A bill that would give the US Department of the Interior authority to approve natural gas pipelines crossing National Parks Service land is unnecessary and unwanted, a US Bureau of Land Management official told a House Natural Resources subcommittee. “Most of the authorizations of HR 2295 are already within the scope of existing [Interior] authorities, and consistent with current priorities and activities,” Timothy Spisak, BLM’s senior advisor for energy, minerals, and realty management, said during the Energy and Minerals Subcommittee’s May 20 hearing. “Additionally, the department strongly opposes the bill’s provisions that would authorize the secretary to issue natural gas pipeline rights of way on NPS lands,” Tpisak said. The bill’s sponsors, Reps. Tom McArthur (R-NJ) and Cedric Richmond (D-La.), said their measure, the National Energy Security Corridors Act, is necessary to reduce federal bureaucratic roadblocks. “All along the East Coast, families are paying higher […]