The report follows a comprehensive review of federal leasing practices and priorities and highlights how the oil and gas industry has benefitted at the expense of taxpayers, wildlife, and public lands.
Today the Department of the Interior (DOI) released a long-awaited report on the state of the federal oil and gas leasing program and includes a path forward to bring the program into the 21st century so that it works for everybody.
“For too long, our oil and gas leasing program has been utilizing outdated practices that have long-term implications for the health, stewardship, and economics of our public lands. We are excited to see that the DOI has put forward recommendations that address long-standing problems with an antiquated leasing program. Congress should use this report as a guide for reforming the fiscal policies of federal oil and gas leasing program as part of the Build Back Better Act,” said Camilla Simon, Executive Director, Hispanics Enjoying Camping, Hunting, and the Outdoors (HECHO).
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May 27, 2021 -- Congresswoman Teresa Leger Fernández’s Orphaned Well Cleanup and Jobs Act of 2021 is a dynamic bill that would stimulate rural economies, create jobs, and cut down on pollution. The bill would help clean up state, private, public, and Tribal lands while also combatting the climate crisis. Passing out of the House Natural Resources Committee this week, it now heads to the House floor.
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This week, 28 state and local elected officials -- representing thousands of constituents across the southwestern United States -- sent a letter to the Interior Department and Secretary Deb Haaland in support of their pause and review of the federal oil and gas leasing program. The letter, organized by Hispanics Enjoying Camping, Hiking, and the Outdoors (HECHO), comes as the first opportunity for public feedback to the administration closes and the Department prepares its report on the future of the leasing program. Western voters, particularly Latinos, overwhelmingly want oil and gas development on federal public lands to be stopped or strictly limited, not expanded.
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Today Senator Catherine Cortez Masto (D-Nev.) sponsored the End Speculative Oil and Gas Leasing Act of 2021 that would prevent oil and gas speculators from leasing public lands that offer little to no potential for energy development.
Our nation’s public lands, and the people and wildlife who rely on them, face unprecedented challenges. Among them is the threat of speculative leasing, a destructive practice that allows oil and gas companies to tie up public lands with little to no potential for development in long-term leases. Speculative leasing not only wastes important government resources, but it also puts critical wildlife habitat in harm’s way, and hinders public access to the great outdoors, threatening important opportunities to connect with the landscape that is home to valuable cultural landmarks. Thankfully, it is not too late to stop this.
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This piece originally appeared as an op-ed in the Santa Fe New Mexican on October 31, 2020.
By HECHO National Advisory Board Member, and former San Miguel County Commissioner, Rock Ulibarri — 10/31/2020 12:00 AM MDT
Currently, all of New Mexico’s residents are in drought — 2,060,000 people. Over 46 percent of the state is in extreme drought, with more than 30 percent in severe drought (drought.gov/drought/states/new-mexico). We know a decrease in rainfall and snow has increasing implications for our water supply. The unreliable Rio Grande has put farmers at risk.
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This piece originally appeared as an op-ed in the Las Vegas Sun Times on September 30, 2020.
By HECHO National Advisory Board Member, and Nevada State Senator, Moises “Mo” Denis — 09/30/2020 2:00 AM MDT
Growing up, I was shaped by my time outdoors, hiking and camping with my family. Now, I’ve made it a priority to keep myself and my children connected to the outdoors, both for recreation and as a place of respite and rejuvenation from the fast pace of life.
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Utah’s public lands are the envy of other states, and they draw countless visitors from all over the world. They also are at the heart of what it means to be a Utahn — no matter your background. Growing up, I spent a majority of my free time outdoors, hunting elk and deer on our public lands to put food on the table. Now, as a state representative, I feel an even greater sense of duty to protect these places so that families like mine can continue to enjoy and recreate on our public lands, particularly during these difficult times.
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“We’ve been asking for commonsense updates to oil and gas leasing policies established in the 1920s for years, but this proposal is a loser. The fees we should be raising are oil and gas royalty rates, which currently offer up our public lands at rock bottom rates.
We at HECHO value both our public lands and our voices. This policy of ‘pay to say’ would not only charge $150 or more just to object to an oil and gas lease on public lands, but it would also have a chilling effect on our constitutional right to petition our government. Our deep ties to the land and generations-old traditions on the land compel us, as stewards, to reject any attempt to drown out our voices, especially when it comes to decisions being made about our public lands.
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There’s no doubt that the oil and gas sector is an essential source of jobs and revenue to the state of New Mexico. It is a critical part of our economy. At the same time, New Mexico can’t afford to tie its fiscal health, and the welfare of our schools, colleges, and universities to the boom-and-bust cycles of fossil fuel markets.
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Decision-making about where to drill typically excludes diverse stakeholders, including Latino communities that hunt, fish, camp, and use public lands. As a result, our access to public lands for recreation, subsistence, education, and traditional cultural uses are impeded. And, worse yet, sometimes the landscape, wildlife, or water is irreparably damaged.
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Max Trujillo and I have spent time in DC this month, announcing our poll, knocking on doors and spreading the word that Latinos support conservation. Here's an update on the progress we’re making to strike a better balance between oil and gas development and conservation.
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The Arches and Canyonlands of Utah evoke thoughts of remoteness and mystery, fantastical vistas, wild geological formations, and voices echoing impossible distances. For many of us who live out west, these places represent the heart of what it means to find solitude and be in touch with the land, in love with the landscape, tiny in comparison to creation, and more grand in spirit than one could ever imagine. These places open the soul.
Now imagine if oil and gas rigs marred the stunning vistas, and a spaghetti of access roads scarred the solitude. Instead of hearing ravens and wind, you could hear the clank and clamor of the extractive industry. Imagine mountain biking or hiking on trails criss-crossed by truck traffic and heavy machinery, or fishing a polluted river.
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