POGO Staff
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Public Interest Groups Oppose Oil & Gas Royalties In Kind Amendment
We are writing to express our opposition to the Oil and Gas Royalties in Kind (RIK) amendment to the Energy Policy and Conservation Act. Oil companies are finally paying their fair share of royalties - payments for drilling on Indian and taxpayer-owned federal and lands - under a new rule implemented by the Interior Department starting in June 2000. The new regulations collect $72 million more owed annually for public education, the purchase of park lands, Native American tribes and the general treasury.
We are concerned that the RIK amendment would codify a vague definition of "fair market value," ignoring the progress made in the last royalty valuation fight and the evidence that strict guidance is necessary to avoid future fraud.
We are also concerned that this amendment was developed without the input or feedback of states, Indians, public interest groups and leaders in Congress who have championed full collection of oil royalties. The General Accounting Office and the Interior Department will complete assessments of the Royalty in Kind (RIK) program in 2001. Until those assessments are complete and key stakeholders are consulted through hearings and other information-gathering processes, Congress should refrain from making such substantial changes.
| Ross Coen, Executive Director Alaska Forum for Environmental Responsibility | John Richard, Executive Director Center for the Study of Responsive Law |
| Clifford T. Honicker, Director American Environmental Health Studies Project Knoxville, Tennessee | Dr. Alyce Hill, Chair of the Board Barbara Bode. Board Member Kay Hollestelle, Executive Director & President The Children's Foundation |
| Beth Moten, Legislative Director American Federation of Government Employees | Gwen Lachelt, Executive Director Citizens Oil & Gas Support Center Durango, Colorado |
Charles M. Loveless Director of Legislation Department American Federation of State, County & Municipal Employees (AFSCME) | Scott Harshbarger, President Common Cause |
| Steve Holmer, Campaign Coordinator American Lands Alliance | Sarah Gorin, Chair Equality State Policy Center Laramie, Wyoming |
| Ann Mills, Vice President for Conservation American Rivers | Courtney Cuff, Legislative Director & Gawain Kripke, Director of Economic Campaigns Friends of the Earth - USA |
J. Terrence Brunner, Executive Director Better Government Association Chicago, Illinois | Robert Dewey, Vice President of Government Relations and External Affairs Defenders of Wildlife |
Danielle Brian, Executive Director Project On Government Oversight | Louis Clark, Executive Director Government Accountability Project |
| Joan Claybrook, President Public Citizen | Bill Hedden, Utah Conservation Director Grand Canyon Trust Moab, Utah |
Wenonah Hauter, Director Public Citizen Critical Mass Energy and Environment Program | Gary Cook, Climate Coordinator Greenpeace |
Carla Din, Project Director Rose Foundation for Communities & the Environment Oakland, California | James Turner, Executive Director HALT: Americans for Legal Reform |
Skip Roberts, Legislative Director Service Employees International Union | Alan Septoff, Reform Campaign Director Mineral Policy Center |
| Ralph DeGennaro, President and CEO Taxpayers for Common Sense | Perry Shirley, Assistant Director Navajo Nation Minerals Department Window Rock, Arizona |
Ann Hoffman, Legislative Director Union of Needletrades, Industrial and Textile Employees (UNITE) |
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