Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke said on April 17 he will not lower royalty rates for offshore oil and gas lease sales "at this time" despite a recommendation from an advisory panel to do so.

Zinke cited the success of President Donald Trump's energy strategy as a reason for not adhering to the recommendation of his appointed RPC, which in late February advised him to slash the royalty rate for offshore drilling by nearly one-third to 12.5%.

"Right now, we can maintain higher royalties from our offshore waters without compromising the record production and record exports our nation is experiencing," Zinke said.