Washington, D.C. –  In response today’s announcement from the Biden-Harris administration on the Bureau of Land Management’s (BLM) Oil and Gas rule, the League of Conservation Voters (LCV), Conservation Colorado, Montana League of Conservation Voters, and Nevada Conservation League released the following statements:   

“We’re thrilled the Biden-Harris administration is cracking down on Big Polluters and making sure they pay their fair share for the fossil fuels they are extracting from our public lands,” said LCV Conservation Program Director America Fitzpatrick. “These reforms are commonsense and long overdue for American taxpayers and communities who have been paying the cost of cleanups for decades while communities bear the burden of the impacts from toxic pollution. President Biden has done more to hold the fossil fuel industry accountable than any president ever and is continuing to deliver on his commitments to tackle the climate crisis.”

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“The current oil and gas leasing system is outdated and shortchanges taxpayers and harms the environment,” said Conservation Colorado Public Lands Campaign Manager Brien Webster. “Thanks to the leadership of the Biden Administration we have a final rule that fixes this by raising royalty rates and ensuring responsible development. It generates billions more for communities, strengthens wildlife protections, and makes companies accountable. It’s a win-win for Coloradans.”

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“We are excited to see the Interior Department’s new oil and gas rule, which has overwhelming support from Montana voters and will conserve the public lands that support our way of life and local economies,” said Montana Conservation Voters Program Director Jocelyn Leroux. “93% of Montanans support requiring oil and gas companies, instead of taxpayers, to cover the clean-up costs – which is exactly what these reforms accomplish. This common-sense rule updates decades-old policies to ensure that Montana taxpayers get a fair return from development, aren’t on the hook for clean up, and have access to our state’s iconic landscapes for generations to come.”

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“We are thankful the Bureau of Land Management took an important step today to prioritize Nevada communities and their needs,” said Nevada Conservation League Executive Director Kristee Watson. “The oil and gas rule has vast support from Nevadans because it protects irreplaceable landscapes and ecosystems from speculative, out-of-state companies. Under today’s reforms, Nevada’s public lands will be better managed for economic drivers such as hunting, fishing, tourism, and outdoor recreation, not just oil and gas.”

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