afoot in the US to tackle a backlog of nearly 3000 pending onshore drilling permits, many for shale gas wells.
Late last week, US Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke signed an order that directed the US Bureau of Land Management (BLM), a division of the Interior Department, to take a hard look at the backlogs and delays and "identify areas where improvements can be made in the permitting process to ensure the safe and timely exploration and development of our nation's federal energy resources".
