Tell President Biden: No more drilling on public lands and waters

Red alert: the Biden administration is about to open more public lands and waters to new fossil fuel extraction. Biden has been at meeting of the world’s 7 biggest economies today (the G7). But the US, EU, and other big rich countries are all actively backing away from their commitments to act on climate change at the speed and scale the crisis requires.

Exhibit A is Biden and team’s plan to sell out more than 100,000 additional acres of public lands and waters to oil and gas drilling THIS WEEK! But it’s not too late for President Biden to reconsider. And it couldn’t be more important for him to feel the pressure and take bold action on climate than while he’s literally sitting at the table with other world leaders debating climate and economic commitments.

Join us and more than 1000 partner organizations and send a comment to Biden and team to an end drilling and extraction on public lands and waters. Then, once you’ve sent a comment, sign up to host or attend an event this week to deliver the message to President Biden and his team — all it takes is a sign and a few friends to get started!

This is Urgent: Biden’s Department of Interior plans to sell an additional 144,000 acres of public lands in nine states – Montana, Nevada, Utah, Colorado, Wyoming, New Mexico, Alabama, North Dakota and Oklahoma – starting this week. The administration is also scheduled to open up millions of acres of offshore waters to drilling later this summer. 

On the campaign trail, Biden was perfectly clear, promising us that if elected he’d ban fossil fuel extraction on public lands owned by taxpayers like you and me. “No more drilling on federal lands, period,” he said. “Period, period, period.” 

But he broke that promise. Last year, Biden offered more than 80 million acres for drilling in the Gulf of Mexico. And instead of stopping more drilling. And earlier this year, instead of honoring his promise to stop drilling, he offered a series of weak “reforms” that will make it marginally more expensive to drill and frack our public lands. But those costs will just get passed on to American consumers, and will do nothing to help with the climate chaos unfolding all around us.

Let’s be absolutely clear: Avoiding climate disaster and protecting frontline communities requires us to stop all new oil and gas drilling on U.S. lands and waters immediately – just like Biden promised. There’s still time for Biden to honor his promise, and do the right thing.

But we can’t stand by and wait for it to happen. Biden is at the G7 negotiating with world leaders right this moment. Later this week, the Supreme Court is expected to strike down our right to regulate climate emissions (like they already struck down a woman’s right to choose and other fundamental rights to live, love, and breathe).

With the courts against us, and international coalitions faltering and looking for leadership, We have to take action together to pressure Biden before it’s too late.  

Take action now to demand President Biden ban fossil fuel leasing on public lands and waters.

Drew Hudson

References

“Biden promised no new drilling on public lands. Here’s why he broke that promise” Grist

“9 Key Elements Of Joe Biden’s Plan For A Clean Energy Revolution” Biden Harris Campaign 

“Net Zero by 2050: A Roadmap for the Global Energy Sector” International Energy Agency