FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
November 26, 2021
DENVER—Today, the Interior Department released a report outlining potential reforms to the system governing oil and gas drilling on public lands. The report was developed in response to President Biden’s executive order that paused new oil and gas leasing while directing the Secretary of the Interior to review opportunities for reform, including whether to increase royalties for oil, gas, and coal extracted from public lands to account for climate costs.
In response, the Center for Western Priorities released the following statement from Executive Director Jennifer Rokala:
“For more than a century, oil and gas companies have taken advantage of a system that prioritizes profits over communities, taxpayers, and our climate. This report provides a critical roadmap to ensure drilling decisions on public lands take into account impacts on our land, water, and wildlife, while ensuring a fair return for taxpayers. Make no mistake, this is not a pie-in-the-sky wish list, it’s a detailed action plan that will yield real benefits for taxpayers and communities.
“It is now up to Congress and the Biden administration to put this plan into action and move toward a day in which our public lands continue to strengthen local communities while being part of the climate solution, not part of the climate problem.”
Learn more
- Biden to Release Oil and Gas Leasing Report [Reuters]
- America’s Public Lands Giveaway
- The Oil Industry’s Public Lands Stockpile
- Western Public Lands Threatened Under Biden