From Pennsylvania Interfaith Power and Light (http://www.paipl.org):
Take Action!
Go to https://www.regulations.gov/document/BOEM-2022-0031-0001 to submit a comment about the 2023-2028 National Outer Continental Shelf Oil and Gas Leasing Proposed Program, which will determine how many ocean sites will be leased for drilling. The comment period ends on October 6, 2022.
Why Now?
Right now the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) in the Department of the Interior (DOI) is holding a public comment period on a proposed offshore leasing program. (Offshore refers to exploiting oil and gas in the ocean rather than on land.) Leases are sold to private companies to drill for oil and gas on the publicly held ocean floor and sell it at a profit. After the comment period, the BOEM will determine how many lease sales to hold over the next five years. The proposed plan puts forward several options that include no lease sales at all up to 11 lease sales on 10 sites in the Gulf of Mexico and one in Alaska.
In a surprise development, the Inflation Reduction Act of 2022 (formerly called the Reconciliation Bill) includes a provision requiring the Administration hold lease sales for a specified number of acres on a regular basis. The impact of this legislation is not yet clear. By commenting now we can strengthen the opposition to expanded drilling.
Background:
President Biden vowed to suspend all new drilling on federal lands and waters. In January, 2021 he paused all new leasing, leading to legal challenges. Now the Administration has released a proposed plan that will establish a framework for offshore leasing during the next 5 years.
One of the best ways to fight the twin climate and extinction crises is to protect the oceans, which serve as “heat sinks” by trapping carbon while providing habitat for wildlife and livelihoods for coastal communities. Drilling threatens ocean life with pollution and spills, as well as the damage caused by emissions when oil and gas are burned.
The oil and gas industry says new leases are needed to meet the demand for energy, but already holds more than 9,000 unused leases on public lands, more than enough to last beyond 2030. The US Administration has pledged to reduce greenhouse gas emissions 50% by 2030. To meet this goal, we can’t extend the production and use of fossil fuels.
Key Message:
Revise the plan to offer no new offshore oil and gas leasing. To avoid the worst impacts of climate change, we must end fossil fuel development immediately, but the proposed plan could lock in decades of extraction and destruction.
How?
Go to this link to submit your comment to the BOEM: https://www.regulations.gov/document/BOEM-2022-0031-0001. Fill in the form with your name and address and type in your comment. You can also see comments submitted by others.
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