Democrat Use-It-Or-Lose-It Strategy

The Interior Department's Inspector General has stated in written testimony to the Energy and Mineral Resources Subcommittee that oil and gas companies holding federal leases "have little obligation to actually produce," according to this report from the NYT.  This has prompted the Administration to consider imposing new fees on non-producing Gulf of Mexico leases as part of the Democrats "use it or lose it strategy" for encouraging use of federal leases.