Ian Brickey, ian.brickey@sierraclub.org
WASHINGTON, D.C. -- Today, the Department of the Interior (DOI) outlined new steps related to oil and gas leasing tied to the implementation of the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA).
Included in the steps were directions to begin scoping for potential lease sales in Nevada and Utah, totalling more than 95,000 acres, including 35 parcels in Nevada totaling 63,603.89 acres and 18 parcels in Utah totaling nearly 31,808 acres.
In response, Athan Manuel, Director of the Sierra Club's Lands Protection Program, issued the following statement:
“The IRA is one of the biggest steps the U.S. has taken towards achieving its climate goals, including fiscal reforms that hold the oil and gas industry accountable. Its long-term success is weighed down by the harmful provisions promoting oil and gas leasing.
“Public lands are a critical part of keeping the Paris Accord goals within reach, and sustaining a thriving planet. Fossil fuel leasing and extraction on public lands is incompatible with these goals.
“The effects of climate change are not a distant threat – they are here and they are getting more serious. Even worse, they are affecting those communities and nations that contributed the least to this crisis. But we are at a critical moment where we can take this crisis on, end our reliance on dirty fuels, and secure a sustainable environment for generations to come."
About the Sierra Club
The Sierra Club is America’s largest and most influential grassroots environmental organization, with millions of members and supporters. In addition to protecting every person's right to get outdoors and access the healing power of nature, 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.