U. S. to move drilling applications online

BILLINGS, Mont. — U. S. officials announced plans Thursday to speed up the application process for oil and gas drilling on federal lands to reduce delays, as applications were projected to be down 40 percent in coming years versus their historical average amid an ongoing price slump.

Low energy prices already have curtailed domestic energy exploration, driving down revenue. That’s put a crimp in budgets for major energy- producing states, including Wyoming, Alaska, North Dakota and Montana.

In an attempt to streamline drilling approvals and reduce costs for companies, U. S. Bureau of Land Management Director Neil Kornze said all drilling applications would have to be filed online under the new proposal.

“The new system is a big improvement over the current, hardy copy- based application system,” Kornze said in a statement.

Online- only permitting would allow 90 percent of drilling applications to be completed within 115 days, bureau spokesman Bev Winston said. The average time in 2015 was 220 days.