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Biden administration sued over onshore leases as offshore lease plan expires [1]

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Date: 2022-07-01

In addition to challenging that federal agencies have failed in their duties under the National Environmental Protection Act, the groups contend that the Interior Department and Bureau of Land Management failed to prevent “permanent impairment” and “unnecessary or undue degradation” as noted in the Federal Land Policy and Management Act by allowing polluters to continue destroy public lands through oil and gas exploration and development. Continued pursuit of this damaging sector isn’t even helping anyone: A study all the way back from 2017 found that onshore operations resulted in an uptick in emissions, water usage, and concerns over water contamination—to say nothing of the damage wrought by abandoned and orphaned oil and gas wells. The Biden administration’s inability to act in this situation has certainly led to concern from anyone working to fight climate change. Their implicit unwillingness to act may also be benefitting those of us concerned with reaching net-zero.

Thursday marked the last day a five-year oil and gas offshore leasing plan was still in effect for the Interior Department. Now that it’s Friday, the Interior Department is utterly unable to offer any new offshore leases. In fact, given how long it takes for a proposed plan to make it from draft to being implemented, we may not see whatever five-year plan take effect until next year. If this is a deliberate action to force the end of offshore activity, it’s a welcomed one. According to a recent analysis from EarthJustice, eliminating new offshore oil and gas projects will do little to gas prices, nor will they harm the economy or employment. The report pushes back against claims by the American Petroleum Institute that no new five-year plan would signify disaster for the U.S. If the country can clearly do fine without adding more polluters to the mix, perhaps it’s time for the Biden administration to sunset all oil and gas production as the U.S. seeks to reach net-zero by 2050. After all, it’s not the president’s fault that greedy fossil fuel companies want to financially harm Americans at the pump. But lawmakers have proven there are mechanisms to go after them and it’s high time we do so.

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[1] Url: https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2022/7/1/2107534/-Biden-administration-sued-over-onshore-leases-as-offshore-lease-plan-expires

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