Washington, D.C. – U.S. Senators Ron Wyden and Jeff Merkley, along with U.S. Representatives Suzanne Bonamici, Val Hoyle and Maxine Dexter, today opposed the recent rescission of two key Bureau of Land Management (BLM) oil and gas rules on leasing and waste prevention that will harm public lands, reduce community input, increase pollution, and raise taxpayer costs.
In the first of two letters, the Oregon lawmakers denounce the BLM’s proposal to rescind the 2024 Fluid Mineral Leases and Leasing Process rule (the 2024 Onshore Leasing Rule).
“[…] BLM’s newly proposed rule threatens to dismantle this common-sense progress. We are deeply concerned that the proposed changes shift cleanup liabilities back to the public, restrict community and private landowner participation, and distort the balance required to manage America’s public lands responsibly,” the Senate and House members wrote to Department of Interior Secretary Doug Burgum.
The 2024 Onshore Leasing Rule ensured that the concerns of states, Tribes, and local communities were included in decision-making and was a long-overdue correction to decades of BLM policies that favored oil and gas development over other uses. This led to tens of thousands of dangerous abandoned wells that became the financial responsibility of taxpayers instead of the oil and gas companies. The 2024 rule had immense public support and established a balanced framework that saved taxpayer money, ensured multiple use management of public lands and protected cultural resources and rural communities that depend on public lands. In their letter, the lawmakers ask that the administration specifically reconsider oil and gas bonding requirements; public participation, Tribal consultation, and landowner involvement; and leasing preference criteria.
The first letter was led by U.S. Senators Michael Bennet, D-Colo., and U.S. Representative Jared Huffman, D-Calif. In addition to Wyden, Merkley, Bonamici, Hoyle and Dexter, the letter was signed by U.S. Senators Ben Ray Luján, D-N.M., Sheldon Whitehouse, D-R.I., John Hickenlooper, D-Colo., Martin Heinrich, D-N.M., Catherine Cortez Masto, D-Nev., Edward J. Markey, D-Mass., Tammy Duckworth, D-Ill., Jacky Rosen, D-Nev., Cory Booker, D-N.J., as well as U.S. Representatives Yassamin Ansari, D-Ariz., Julia Brownley, D-Calif., Salud Carbajal, D-Calif., Ed Case, D-Hawaii, Steve Cohen, D-Tenn., Diana DeGette, D-Colo., Debbie Dingell, D-Mich., Adelita Grijalva, D-Ariz., Sara Jacobs, D-Calif., Raja Krishnamoorthi, D-IlI., Susie Lee, D-Nev., Mike Levin, D-Calif., Seth Magaziner, D-R.I., Betty McCollum, D-Minn., Dave Min, D-Calif., Joe Neguse, D-Colo., Frank Pallone, D-N.J., Emily Randall, D-Wash., Mary Gay, Scanlon, D-Pa., Lateefah Simon, D-Calif., Paul Tonko, D-N.Y., and Juan Vargas, D-Calif.
The Oregon lawmakers outlined in the second letter their strong opposition to BLM’s proposal to overturn the 2024 Waste Prevention, Production Subject to Royalties, and Resource Conservation rule. The BLM’s reversal of this rule will increase pollution on public lands, reduce domestic energy supply, expose nearby communities to avoidable health risks and waste publicly owned natural gas costing Americans tens of millions in foregone revenue.
“We strongly urge BLM to reject this proposed rescission and maintain the 2024 Waste Prevention rule. The oil and gas resources on these lands belong to the American public and Tribal nations, and they deserve to benefit from the full value and benefits of responsible resource stewardship,” the lawmakers wrote.
The second letter was led by Bennet and Huffman. In addition to Wyden, Merkley, Bonamici, Hoyle and Dexter, the letter was signed by U.S. Senators Luján, Angus King, I-Maine, Whitehouse, Hickenlooper, Heinrich, Markey, and Booker, as well as U.S. Representatives Ansari, Brownley, Carbajal, Sean Casten, D-IlI., Cohen, Jasmine Crockett, D-Texas, DeGette, Dingell, Grijalva, Jacobs, Krishnamoorthi, Magaziner, McCollum, Min, Seth Moulton, D-Mass., Neguse, Pallone, Scott Peters, D-Calif., Randall, Scanlon, Simon, and Vargas.
The text of the letter opposing the rescission of the 2024 Onshore Leasing Rule is here.
The text of the letter opposing the rescission of the 2024 Waste Prevention Rule is here.
A web version of the release is here.
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