Gabby Brown, gabby.brown@sierraclub.org
Washington, DC -- The Department of the Interior sent a memo yesterday to all Bureau of Land Management (BLM) field offices instructing them to speed up environmental reviews of proposed fossil fuel drilling projects on public lands. The guidance instructs field offices to reuse old environmental reviews and make use of categorical exclusions, which allow projects to bypass full environmental analysis, wherever possible.
The memo came just hours after Interior’s Royalty Policy Committee -- an advisory board stacked with representatives with ties to the fossil fuel industry -- approved a slate of recommendations calling for further giveaways to the fossil fuel industry including making it easier to drill on public lands, lowering the royalty rates paid by some oil and gas companies, and further expanding offshore drilling in America’s public waters.
In response, Lena Moffitt, Senior Director of the Sierra Club’s Our Wild America campaign, released the following statement:
“Once again, Secretary Zinke is making it clear that he believes he’s accountable not to the American people, but to the industry insiders that give him his marching orders. These attempts to undermine our bedrock environmental laws only help fossil fuel executives who want to drill and destroy America’s public lands and waters at as little cost as possible, while the public pays the price.”
About the Sierra Club
The Sierra Club is America’s largest and most influential grassroots environmental organization, with more than 3 million members and supporters. In addition to helping people from all backgrounds explore nature and our outdoor heritage, the Sierra Club works to promote clean energy, safeguard the health of our communities, protect wildlife, and preserve our remaining wild places through grassroots activism, public education, lobbying, and legal action. For more information, visit www.sierraclub.org.