"Interior Secretary Ken Salazar said on Wednesday that big oil and natural gas companies will no longer be 'the kings of the world' like they were under the Bush administration, announcing new drilling policies to protect the environment on western federal lands.

While the reforms would likely slow the permitting process to search for oil and gas on government lands and decrease the number of acres available for energy exploration, Salazar rejected industry claims that the Obama administration's policy change would reduce domestic energy supplies."

Tom Doggett reports for Reuters with Ayesha Rascoe January 6, 2010. [2]

See Also:

"Interior Curbs Oil and Gas Lease Streamlining, Expands Reviews" (Greenwire) [3]