WildEarth Guardians

Tuesday, March 8, 2016
Guardians and Physicians Call on Obama Administration to Cancel Wyoming Oil and Gas Lease Auction

Groups Challenge Proposal to Auction off More than 100,000 Acres of Public Lands for Fracking
Contact: Jeremy Nichols (303) 437-7663 jnichols@wildearthguardians.org

Cheyenne, WY—Citing the need to rein in greenhouse gas emissions and keep fossil fuels in the ground, WildEarth Guardians and Physicians for Social Responsibility late last Friday challenged the Obama Administration’s plans to auction off more than 100,000 acres of public lands in Wyoming for fracking.

“Our health and our future depend on keeping our fossil fuels in the ground,” said Catherine Thomasson, Executive Director of Physicians for Social Responsibility.  “The Obama Administration needs to stop auctioning off our public lands for fracking and start putting our climate first.”

In an appeal filed with the U.S. Department of the Interior’s Bureau of Land Management, the groups challenged plans to auction off 110 publicly owned oil and gas lease parcels totaling more than 104,000 acres in Wyoming. The auction is scheduled for May 3, 2016 in Cheyenne.

The plans comes amid signs that fossil fuels produced from public lands are exacting a toll on the climate. A report released in March 2015 by The Wilderness Society found that oil and gas development on public lands managed by the Interior Department is already responsible for nearly 10% of all U.S. greenhouse gas emissions. 

These emissions are tied to drilling rigs, trucks and engines used for fracking and production, methane leaks from wells and pipelines, and the ultimate combustion of oil and gas.

In total, 23% of all U.S. climate emissions come from burning coal, oil, and gas from our public lands.

Most of these emissions are linked to fossil fuels produced from public lands in the western United States.  In Wyoming, more than 10 million acres of public lands are under lease by the oil and gas industry, more than any other state.

In spite of a clear link between oil and gas production and carbon pollution, the Interior Department is continuing auction off vast expanses of American public lands for fracking.  In May 2016, Interior is slated to auction off more than 120,000 acres in Colorado, Montana, Utah, and Wyoming.

“The Interior Department’s climate denial is fueling a fracking rush on our public lands,” said Jeremy Nichols, Climate and Energy Program Director for WildEarth Guardians.  “It’s time to put the brakes on more fossil fuels and auctioning off our future to the oil and gas industry.”

In the appeal filed Friday, WildEarth Guardians and Physicians for Social Responsibility challenged the Interior Department’s illegal failure to account for the greenhouse gas emissions and carbon costs that would result from more fracking.

Last fall, the groups called on the Obama Administration to stop leasing oil, gas, and coal from public lands.  In January, the Administration announced a moratorium on new coal leasing, but has yet to act on oil and gas.  In response, WildEarth Guardians called on the President to put the brakes on new oil and gas leasing and commit to addressing the climate impacts of public lands fracking.

The public lands slated to be auctioned for fracking in May include expanses of Wyoming’s Red Desert, lands near Riverton, and lands directly east of Casper along the North Platte River.  A map showing the parcels of lands scheduled for sale can be viewed here >>