Wilderness-quality lands are three times less likely to be managed for protection when oil and gas leases overlap
DENVER—A new report from the Center for Western Priorities, Wilderness Workshop, and the Colorado Wildlands Project finds that rampant speculative leasing of public lands by oil and gas companies has put pristine landscapes at risk across the West.
The first-of-its kind analysis looked at the Bureau of Land Management’s (BLM) resource management plans (RMPs) across the West. It found that lands with wilderness-quality characteristics are three times less likely to be managed to protect those wilderness characteristics when that land overlaps with oil and gas leases, even if those leases aren’t producing oil.
The findings underscore the need for comprehensive reform of the oil and gas leasing system, which has not been updated in decades.
“This study proves that the rigged system of leasing our public lands puts oil CEOs ahead of people and wildlife,” said Jesse Prentice-Dunn, policy director at the Center for Western Priorities. “We should be conserving our most pristine landscapes for generations to come, but the federal government has repeatedly let oil and gas drilling take precedence.” The report includes case studies of high profile places where areas with wilderness characteristics are currently unprotected due to oil and gas leases. These include the Grand Hogback near Rifle, Colorado, and the Book Cliffs and Nine Mile Canyon in Utah. “The Interior Department needs to overhaul our oil and gas leasing system,” said Scott Braden, director of the Colorado Wildlands Project. “The presumption that all public lands should be left open for oil and gas leasing harms communities across the west. The Bureau of Land Management needs to stop letting unused leases influence its management decisions, and it must stop offering any new leases in wilderness-quality lands.”
“Places like the Grand Hogback are more valuable to our local community for recreation and conservation than speculative leasing,” said Juli Slivka, policy director at Wilderness Workshop in Carbondale, Colorado. “As the BLM begins new planning processes for western Colorado, we hope to see our public land managers prioritize the public interest over giveaways to the fossil fuel industry.”
The full report and policy recommendations, including maps showing areas at risk, are online now. Jesse Prentice-Dunn, Juli Slivka, and Scott Braden are available for interviews.