On Thursday, March 8, 2012, at 10:00 a.m. the Committee on Small Business Subcommittee on Investigations, Oversight and Regulations conducted a hearing entitled Powering Down: Are Government Regulations Impeding Small Energy Producers and Harming Energy Security? The hearing began at 10:00 A.M. on March 8, 2012, in Room 2360 of the Rayburn House Office Building.

In recent years, a number of small energy producers and their trade associations have identified new regulatory barriers and hurdles to oil and gas development on federal lands. These new requirements have not only limited their access to important resources, but have also increased the cost and uncertainty in developing oil and gas on federal lands. The results of these policies have been the creation of fewer new jobs by small producers and a reduction in our nation’s energy security. The hearing focused on these concerns, particularly United States Department of Interior Bureau of Land Management (BLM) oil and gas leasing policies. In addition, the hearing examined United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) regulations pertaining to oil and gas development on federal lands.

Opening Statement:

Chairman Mike Coffman (R-CO)

Witnesses and Testimony:

Tim Barber, Environmental/Federal Regulatory Supervisor, Yates Petroleum Corporation, Gillette, WY

• Witness Disclosure 
• Testimony 

David Ewing, President, Ewing Exploration Company, Sugar Land, TX

• Witness Disclosure 
• Testimony 

Kimberly J. Rodell, Regulatory Project Manager, Banko Petroleum Management Inc. Englewood, CO

• Witness Disclosure 
• Testimony 

Mark Squillace, Professor of Law and Director of the Natural Resources Law Center, University of Colorado Law School, Boulder, CO

• Witness Disclosure 
• Testimony 

Additional Items:

Official Hearing Notice

Official Witness List

Official Hearing Memo

Hearing Video

Press Release