WORC and Democracy Forward turn to courts to stop illegal RPC from conducting further business until public interests are represented.
On January 16th, WORCand Democracy Forward Foundation, argued in federal district court that the U.S. Department of Interior must stop convening any meetings or conducting any further business of the Royalty Policy Committee (RPC) until it balances the committee’s industry-dominated membership, opens secretive subcommittee meetings, and discloses committee-members’ conflicts of interests.
Absent an injunction, the RPC will continue to illegally shut out ranchers, landowners, taxpayers and western conservationists while allowing the secretive panel—dominated by representatives of the fossil fuel industry—to recommend royalty, leasing and permitting policies that benefit industry at the expense of public lands and public health. Previous recommendations of the RPC have streamlined fossil fuel development and reduced grazing land for cattle. The implementation of their recommendations will lead to increased air pollution and impairment of groundwater. In its motion to dismiss the lawsuit, the government did not dispute certain facts and injuries that would constitute violations of federal law. For example, the government did not deny that it has excluded conservation-minded viewpoints from the Committee. The government has also admitted that it has not complied with conflict of interest safeguards, arguing only that those safeguards should not apply to the RPC.
We don’t think a handpicked group of energy industry insiders should be allowed to advise federal government policy after meeting in secret with agency staff. The public should see every document the Committee is provided and every note from all their meetings.
“We continue to be concerned about the Royalty Policy Committee’s lopsided membership and the conflicts of interests of its members,” said Steve Charter, rancher near Shepherd, Mont., and WORC board member. “We don’t think a handpicked group of energy industry insiders should be allowed to advise federal government policy after meeting in secret with agency staff. The public should see every document the Committee is provided and every note from all their meetings.”
“The Trump Administration is acting as though America’s public resources can be bartered off to industry interests through backroom deals,” said Travis Annatoyn, Democracy Forward Senior Counsel. “Today, we went to court to hold the Trump Administration accountable for illegally shielding its corporate cronies from paying a fair value for the privilege of extracting from America’s lands.”
The RPC’s membership is dominated by representatives from industry, including ConocoPhillips, Cloud Peak Energy, Shell, Chevron, Concho Resources, Incremental Oil & Gas USA, and the National Ocean Industries Association, with no members representing public interest groups.
The RPC’s membership is dominated by representatives from industry, including ConocoPhillips, Cloud Peak Energy, Shell, Chevron, Concho Resources, Incremental Oil & Gas USA, and the National Ocean Industries Association, with no members representing public interest groups. Over the past two years, the Committee has delegated the vast bulk of policy formulation and debate to secretive subcommittees and closed-door working groups, and has developed and considered recommendations that are harmful to the communities whose representation, as the groups allege, has been unlawfully denied.
Read more:
Interior Takes Aim at Transparency by Gutting the Freedom of Information Act.
WORC Files Injunction to Stop Secret Royalty Policy Committee Meetings
1st Amendment Under Assault In Western States .