Tag: public lands

The administration is moving to speed fossil fuel leasing on public lands while scientists warn that ocean temperatures are entering dangerous new territory.

A new Republican bill would open millions of acres of protected land to fossil fuel and timber companies while gutting environmental review processes, in a bid to help fund massive tax cuts.

The Biden-Harris administration’s decision to retain protections for 28 million acres in Alaska marks a significant reversal of the previous administration’s plans to open these lands to extractive industries, preserving vital natural, cultural, and subsistence resources for Alaska Native communities.

The Bureau of Land Management’s new Oil and Gas Rule is said to save taxpayers money, help ensure public lands are used for their highest value, and better protect communities and the environment.

“They have a chance to get it done, but they’re going to have to move fast.”

U.S. District Judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers invalidated the Trump administration's move on Thursday and called the "rulemaking process resulting in the rescission was wholly inadequate."

"Passage of the Great American Outdoors Act will move us one step closer to fulfilling the LWCF’s promise and secure the future of our parks and public lands for the next generation."

Calling the policy "arbitrary and capricious," the judge said there was significant evidence that the Bureau of Land Management was intentionally shutting the public out.

The state used an innovative new law to fight back against the Trump administration’s expansion of oil and gas drilling—and that could provide a model for the rest of the country.

Fossil fuel leasing on public lands is worsening the climate crisis. But there's hope.