Latest news with #EnerGeoAlliance
Business Upturn
23-07-2025
- Politics
- Business Upturn
EnerGeo Alliance Testified in Support of the Modernization of the Marine Mammal Protection Act (MMPA)
Washington D.C., U.S., July 22, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Today, Forrest Burkholder, EnerGeo Alliance's Board of Directors Vice Chair and President and CEO of SAExploration, testified on behalf of EnerGeo Alliance during the Legislative hearing including Rep. Begich Marine Mammal Protection Act (MMPA) Discussion Draft Bill. Burkholder, in his testimony before the U.S. House of Representatives Natural Resources Committee – Subcommittee on Water, Wildlife, and Fisheries, highlighted the absolute necessity of modernizing and revising the MMPA, and applauded Representative Begich's efforts in this direction: 'America and the world continue to need energy; the majority of energy comes from the earth, and Geosciences are the primary source of information that enables responsible production', he said. 'Of critical importance is the permitting process; despite –or precisely because of its importance, the process is a point of heightened vulnerability for the geoscience industry. Permitting of exploration is often stalled in regulatory reviews without clear timelines and is a favored entry point for activists seeking to block American energy development. Whether that's petroleum, natural gas, or even alternative energy.' Alaska is one of the areas where, despite responsible operations by the industry, issued permits for exploration activities have been stalled for multiple years due to unexplained delays. This uncertainty has a direct impact on local communities, the state's, and the nation's economic well-being and energy security. Over the past years, the MMPA and other environmental laws, created to provide better protections for the environment, have been exploited by activists to hinder energy development projects: 'The MMPA was intended to provide better protections for marine mammals from human activities that can cause direct physical harm to them – a goal that has largely been realized. Decades of regulation and litigation have caused the MMPA to be interpreted far more expansively than Congress intended and exposed significant flaws in the plain language of the Act.' 'As with many laws, we don't always know the problems until we've operated under them.', continued Burkholder. 'We've learned that for some people it's easy to exploit the ambiguities in existing regulations governing the potential 'take' of these activities. Activists have discovered that those ambiguities create opportunities for regulatory sabotage that can freeze agency activity and undermine all the best intentions of honest regulators.' Rep. Begich's Draft Bill represents an opportunity to fix these issues: 'By setting reasonable deadlines in the application process, removing unnecessary duplication between the MMPA and ESA, along with removing or defining terms, Congress can ensure the agencies are accountable to existing statutory timelines and prevent future misapplication of the statute so that it can function as originally intended.' 'Fixing these problems would increase permitting efficiency, decrease uncertainty, and ultimately benefit all stakeholders, the implementing agencies, and most importantly, marine mammals. It would prevent abuse of the law and facilitate greater geoscience investment and American energy independence.', concluded Burkholder. ### About EnerGeo Alliance Founded in 1971, EnerGeo Alliance is the global trade alliance for the energy geoscience industry, the intersection where earth science and energy meet. We represent the geoscience companies, innovators, and energy developers that use earth science to discover, develop, and deliver energy to our world. Together, we are Making Energy Possible. Disclaimer: The above press release comes to you under an arrangement with GlobeNewswire. Business Upturn takes no editorial responsibility for the same. Ahmedabad Plane Crash
Toronto Star
22-07-2025
- Politics
- Toronto Star
EnerGeo Alliance Testified in Support of the Modernization of the Marine Mammal Protection Act (MMPA)
Washington D.C., U.S., July 22, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Today, Forrest Burkholder, EnerGeo Alliance's Board of Directors Vice Chair and President and CEO of SAExploration, testified on behalf of EnerGeo Alliance during the Legislative hearing including Rep. Begich Marine Mammal Protection Act (MMPA) Discussion Draft Bill. Burkholder, in his testimony before the U.S. House of Representatives Natural Resources Committee - Subcommittee on Water, Wildlife, and Fisheries, highlighted the absolute necessity of modernizing and revising the MMPA, and applauded Representative Begich's efforts in this direction:
Hamilton Spectator
22-07-2025
- Politics
- Hamilton Spectator
EnerGeo Alliance Testified in Support of the Modernization of the Marine Mammal Protection Act (MMPA)
Washington D.C., U.S., July 22, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Today, Forrest Burkholder, EnerGeo Alliance's Board of Directors Vice Chair and President and CEO of SAExploration, testified on behalf of EnerGeo Alliance during the Legislative hearing including Rep. Begich Marine Mammal Protection Act (MMPA) Discussion Draft Bill. Burkholder, in his testimony before the U.S. House of Representatives Natural Resources Committee - Subcommittee on Water, Wildlife, and Fisheries, highlighted the absolute necessity of modernizing and revising the MMPA, and applauded Representative Begich's efforts in this direction: 'America and the world continue to need energy; the majority of energy comes from the earth, and Geosciences are the primary source of information that enables responsible production', he said. 'Of critical importance is the permitting process; despite –or precisely because of its importance, the process is a point of heightened vulnerability for the geoscience industry. Permitting of exploration is often stalled in regulatory reviews without clear timelines and is a favored entry point for activists seeking to block American energy development. Whether that's petroleum, natural gas, or even alternative energy.' Alaska is one of the areas where, despite responsible operations by the industry, issued permits for exploration activities have been stalled for multiple years due to unexplained delays. This uncertainty has a direct impact on local communities, the state's, and the nation's economic well-being and energy security. Over the past years, the MMPA and other environmental laws, created to provide better protections for the environment, have been exploited by activists to hinder energy development projects: 'The MMPA was intended to provide better protections for marine mammals from human activities that can cause direct physical harm to them – a goal that has largely been realized. Decades of regulation and litigation have caused the MMPA to be interpreted far more expansively than Congress intended and exposed significant flaws in the plain language of the Act.' 