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WildEarth Guardians Calls on Interior Department to Look Before Leasing
WildEarth Guardians Calls on Interior Department to Look Before Leasing
Interior Secretary Petitioned to Revise Rules and Stop Selling Oil and Gas Leases Before Resolving Appeals
Contact: Jeremy Nichols (303) 573-4898 x1303
Denver, CO— Nov. 9. WildEarthGuardians today petitioned the Interior Department to revise its regulationsand put an end to the U.S. Bureau of Land Management’s (BLM’s) practice ofselling oil and gas leases that are under protest.
“This about restoring certainty—certainty that the BLM willnot irreversibly hand over the rights to drill for oil and gas before ensuringthat wildlife, wild places, and other critical values are fully protected,”said Jeremy Nichols, Climate and Energy Program Director for WildEarthGuardians. “What we’re asking foris simple: just look before youlease away our public lands and resources.”
At issue is the BLM’s practice of selling oil and gas leasesbefore outstanding protests have been resolved. Protests, which are basically appeals, allow the public tochallenge BLM leasing proposals. Inmany cases, protests have spurred the BLM to defer leasing oil and gas parcelsto better protect sage grouse, wilderness areas, water quality, among otherpublic resources.
Recent lawsuits from the oil and gas industry have assertedthat the BLM is obligated to issue oil and gas leases within sixty days after theyare sold, regardless of whether protests have been resolved. The issuance of an oil and gas leaseconveys a right to drill, meaning that if industry’s arguments prevail, the BLMwould have no recourse to cancel or modify leases after they are sold, even inresponse to a successful protest.
Today’s petition requests the Secretary of Interior to makea simple rule change that would require the BLM to refrain from selling oil andgas leases until all protests or appeals have been resolved.
“We disagree with industry’s position, but it’s ineverybody’s interest to ensure the BLM is not forced to issue oil and gasleases that could be contrary to balanced use and management of our publiclands,” said Nichols. “Thispetition is about establishing a consistent practice that fully preserves theBLM’s ability to ensure that oil and gas development is done right.”
WildEarth Guardians has asked for the Interior Secretary torespond to the petition within 30 days.