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Guardians Calls on Obama Administration to Cancel Colorado, Utah Oil and Gas Lease Auctions
Guardians Calls on Obama Administration to Cancel Colorado, Utah Oil and Gas Lease Auctions
Challenge Filed to Overturn Proposal to Auction off More than 13,000 Acres of Public Lands for Fracking
Contact: Jeremy Nichols (303) 437-7663 jnichols@wildearthguardians.org
Denver—Citing theneed to rein in greenhouse gas emissions and keep fossil fuels in the ground,WildEarth Guardians today challenged the Obama Administration’s plans toauction off more than 13,000 acres of public lands in Colorado and Utah forfracking.
“It’s time for the Obama Administration to stop catering tothe demands of the oil and gas industry and start putting our health and ourclimate first,” said Jeremy Nichols, Climate and Energy Program Director forWildEarth Guardians. “Opening the doorfor fracking on our public lands is a dirty energy disaster, it’s time to keepour fossil fuels in the ground.”
In an appeal filed with the U.S. Department of theInterior’s Bureau of Land Management, WildEarth Guardians challenged plans toauction off 11 publicly owned oil and gas lease parcels totaling more than13,000 acres in western Colorado and central Utah. The Colorado auction is scheduled for May 12in Denver and the Utah auction is scheduled for May 17 in Salt Lake City.
The frackng plans comes amid signs that fossil fuelsproduced from public 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 Utah and Colorado, more than 10 million acres of public lands areunder lease by the oil and gas industry.
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.
In the appeal filed today, WildEarth Guardians challengedthe Interior Department’s illegal failure to account for the greenhouse gasemissions and carbon costs that 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 for frackingin May include portions of the San Juan National Forest in southwesternColorado and tracts of central Utah’s Red Rock country. A map showing the parcels of lands scheduledfor sale in Colorado and Utah can be viewed here viewed here >>