'As with many laws, we don't always know the problems until we've operated under them.', continued Burkholder. 'We've learned that for some people it's easy to exploit the ambiguities in existing regulations governing the potential 'take' of these activities. Activists have discovered that those ambiguities create opportunities for regulatory sabotage that can freeze agency activity and undermine all the best intentions of honest regulators.' Rep. Begich's Draft Bill represents an opportunity to fix these issues: 'By setting reasonable deadlines in the application process, removing unnecessary duplication between the MMPA and ESA, along with removing or defining terms, Congress can ensure the agencies are accountable to existing statutory timelines and prevent future misapplication of the statute so that it can function as originally intended.' 'Fixing these problems would increase permitting efficiency, decrease uncertainty, and ultimately benefit all stakeholders, the implementing agencies, and most importantly, marine mammals. It would prevent abuse of the law and facilitate greater geoscience investment and American energy independence.', concluded Burkholder. ### About EnerGeo Alliance Founded in 1971, EnerGeo Alliance is the global trade alliance for the energy geoscience industry, the intersection where earth science and energy meet. We represent the geoscience companies, innovators, and energy developers that use earth science to discover, develop, and deliver energy to our world. Together, we are Making Energy Possible .
Zawya
12-06-2025
- Business
- Zawya
EnerGeo Alliance Joins Upcoming U.S.-Africa Energy Forum (USAEF) to Boost Upstream Investment Across Africa
The upcoming U.S.-Africa Energy Forum (USAEF) in Houston is proud to announce a strategic partnership with the EnerGeo Alliance, a global trade association for the geoscience and exploration industries. This partnership marks a significant step forward in advancing collaborative energy development between the U.S. and Africa, and in strengthening stakeholder engagement within the natural gas and geoscience sectors. Under the partnership, EnerGeo Alliance will support USAEF's mission by facilitating direct introductions between EnerGeo's member organizations and USAEF, enabling targeted sponsorship opportunities and fostering deeper industry participation in USAEF's programming and events. With members active in more than 50 countries – including key African markets such as Namibia, Mozambique, Nigeria, Ghana, Angola and South Africa – EnerGeo Alliance plays a vital role in supporting upstream energy development through advanced geoscience, seismic surveying and data-driven exploration. The partnership with USAEF strengthens the shared mission to connect U.S. and African stakeholders, facilitate energy investment and promote natural gas as a reliable, lower-carbon transition fuel. 'This partnership reflects our commitment to strengthening collaboration between the geoscience community and energy stakeholders across Africa,' said Nikki Martin, President&CEO of EnerGeo Alliance. 'With our members actively engaged in key markets across the continent, we see this as an opportunity to elevate upstream dialogue, support data-driven exploration, and help shape pragmatic solutions to Africa's energy needs.' EnerGeo Alliance has been especially active in advocating for natural gas as a sustainable and cost-effective solution to meet growing power demand across Africa. In a recent policy brief, the organization spotlighted South Africa's natural gas prospects and emphasized the role of upstream data in de-risking exploration and reducing environmental impacts. Their work complements USAEF's goal of catalyzing partnerships that accelerate infrastructure growth and increase access to reliable energy across the continent. The partnership is expected to play a pivotal role in USAEF 2025, where EnerGeo Alliance will engage with delegates to spotlight the role of geoscience in upstream investment and showcase how seismic technologies can reduce risk and improve environmental outcomes in natural gas development. By aligning their networks and resources, USAEF and EnerGeo Alliance aim to create new pathways for investment, knowledge exchange and industry growth on both sides of the Atlantic. 'Partnering with EnerGeo Alliance allows USAEF to bridge U.S. technology and expertise with African energy ambitions in a meaningful way. We're not only expanding access to strategic geoscience players, but also enhancing opportunities for investment, sponsorship and long-term collaboration in Africa's gas and energy value chains,' said James Chester, CEO of Energy Capital&Power. For tickets, sponsorship opportunities and more information, please contact sales@ Join us in Houston this August to connect with the leaders shaping Africa's energy landscape and experience the momentum that drives ECP's events worldwide. Distributed by APO Group on behalf of Energy Capital&Power.
E&E News
11-06-2025
- Business
- E&E News
Court ends case over Gulf of Mexico environmental analysis
An appeals court has closed the book on a case involving NOAA Fisheries' analysis of the environmental risks of offshore oil and gas development in the Gulf of Mexico. On Monday, the 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled that an appeal brought by the fossil fuel industry was moot now that NOAA Fisheries has released a new review of how offshore drilling in the region could harm species like the endangered Rice's whale. The court noted in its brief order that none of the parties in the case had objected to dismissing the appeal. Advertisement The American Petroleum Institute, EnerGeo Alliance and the National Ocean Industries Association had sought to overturn a lower bench ruling that tossed out a 2020 analysis — known as a biological opinion — for the Gulf, which President Donald Trump renamed the Gulf of America earlier this year.
