BLM streamlines Web tool for permits

he Bureau of Land Management has restored data that had been removed from a Web-based application for electronically submitting and tracking oil and gas permits, which should streamline the permitting process, agency officials said.Data related to American Indian lands was removed from the online tool during a lawsuit over the government’s handling of Indian trust funds. The agency has now put the data back into the Well Information System, which is used for processing the permits required for oil and gas development, officials said.While the information was off-line, developers could use the system only to conduct transactions with any of the 31 BLM field offices that don’t deal with American Indian lands. Now developers can also submit leases and related documents to the 10 BLM field offices that handle American Indian resources.“This Web site will now give our customers a complete picture of all well activities on federal land,” said Michael Nedd, BLM’s assistant director for minerals, realty and resource protection.