United States Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke has pledged to streamline the permitting process for oil and natural gas drilling, as well as, hold more frequent sales of drilling rights on federal lands, according to the Associated Press.

ZInke recently signed an order to promote faster, more efficient oil and gas permitting to clear the backlog of federal drilling permits in the U.S. Bureau of Land Management offices. Although federal law requires permits to be decided within 30 days; however, the average wait for oil and gas companies has grown to 257 days.

Zinke promised not to sidestep the National Environmental Policy Act, the main law regulating development on federal lands, and said the order won’t open up national parks or other major federal holdings to drilling.

Learn more: PennEnergy > Interior secretary calls for quicker oil and gas permits