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Guardians and Physicians Call on Obama Administration to Cancel Wyoming Oil and Gas Lease Auction
Guardians and Physicians Call on Obama Administration to Cancel Wyoming Oil and Gas Lease Auction
Groups Challenge Proposal to Auction off More than 100,000 Acres of Public Lands for Fracking
Contact: Jeremy Nichols (303) 437-7663 jnichols@wildearthguardians.org
Cheyenne, WY—Citingthe need to rein in greenhouse gas emissions and keep fossil fuels in theground, WildEarth Guardians and Physicians for Social Responsibility late lastFriday challenged the Obama Administration’s plans to auction off more than100,000 acres of public lands in Wyoming for fracking.
“Our health and our future depend on keeping our fossilfuels in the ground,” said Catherine Thomasson, Executive Director of Physiciansfor Social Responsibility. “The ObamaAdministration needs to stop auctioning off our public lands for fracking andstart putting our climate first.”
In an appeal filed with the U.S. Department of theInterior’s Bureau of Land Management, the groups challenged plans to auctionoff 110 publicly owned oil and gas lease parcels totaling more than 104,000acres in Wyoming. The auction isscheduled for May 3, 2016 in Cheyenne.
The plans comes amid signs that fossil fuels produced frompublic lands are exacting a toll on the climate. A reportreleased in March 2015 by The Wilderness Society found that oil and gasdevelopment on public lands managed by the Interior Department is alreadyresponsible for nearly 10% of all U.S. greenhouse gas emissions.
These emissions are tied to drilling rigs, trucks andengines used for fracking and production, methane leaks from wells andpipelines, and the ultimate combustion of oil and gas.
In total, 23% of all U.S. climate emissions come fromburning coal, oil, and gas from our public lands.
Most of these emissions are linked to fossil fuels producedfrom public lands in the western United States. In Wyoming, more than 10 million acres of public lands are under leaseby the oil and gas industry, more than any other state.
In spite of a clear link between oil and gas production andcarbon pollution, the Interior Department is continuing auction off vastexpanses of American public lands for fracking. In May 2016, Interior is slated to auctionoff more than 120,000 acres in Colorado, Montana, Utah, and Wyoming.
“The Interior Department’s climate denial is fueling afracking rush on our public lands,” said Jeremy Nichols, Climate and EnergyProgram Director for WildEarth Guardians. “It’s time to put the brakes on more fossil fuels and auctioning off ourfuture to the oil and gas industry.”
In the appeal filed Friday, WildEarth Guardians andPhysicians for Social Responsibility challenged the Interior Department’sillegal failure to account for the greenhouse gas emissions and carbon coststhat would result from more fracking.
Last fall, the groups calledon the Obama Administration to stop leasing oil, gas, and coal from publiclands. In January, the Administration announceda moratorium on new coal leasing, but has yet to act on oil and gas. In response, WildEarth Guardians called onthe President to put the brakeson new oil and gas leasing and commit to addressing the climate impacts ofpublic lands fracking.
The public lands slated to be auctioned forfracking in May include expanses of Wyoming’s Red Desert, lands near Riverton,and lands directly east of Casper along the North Platte River. A map showing the parcels of lands scheduledfor sale can be viewed here >>