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Today the Interior Department is hosting a virtual forum as part of the Biden administration's comprehensive review of the federal oil and gas leasing program, a century-old system which gives industry a sweetheart deal to lock up public lands and shortchanges taxpayers in the process. The forum will feature several panels with a variety of stakeholders, including industry representatives, labor and environmental justice organizations, natural resource advocates, and other experts.
Since President Biden announced a temporary pause on federal oil and gas leasing, the industry has been trying to convince the public that the pause will devastate the economy. However, publicly-available data and statements from oil and gas executives reveal the disingenuous nature of their campaign. Jenny Rowland-Shea, Senior Policy Analyst with the Center for American Progress says, “Despite the industry claims, a pause on leasing alone is unlikely to substantially change federal oil and gas development in the next decade because the industry already controls so many acres of public lands.”
There is already bipartisan momentum in congress to address some of the most problematic aspects of the current outdated leasing system, including the Fair Returns for Public Lands Act, legislation that will increase royalties from 12.5% to 18.75% for resources extracted from public lands, and increase the rental fees that oil and gas companies pay from $1.50 or $2.00 per acre to $3.00 or $5.00 per acre. In addition, Senator Catherine Cortez Masto has introduced the End Speculative Oil and Gas Leasing Act, which will reduce the ability of oil and gas development companies to stockpile public lands that have little to no potential for development.
Podcast: Happy Haynes on mountain parks, urban parks, and the future of play
Allegra “Happy” Haynes is the director of Denver Parks and Recreation, as well as the Deputy Mayor of Denver. In the latest episode of the Center for Western Priorities' podcast, The Landscape, Happy talks about the importance of the Land and Water Conservation Fund, Denver's unique system of mountain parks, and innovations in playgrounds.
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The top scientists in the world have taken this from dreamland to reality. There are hundreds of pathways that could take us to 100% renewable. It no longer should be a question of if, but when and how.”
