Conservation Groups Protest Utah BLM’s Q4 2025 Oil & Gas Lease Sale October 23, 2025 — Salt Lake City, UT Rocky Mountain Wild, the Coalition to Protect America’s National Parks, and the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC) have filed a formal protest against the Bureau of Land Management’s (BLM) proposed Q4 2025 Competitive Oil and
Comments on BLM New Mexico 2026 Oil & Gas Lease Sale Environmental Assessments
THE WILDERNESS SOCIETY COALITION TO PROTECT AMERICA’S NATIONAL PARKS* CONSERVATION LANDS FOUNDATION* DEFENDERS OF WILDLIFE* NATIONAL PARKS CONSERVATION ASSOCIATION* NATURAL RESOURCES DEFENSE COUNCIL* ROCKY MOUNTAIN WILD September 2, 2025 SUBMITTED VIA E-PLANNING Melanie Barnes State Director Bureau of Land Management, New Mexico (505) 954-2222 Project Contacts: Catherine Brewster cb*******@*lm.gov (505) 954-217 Cody McCullah cm*******@*lm.gov Max
Oppose Onshore Oil and Gas Riders in the FY26 House Interior Appropriations Bill
July 21, 2025 The Honorable Tom Cole Chair House Committee on Appropriations U.S. House of Representatives H-307 The Capitol Washington, DC 20515 The Honorable Rosa DeLauro Ranking Member House Committee on Appropriations U.S. House of Representatives 1036 Longworth House Office Building Washington, DC 20515 Re: Oppose Onshore Oil and Gas Riders in the FY26 House
Coalition Joins Opposition to Oil and Gas Provisions in Budget Reconciliation
May 21, 2025 The Honorable Mike Johnson Speaker U.S. House of Representatives Washington, D.C. 20515 The Honorable Hakeem Jeffries Minority Leader U.S. House of Representatives Washington, D.C. 20515 Dear Speaker Johnson, Leader Jeffries, and Members of the House, Our nation’s public lands are irreplaceable; they contain critical habitats and cultural resources while providing invaluable opportunities
Coalition Submits Comments on Draft Environmental Assessments and Findings for BLM New Mexico’s 2025 Oil & Gas Lease Sale
THE WILDERNESS SOCIETY COALITION TO PROTECT AMERICA’S NATIONAL PARKS * NATIONAL PARKS CONSERVATION ASSOCIATION * NATURAL RESOURCES DEFENSE COUNCIL* ROCKY MOUNTAIN WILD May 21, 2025 SUBMITTED VIA E-PLANNING Melanie Barnes State Director Bureau of Land Management, New Mexico (505) 954-2222 Project Contacts: Catherine Brewster cb*******@*lm.gov (505) 954-217 Cody McCullah cm*******@*lm.gov Allison Nelson ae******@*lm.gov Sarah Scott
Coalition Comments on BLM Wyoming Competitive Oil & Gas Lease Sale
THE WILDERNESS SOCIETY AUDUBON ROCKIES (WY, CO, UT) * COALITION TO PROTECT AMERICA’S NATIONAL PARKS * FRIENDS OF THE EARTH * NATIONAL AUDUBON SOCIETY * NATURAL RESOURCES DEFENSE COUNCIL * POWDER RIVER BASIN RESOURCE COUNCIL * ROCKY MOUNTAIN WILD * WYOMING OUTDOOR COUNCIL * WYOMING WILDERNESS ASSOCIATION April 17, 2023 SUBMITTED VIA E-PLANNING Andrew Archuleta
Coalition Signs Protest to BLM Competitive Oil and Gas Lease Sale
THE WILDERNESS SOCIETY COALITION TO PROTECT AMERICA’S NATIONAL PARKS FRIENDS OF THE EARTH NATURAL RESOURCES DEFENSE COUNCIL April 17, 2023 Submitted via email to BL********************@*lm.gov BLM New Mexico State Office Attention: State Director 301 Dinosaur Trail Santa Fe, NM 87508 Re: May 2023 Protest Dear State Director Barnes: The Wilderness Society, Friends of the
Coalition Joins Over 40 Organizations in Opposition to H.R. 1335: Transparency, Accountability, Permitting, and Production of American Resources Act
March 9, 2023 Re: House National Resources Committee Markup on H.R. 1335 Dear Chairman Westerman, Ranking Member Grijalva, and members of the House Natural Resources Committee, On behalf of more than 40 organizations and our millions of members and supporters, we write to you to express our strenuous opposition to H.R. 1335: Transparency, Accountability, Permitting,
Member Op-Ed: Checking In On America The Beautiful
Checking In On America The Beautiful By Mike Murray, Chair of the Executive Council of the Coalition to Protect America’s National Parks. Two years ago, as part of our preparation for President Biden’s incoming administration, the Coalition to Protect America’s National Parks prepared a report that identified recommended changes in direction for our national
Member Op-Ed: Reform oil and gas rules before allowing new leases
Reform oil and gas rules before allowing new leases By Michael Murray and Paul Reed Our national parks and monuments are full of rich history and culture and some are sacred ancestral homes to Tribes – like the Navajo, Hopi and Puebloan peoples — who have stewarded these lands for millennia. Their cultural legacies
Coalition Joins Protest of June 2022 Competitive Oil and Gas Lease Sale Parcels
The Wilderness Society, Rocky Mountain Wild, Wild Montana, Coalition to Protect America’s National Parks, National Audubon Society, Audubon Rockies, and Friends of the Earth respectfully protest all parcels in the June 2022 Competitive Oil and Gas Lease Sales. The Environmental Assessment, Finding of No Significant Impact, and accompanying documents contain several major flaws that undergird
Coalition Supports Bennet’s Reintroduced Oil and Gas Reform Bills
Today, U.S. Senator Michael Bennet reintroduced two bills to tackle the growing orphaned oil well crisis in the short and long term while restoring robust public participation for decisions about whether public lands should be leased for drilling. Underlying these crises is the outdated federal oil and gas leasing system, which for decades has failed
