Activists accuse Biden of ‘reckless’ restoration of fossil fuel leases on public lands

Activists accuse Biden of ‘reckless’ restoration of fossil fuel leases on public lands

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Jerry Lynn is here. Biden’s announcement on Friday to resume the sale of fossil fuel leases on public lands represented another breach of a campaign promise — like his failure to do anything significant on student loans that could lead young people to abstain in November ticket.

by Brett Wilkins.Originally Posted in common dream

Activists have denounced the Biden administration’s announcement Friday that the U.S. Bureau of Land Management will resume oil and gas lease sales on public lands, another betrayal of President Joe Biden’s commitment to reducing greenhouse gas emissions and addressing the climate emergency.

U.S. Department of the Interior explain On Friday afternoon, rental sales resumed in line with 2021 federal ban prevent the Biden administration from implementing a Pause for a while New leases for oil and gas drilling on public lands and waters.

The department described onshore oil and gas lease sales as a “significant overhaul” while announcing “the first increase in the royalty rate for new competitive leases to 18.75%”, above the 12.5% ??minimum tax rate required by law.

And progress watchdog Accountable.US applaud Despite the government’s decision to raise royalties, most climate activists have decried the resumption of fossil fuel lease sales amid a worsening global emergency.

“When the president announces something at 5:00 p.m. Friday, it’s never a good sign. But President Biden cannot escape this disastrous climate decision,” said Varshini Prakash, executive director of the youth-led Sunrise Movement. “The truth is that more drilling now isn’t going to solve high oil prices — so why would Biden break his campaign promise to stop drilling on public lands?”

The Western Center for Environmental Law states, “The communities most at risk from new fossil fuel extraction are primarily black, brown, and indigenous peoples, the global majority, and those at the forefront of the expansion of the fossil fuel industry. Biden was elected in 2020 and has since urged him to use his executive power to deliver on his campaign promises and ban new federal fossil fuel projects.”

Randi Spivak, Director of Public Lands, Center for Biodiversity, debate “A Biden administration’s claim that it must hold these lease sales is a myth and a reckless failure of climate leadership.”

“It’s as if they are ignoring the horrors of fires, floods and megadroughts and accepting climate catastrophe as usual,” she added. “These so-called reforms are 20 years too late and will only continue to fuel the climate emergency. These lease sales should Put on hold, the climate-destroying federal fossil fuel program should end.”

Collin Rees, U.S. Program Manager for Oil Change International, assertion “President Biden’s decision to double lease new public land for fossil fuel development is a disastrous option at a time when the climate emergency and the fossil fuel wars have exposed the dangers of reliance on fossil fuels.”

Reese continued:

No regulations can change the fact that “significantly reformed” oil and gas lease sales will still lead to the sale of our public lands for deadly extraction, hurting communities and fueling the climate crisis. Raising royalties could even lead to a further state and federal reliance on oil and gas lease revenues, just as science is clear that we need to stop all expansion of fossil fuel extraction.

It’s an ugly betrayal of Joe Biden’s campaign promises and his administration’s rhetoric on environmental justice and climate action. Biden has chosen to stand with polluters at the expense of front-line communities and the future of the planet.

True energy independence means rejecting fossil fuel expansion and ending the greed of the oil giants, while rapidly building renewable energy on public lands and beyond.

As a presidential candidate, “Biden promised to stop new oil and gas leases on public lands,” recalls Nicole Ghio, senior fossil fuel program manager at Friends of the Earth, but now he “puts oil executives’ profits before future generations” above”.

“Biden’s Interior Department has even issued drilling permits faster than the Trump administration,” she added. “Now, the Bureau of Land Management is preparing to hold its first public land lease sale, although there is no legal obligation to do so. If Biden wants to be a climate leader, he must stop auctioning our public land to the oil majors.”

Sunrise’s Prakash warns of electoral consequences for Biden’s failure to deliver on his climate promises, including Guarantee There will be “no more drilling on federal lands, period, period, period, period.”

the president has being attacked From climate and environmental activists as he plans to auction off more than 80 million acres in the Gulf of Mexico to fossil fuel companies — an effort that is blocked by a federal judge in January.

“That’s why young people are totally suspicious of the political process,” she said. “If Biden wants to fix voter turnout in 2022, he should actually deliver on what he promised and not move further from them. We don’t want to hear anyone asking why young people don’t vote on November 8, 2022 “Biden is actively rejecting voters. If we’re going to fight fascism and win in 2022, he has to be a leader and on the right track. This election and our future depends on it.”





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