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Reforming the federal oil and gas leasing system is necessary to fulfill mandates under the Federal Land Policy and Management Act (FLPMA) and ensure that recreation on public lands are protected, according to a new report from Outdoor Alliance and Public Lands Solutions.
The report emphasizes that healthy public lands bring a slew of economic benefits to communities, namely through visitation, outdoor recreation, new businesses, and new residents, as families and young professionals seek places to live with great outdoor access and high quality of life.
The current oil and gas leasing system inhibits the development of healthy public lands by instead introducing air and water pollution, physical impacts to viewsheds, and safety concerns related to recreation and industrial activity occurring in close proximity.
Thankfully, the Biden administration has taken steps to reform parts of the outdated oil and gas leasing system. The Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) introduced a number of reforms, including raising royalty rates for on- and offshore oil production, raising rental rates for oil leases, and eliminating non-competitive leasing, which allowed companies to buy up leases that did not sell at auction for $1.50. The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) recently proposed a draft rule that will clarify how these changes will be implemented through the complex leasing process.
A new post from Center for Western Priorities Communications Manager Kate Groetzinger takes note of these proposed reforms and clarifies that in order to make proposed rules stick, the Biden administration must fast-track rulemakings and finalize them by April or May of 2024. Otherwise, the final rules could potentially be overturned by Congress through the Congressional Review Act (CRA) process.
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Unless an ice age were to appear all of a sudden out of nothing, it is basically virtually certain we will break the record for the warmest July on record and the warmest month on record.”
