Subscribe to Receive the Daily Report

Monday, November 25th, 2019

U.S. Suspends More Oil and Gas Leases Over What Could Be a Widespread Problem

Author:     NICHOLAS KUSNETZ
Source:     Inside Climate News
Publication Date:     NOV 17, 2019
 Link: U.S. Suspends More Oil and Gas Leases Over What Could Be a Widespread Problem
Stephan:   Even though Criminal Trump and Moscow Mitch have been able to appoint and confirm a quarter of the judges in the Federal judiciary, there are still men and women of integrity on the bench who can see clearly that the Republican push to keep the carbon industry in profit with no consideration about the effect this will have on climate change is morally and legally wrong. So, on balance, I see this as good news.

Nearly a quarter of the nation’s carbon dioxide emissions come from fossil fuels developed on federal lands, according to a government report.
Credit: Bureau of Land Management

The Trump administration’s relentless push to expand fossil fuel production on federal lands is hitting a new snag: its own refusal to consider the climate impacts of development.

The federal Bureau of Land Management’s Utah office in September voluntarily suspended 130 oil and gas leases after advocacy groups sued, arguing that BLM hadn’t adequately assessed the greenhouse gas emissions associated with drilling and extraction on those leases as required by law.

The move was unusual because BLM suspended the leases on its own, without waiting for a court to rule.

Some environmental advocates say it could indicate a larger problem for the bureau.

“It is potentially a BLM-wide issue,” said Jayni Hein, natural resources director at the Institute for Policy Integrity at NYU School of Law, which has been involved in similar litigation in other states. “It could have the effect […]

Read the Full Article