FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
December 15, 2021
DENVER—Following the leak of draft language concerning oil and gas royalty rates in the Build Back Better act, the Center for Western Priorities released the following statement from Policy Director Jesse Prentice-Dunn:
“While we’ll have to wait for final language to know for sure, it looks like Senator Manchin is on the right track when it comes to reforming the oil and gas leasing system. For a century, oil companies have ripped off taxpayers. Raising royalty rates would be a big step toward making sure the American people get a fair return from publicly owned resources.
“Just last month, the Interior Department acknowledged that the public lands drilling system is deeply flawed and in desperate need of reform. Making oil and gas companies pay for the methane they waste while drilling is one of the easiest ways to start fixing the system. The leak of this draft shows just how scared oil CEOs are at the prospect of losing these handouts—and it shows that hard work by many senators, including Hickenlooper, Bennet, and Rosen, is paying off.
“Make no mistake, this draft is a critical step in the right direction, but much more work remains. As climate change increasingly impacts communities around the country, leaders in Washington must ensure that our public lands are part of the climate solution, not the problem.”
LEARN MORE
- The oil industry’s public lands stockpile [Center for Western Priorities]
- Oil and Gas Leasing: BLM should update its guidance and review its fees [U.S. Government Accountability Office]
- Interior Department report finds significant shortcomings in oil and gas leasing programs. Review identifies reforms to ensure fair return to taxpayers [Department of the Interior]
- Storymap: Western public lands threatened by drilling under Biden [Center for Western Priorities]
- Despite oil industry howling, companies are awash in public lands drilling permits [Center for Western Priorities]
- What is going on in Nevada? Oil and gas industry, Bureau of Land Management are eyeing tens of millions of acres for drilling in a state where there’s virtually none [Center for Western Priorities]