Dear John,
During a global pandemic, the Trump Administration is trying to destroy our public lands.
The administration is moving forward with selling off huge swaths of public lands in Colorado to the fossil fuel industry. This would irreversibly damage public lands and wildlife habitats and threaten sage-grouse, elk, and mule deer.
We can’t let the Trump Administration get away with this. But we need your help to stop them.
Tell the Bureau of Land Management: Don’t exploit the coronavirus crisis to sell off our public lands to Big Oil!
The administration plans to lease over 67,000 acres of land in Colorado to Big Oil. Fossil fuel extraction on these lands would threaten wildlife and endanger our delicate ecosystems.
What’s more, the fracking techniques used in Big Oil and Gas projects will be devasting to the health of local communities. Extracted fracking wastewater can be radioactive, and its disposal through injection wells has been proven to increase earthquakes.
The Trump administration’s decision to go forward with this lease sale will cut the people most impacted out of the decision-making process. People who oppose the lease sale have no choice but to comment online -- but Colorado ranks 25th in the nation when it comes to broadband internet access. And less than 12% of Indigenous people in Colorado have broadband access, meaning their voices are likely to be disproportionately silenced by the Trump administration’s process.
The Bureau of Land Management must take action to delay the leasing process until everyone effected is able to weigh in.
Tell the BLM: Stop leasing public lands during the coronavirus pandemic!
The BLM’s proposed leases will pose a safety and health threat to the people who live on the surrounding land. They could damage some of the best remaining habitat for iconic wildlife species, like sage-grouse. We must protect these sensitive landscapes from oil and gas activity.
But instead, the BLM wants to put Big Oil and Gas profits over our wild places. This is despicable under normal circumstances. But it’s even worse when Americans are distracted by a global crisis.
The BLM has a duty to delay the leasing process in Colorado until after the crisis is over. They owe it to our people, public lands and wildlife. But they won’t act unless they hear from you, John.
Send a message: Demand the BLM put people, wildlife and public lands ahead of Big Oil and Gas profits!
Standing with you,
Nicole Ghio,
Senior fossil fuels program manager,
Friends of the Earth
