WASHINGTON – The Department of the Interior (DOI) today announced the publication of the United States Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (USEITI) Stakeholder Assessment prepared by the independent third-party facilitator, the Consensus Building Institute (CBI). The Stakeholder Assessment includes suggested options for establishing a Multi-Stakeholder Group (MSG), which will be comprised of representatives from government, industry and civil society and will be responsible for overseeing implementation of USEITI. DOI has initiated a public comment period regarding the Stakeholder Assessment, which will include public listening sessions, a webinar and a workshop, and will run from May 18 through June 29, 2012. In addition, Interior will continue Tribal outreach regarding USEITI, and will convene a Tribal Consultation meeting at the National Congress of American Indians mid-year Conference June 17-20, 2012 in Lincoln, Nebraska. EITI is a voluntary, global standard for transparency in reporting revenues received for oil, gas and mineral extraction.
In March, DOI held listening sessions in St. Louis, Mo.; Denver, Co.; Houston, Texas; and Washington D.C. CBI analyzed the input from these four public listening sessions, along with interviews with potential stakeholders and written comments that were submitted to DOI. This input has formed the basis of CBI’s independent Stakeholder Assessment, which is available for review on the USEITI web page at www.doi.gov/EITI.
USEITI is a key element of President Obama’s Open Government Partnership commitments, and active public involvement is vital to its success. Interested persons are urged to take advantage of the various opportunities to comment on the Stakeholder Assessment and formation of the MSG responsible for overseeing implementation of USEITI. Comments can be submitted:
- by visiting the USEITI web page at www.doi.gov/EITI
- via email to EITI@ios.doi.gov
- by mail to: EITI Comments c/o US Department of the Interior 1801 Pennsylvania Ave. NW Suite 400 Washington, DC 20006
- or by attending one of several public meetings as follows:
Session 1—Anchorage, Alaska Public Listening Session, 6:00-8:00pm ADT, May 30, 2012, Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, 3801 Centerpoint Drive, Suite 100, Anchorage, AK, 99503-5820, tel. 907- 334-5200
Session 2—Public Webinar, 1:00-3:00pm EDT, June 1, 2012, see www.doi.gov/EITI for details
Session 3—Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania Public Listening Session, 1:00-3:00pm EDT, June 11, 2012, Office of Surface Mining Reclamation and Enforcement, Building 3, Parkway Center, Conference Room, 2nd Floor, Pittsburgh, PA, 15220, tel. 412-937-2828
Session 4—New Orleans, Louisiana Public Listening Session, 1:00-3:00pm CDT, June 12, 2012, Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, 1201 Elmwood Park Boulevard, Room 135, New Orleans, LA, 70123-2394, tel. 800-200-4853
Session 5—Washington, DC Public Workshop, 10:00am-4:00pm EDT, June 22, 2012, U.S. Department of the Interior, 1849 C St, NW, Rooms 7000A and B, Washington DC, 20240, tel. 202-254-5573
In addition, Interior will continue Tribal outreach regarding USEITI, and will convene a Tribal Consultation meeting at the National Congress of American Indians mid-year Conference June 17-20, 2012 in Lincoln, Nebraska. For further information on EITI, please visit the Department’s EITI webpage at http://www.doi.gov/EITI .
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