Urge the President to Permanently Ban New Fossil Fuel Extraction on Public Lands

posted in: Environment, Uncategorized | 0

From PennEnvironment (http://www.pennenvironment.org):

From Bears Ears and Grand Staircase-Escalante to Chaco Canyon and Everglades National Park, our nation is home to diverse and irreplaceable landscapes.

These places need to be protected so that they remain wild, healthy and intact for the wildlife that call them home and the future generations that come to visit. On the campaign trail, President Biden committed to doing so, saying he would “ban new oil and gas permitting on public lands and waters.”1

We’re urging President Biden to make this promise a reality by turning his temporary moratorium on oil and gas leasing on public lands into a permanent ban. Will you join us, Sandy?

Send a message to President Biden at https://pennenvironment.webaction.org/p/dia/action4/common/public/?action_KEY=43168 asking him to permanently ban new fossil fuel extraction on public lands.

Ending new oil and gas claims on public lands is critical to both protecting the integrity of our special places and staving off further greenhouse gas emissions.

Data from the U.S. Geological Survey shows that fossil fuel extraction from federal lands was responsible for approximately 25 percent of the United States’ total carbon dioxide emissions from 2005 to 2014. Drilling on public lands also released methane, nitrous oxide and other global warming pollution.2

Additionally, fossil fuel development threatens the health and beauty of some of our nation’s most iconic places. This includes acres surrounding the Grand Canyon, Bears Ears and Grand Staircase-Escalante, and Chaco Canyon — all of which were leased under the Trump administration.3

Unless permanent protections are enacted, drilling, mining and leasing can and will continue.

Urge President Biden to ban new oil and gas leases on our most wild and iconic places.

President Biden has already taken an important first step to safeguarding public lands by signing a halt on leasing. However, a halt is temporary and could be ended at any time.

Sandy, the current halt on fossil fuel extraction needs to become a permanent ban, and you can help make this happen.

Take action on behalf of our environment and climate today.


  1. Juliet Eilperin and Dino Grandoni, “Biden vowed to ban new drilling on public lands. It won’t be easy,” The Washington Post, November 19, 2020.
  2. Adam Aton, “Fossil Fuel Extraction on Public Lands Produces One Quarter of U.S. Emissions,” Scientific American, November 27, 2018.
  3. Cassidy Randall, “Trump condemned over plans to allow drilling near national parks,” The Guardian, September 14, 2018.

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