Thank you for the opportunity to submit comments on BLM's proposed oil and gas reforms. I support the adoption of these commonsense reforms and urge BLM to take further steps to directly curtail emissions from federal oil and gas extraction.
For too long, oil and gas leasing on public lands has occurred at the expense of the climate and biodiversity crises and impaired our national parks, clean air, clean water and neighboring communities.
I firmly support BLM establishing a directive to steer extraction away from our highest value conservation lands, including our national parks and their surrounding landscapes, our most climate resilient public lands, including those providing crucial wildlife habitat and migration corridors, and areas that are rich in sacred and sensitive cultural resources.
I also support BLM updating bonding requirements to fully reflect the costs of clean-up and reclamation and therefore reducing the threat of future orphan oil and gas wells. I am supportive of the various fiscal rates, fee changes, and similar provisions to ensure a fair return for taxpayers and communities.
Finally, I urge the BLM to take regulatory action to align leasing and permitting decisions with its very own emission reduction goals and to build off this oil and gas rule and develop a climate plan for our public lands. Our public lands should be part of the climate solution.
Thank you for proposing these long overdue, commonsense reforms.
