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The current century-old process that governs drilling on public lands makes it easy for energy developers to nominate, lease and drill on public lands—often at the expense of taxpayers and the environment. The Biden administration acknowledged that when it paused leasing earlier this year in order to work on reforming the process. But the Bureau of Land Management is still considering applications to drill on land that never should have been leased in the first place.
The Diamond Valley Oil Project, located near the Ruby Mountains in northeastern Nevada, is one of those cases. The lease “overlaps important lands for wildlife, including designated sage-grouse habitat, a mule deer migration corridor, and portions of the Huntington Creek watershed, which supports populations of Lahontan cutthroat trout,” writes Russell Kuhlman, executive director of the Nevada Wildlife Federation.
In his recent op-ed, Kuhlman points out that the area was leased over the objections of the state’s department of wildlife, and that allowing drilling there could have devastating effects. On top of that, the Bureau is only requesting $10,000 to clean up the well, which Kuhlman argues is not enough, considering the ecological sensitivity of the area, and will leave taxpayers on the hook if the developer goes bankrupt.
This project, and others like it, highlight the need for immediate reform. And the Biden administration should not allow it to move forward until new leasing rules are in place.
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Not only does the Forest Service promote too much logging, but the harvesting methods also now in vogue are appalling.”
