DENVER—Senator Joe Manchin signaled today that he is opposed to the Build Back Better Act, effectively killing the last legislative opportunity to meaningfully reform the century-old system for leasing oil and gas on America’s public lands.
The Center for Western Priorities released the following statement from Executive Director Jennifer Rokala:
“This is no time for despair—we need action. Joe Manchin may have stopped Congress from addressing climate change, but President Biden and his cabinet have many paths forward at the administrative level.
“Secretary Haaland should immediately finalize rules to stop oil and gas companies from wasting methane on public lands. Interior must stop sweetheart deals for drillers and raise royalty rates on leases. The department should begin a full review of the climate impacts of oil and gas leasing to ensure these new rules cannot easily be erased by a future administration. And the Biden administration must do everything it can to ramp up renewable energy production on our public lands.
“I hope that Congress will one day pass laws to slow the climate crisis. Until then, it’s up to the administration to take every action possible, as quickly as possible.”