Public Lands, Offshore Leasing System Broken, Must Be Sunsetted

Washington, DC— Today, the Department of the Interior is hosting the first public forum on the agency’s oil and gas leasing program. The panel comes during the Biden administration’s pause on new leasing offshore and on public lands, and will bring together stakeholders from across the country to discuss impacts of the current leasing system. Right now, fossil fuel extraction on public lands accounts for almost 25% of greenhouse gas emissions, and analysis shows sunsetting the program will be key for meaningful climate action in the United States.

Ahead of the forum, representatives of the Sierra Club released the following statements: 

“It is past time to reset the broken system of fossil fuel leasing on public lads, and focus on a clean energy future that benefits communities, long-term stability and the environment,” said Carly Ferro, Director of the Sierra Club’s Utah Chapter. “For too long, oil and gas corporations profited from excessive extraction near communities, leaving locals with the cost of pollution and health consequences. We look forward to a new vision for land management that centers public health, protection of nature and green space, and a future we can all benefit from."

“In Nevada, speculative oil and gas leasing in wild places has sparked significant outrage, exemplified by strong support to protect the Ruby Mountains from drilling. The cities of Henderson, Mesquite, Boulder City, Clark County Chairwoman Marilyn Kirkpatrick and Governor Sisolak all wrote to the Bureau of Land Management over threats to Southern Nevada’s water and outdoor recreation,” said Christian Gerlach, Organizer with the Sierra Club’s Our Wild America Campaign in Nevada. “It is clear Nevadans want to see public lands protected, not polluted. We look forward to this administration's commitment to climate action, consultation with Tribal Nations, and land management that centers communities, health and the climate.”

“Most Wyoming people understand it’s time for us to look to the future as we rebuild a new economy and restore our lands," said Connie Wilbert, Director of the Sierra Club’s Wyoming Chapter. "While fossil fuels have provided much to the state in the past, they also have reduced air and water quality, harmed human health, damaged wildlife habitats, and driven the loss of biodiversity. Thousands of idle and abandoned oil and gas wells continue to contaminate our environment. The Biden administration's review of leasing on public lands offers us a chance to assess the full impacts of the fossil fuel development on our environment and the health of our communities, to clean up pollution, and to invest in a future that is healthier, more prosperous, and much more stable.”

“Our state has seen climate devastation on an alarming and unprecedented scale over the past years, and needs urgent action to make public lands a part of the solution. Stopping new drilling and fracking on public lands will provide a much-needed step in tackling the climate crisis, protecting our cherished lands and wildlife, and preventing further harm to communities in our state, which is disproportionately harmed by fossil fuel development,” said Jenny Binstock, Senior Campaign Representative for the Sierra Club’s Our Wild America Campaign in California.

“Over 97% of public lands in New Mexico have been leased to oil and gas corporations. The industry has stockpiled over 6,000 drilling permits and leases, and those can still be used for years to come— a glaring sign that a pause and reform are needed,” said Miya King-Flaherty, Our Wild New Mexico Organizing Representative with the Sierra Club. “Our state has been held hostage to this industry for far too long, and it's time to make a just transition away from fossil fuels and towards a sustainable economy that puts New Mexicans first.” 

“Stopping new leasing on public lands and conserving more nature will make our communities healthier and safer, both now and in the long-run,” said Jim Alexee, Director of the Sierra Club's Colorado Chapter. “Coloradans have suffered the damage of excessive fossil fuel extraction in our communities— pollution that worsens our air quality, contamination of our groundwater, and dangerous emissions levels that are driving climate disruption like worsening drought and fire. We need to halt new leasing so we can make public lands a part of the climate solution.”