THE WILDERNESS SOCIETY
COALITION TO PROTECT AMERICA’S NATIONAL PARKS * FRIENDS OF THE
EARTH US * NATIONAL PARKS CONSERVATION ASSOCIATION * ROCKY
MOUNTAIN WILD * POWDER RIVER BASIN RESOURCE COUNCIL * WYOMING
OUTDOOR COUNCIL
February 08, 2024
SUBMITTED VIA E-PLANNING
Andrew Archuleta
State Director
Wyoming Bureau of Land Management
5353 Yellowstone Road
Cheyenne, WY 82009
Project Contacts:
Erik Norelius
en******@bl*.gov
(307) 775-6284
Allen Stegeman
as*******@bl*.gov
(307) 775-6259
Katrina Gray
kl****@bl*.gov
(307) 684-1067
Re: Comments on the Wyoming Bureau of Land Management 2024 Second Quarter Competitive Oil & Gas Lease Sale Draft Environmental Assessment and Draft Finding of No Significant Impact (DOI-BLM-WY-0000-2024-0001-EA).
Dear State Director Archuleta:
On behalf of our organizations, members, and supporters, we thank you for accepting and fully considering these comments on the Draft Environmental Assessment (Draft EA) and Draft Finding of No Significant Impact (Draft FONSI) for the Bureau of Land Management Wyoming 2024 Second Quarter Oil and Gas Lease Sale. Our organizations and members are deeply invested in sound stewardship of public lands and committed to ensuring that public land management prioritizes the health and resilience of ecosystems, equitably benefits the public, addresses environmental justice, protects biodiversity, and mitigates the impacts of climate change.
We are grateful for both the proposed Fluid Mineral Leases and Leasing Process Rule (Leasing Rule) and the earlier release of several Instruction Memoranda (IMs) beginning to implement program reforms and provisions in the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA).1 The IRA addressed only some of the needed reforms. The Leasing Rule would codify the IRA’s reforms, address other needed reforms, and update severely outdated bonding requirements. We urge the BLM to finalize the Leasing Rule expeditiously to ensure deficiencies in the oil and gas leasing program are addressed. Because important measures such as adequately updated bonding requirements are not yet in place, we encourage the agency to consider not proceeding with additional leasing before finalizing the Leasing Rule.
Click here to read the full letter.