Coalition Chair Phil Francis issued the following statement in response to Senator Cortez Masto’s reintroduction of legislation that would prohibit leasing lands for drilling where there is little to no oil and gas potential.
“It makes no sense to lease public lands on the doorsteps of our national parks to oil and gas companies, especially when those lands don’t actually have any drilling potential. But the current federal oil and gas leasing system not only allows this to happen, it encourages this harmful practice.
Senator Cortez Masto’s legislation is a common-sense reform that will put an end to a leasing policy that regularly threatens our parks, important wildlife habitat, and other iconic places across the West. We support this legislation and encourage the Senator to continue working with the Biden administration to review the system and ensure our public lands work for everyone.”