Coalition Signs on To Letter Urging DOI Action to Reform Leasing Program
April 15, 2021 The Honorable Deb Haaland Secretary of the Interior 1849 C Street Washington, D.C. 20240 Dear Secretary Haaland: Thank you for the opportunity to provide recommendations on the Interior Department’s review of the federal onshore oil and gas program. We wholeheartedly support this review, as the onshore program requires sweeping, top-to-bottom reform – to eliminate
Coalition Submits Comments on DOI Fossil Fuels Program Review
April 12, 2021 The Honorable Debra Haaland Secretary of Interior U.S. Department of the Interior 1849 C St. NW Washington, D.C. 20240 Dear Secretary Haaland, I am writing to you on behalf of over 1,900 members of the Coalition to Protect America’s National Parks (Coalition), a non-profit organization composed of retired, former, and current
Coalition Comments on DOI Public Forum
“We strongly agree with Secretary Haaland’s Interior Department; our nation’s federal oil and gas leasing system is in need of holistic reform,” said Phil Francis, Chair of the Coalition to Protect America’s National Parks. “It is an outdated system that threatens our climate, wildlife, clean air and water, public lands, and national parks.” President
Coalition Applauds Biden’s Executive Actions on Climate Crisis
Moments ago, President Biden took bold executive action by signing a slate of executive orders that would help to protect America’s national parks and public lands and tackle the climate crisis. Specifically, the president ordered a pause on new oil and gas leasing on federal land and laid out a ten-year goal of conserving
Member Oped: To Protect Our Parks, Hit Pause On Leasing
1/26/21 Our national parks are America’s crown jewels and as former directors of the National Park Service (NPS), it has been an honor to dedicate our careers to the stewardship of places like Yellowstone, Arches and Everglades National Parks. These are places that inspire pride and provide an opportunity for adventure and reflection, and
Coalition Supports Halt On New Oil and Gas Drilling On Public Lands and Waters
1.25.2021 The Honorable Joseph R. Biden President of the United States The Honorable Debra Haaland Secretary-designate Department of the Interior Dear President Biden and Secretary-designate Haaland, Congratulations on your election victory. We look forward to working with you to preserve and protect America’s national parks. We are writing on behalf of over 1,800 members of
Coalition Joins 500+ Organizations in Letter to President-Elect Biden
December 15, 2020 President-elect Joseph R. Biden Jr. Biden-Harris Transition Team 1401 Constitution Ave NW Washington, DC 20001 Re: Day one promise to ban new federal fossil fuel leasing and permitting on public lands and waters Dear President-elect Biden, Congratulations on winning the presidential election and thank you for your slate of promised executive actions
Decision to Open Up Tongass National Forest to Development is Devastating
The Coalition to Protect America’s National Parks slammed President Trump’s decision to open up Tongass National Forest to logging and industry, jeopardizing the world’s largest intact temperate rainforest. This forest has been called the “lungs of the country,” and is home to numerous and diverse species and old-growth forest. Phil Francis, Chair of the
Coalition Joins Comments On Oil and Gas Leasing Near Chaco Culture
September 25, 2020 BLM Farmington Field Office, Attn.: Sarah Scott, Project Manager, 6251 College Blvd, Suite A, Farmington, NM87402 Re: Comments on the Farmington Mancos-Gallup Draft RMP Amendment and EIS Dear Ms. Scott: Please accept the following comments on the Farmington Mancos-Gallup Draft Resource Management Plan Amendment (RMPA) and Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) from Archaeology
Coalition Calls on DOI to Halt All Oil and Gas Lease Sales
September 28, 2020 The Honorable David Bernhardt Secretary U.S. Department of the Interior 1849 C St. NW Washington, DC 20240 Dear Secretary Bernhardt, On behalf of our over 1,800 members, the Coalition to Protect America’s National Parks (Coalition), urges you to halt all oil and gas lease sales as our country continues to navigate the
Coalition Signs On to Public Comment Extension Letter
The Honorable Sonny Perdue Secretary U.S. Department of Agriculture 1400 Independence Ave., S.W. Washington, D.C. 20250 The Honorable Vicki Christiansen Chief U.S. Department of Agriculture Forest Service 201 14th Street, S.W. Washington, D.C. 20227 September 24, 2020 Dear Secretary Perdue and Chief Christiansen: Given the ongoing public health crisis as a result of COVID-19, the
Coalition Comments on New Mexico Lease Sales
Sale of New Mexico public land to oil and gas nets $8M, despite opposition during Covid-19 Adrian Hedden The federal government made about $8.2 million from a sale of public land to the oil and gas industry in New Mexico, Texas and Oklahoma. The sale was held by the Bureau of Land Management on
Coalition Joins Protest of Oil and Gas Lease Sales
Southern Utah Wilderness Alliance – Center for Biological Diversity – Coalition to Protect America’s National Parks – Great Old Broads for Wilderness – Living Rivers – National Parks Conservation Association – Natural Resources Defense Council – Old Spanish Trail Association – Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility – Utah Chapter of the Sierra Club – Waterkeeper