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The oil and gas leasing report requested by the White House and produced by the Interior Department last November only mentioned climate change directly three times, despite making a number of valuable recommendations to reform the federal leasing program. Some conservation groups want to know why.
The Montana Environmental Information Center, Center for Biological Diversity and WildEarth Guardians filed a lawsuit against the Interior Department last week requesting "any improperly withheld records" related to the November report on the environmental impacts of the federal oil and gas leasing program. The groups filed multiple unsuccessful Freedom of Information Act requests last year regarding the drafting of the report.
The oil and gas leasing report was drafted in response to an executive order issued by President Biden that directed federal agencies to address climate change, but it barely made mention of the issue, according to the lawsuit. In it, the groups say they are seeking clarity on why the report "does not more directly address the ways in which federal fossil fuel production contributes to the climate crisis or could be modified to lessen that impact."
Despite not mentioning climate change, the report made a number of good recommendations aimed at reducing speculative leasing, increasing royalty rates, and improving bonding requirements. It is imperative that the Biden administration acts on these recommendations before it resumes leasing public lands for drilling.
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Climate change and rising sea levels are threatening coastal communities across our region—including the homelands of several of our region’s tribes... The federal government has an obligation to fulfill its trust and treaty responsibilities and to make sure that people aren’t put at risk."
