Tell the BLM: We need a rulemaking now!

Tell the BLM: We need a rulemaking now!

As gas prices continue to soar, executives of oil majors have enjoyed record profits at the expense of consumers. Now they are doubling down on their resistance to ending price gouging, insisting that they be allowed to ramp up production on our public lands.

This June, Coloradans like us have an opportunity to stand up to corporate greed. On June 30, the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) will conduct an oil & gas lease sale, with over 5,000 acres of our public lands at stake. We are going to send a clear message that we expect robust protections to be codified into rules, and that oil & gas operators who purchase these leases must be held accountable for their actions.

The BLM needs to hear from you that we need a prompt rulemaking to:

  • Continue taking steps to avoid leasing in areas of low potential for oil development, sensitive cultural areas, important habitat, and migration corridors
     
  • Require oil & gas operators to clean up after themselves, and increase bond amounts to ensure full coverage of potential reclamation costs so that taxpayers aren’t stuck with the bill
     
  • Permanently modernize royalty rates, as well as outdated minimum bid and rental rates for oil & gas leases to ensure that taxpayers are fairly compensated and to reduce speculative leasing

Please take three minutes now to email BLM_CO_LeaseSale@blm.gov and request this rulemaking. Remind them that this is our home, and that the future of our wildlife, environment, livelihoods, and children are not for sale!

About the author

Brian joined Western Colorado Alliance as a community organizer in April 2020. With a professional background in elections and the court system, Brian specializes in working with our partners to shape oil and gas policy. Having grown up on the Western Slope, he is committed to working toward a strong, sustainable future for our community. Brian also volunteers with Mesa County Library’s literacy and pathway to citizenship programs. As an avid board game enthusiast, he enjoys opportunities to strategize and build winning coalitions. Brian received his bachelor's degree in political science from Colorado Mesa University, and his master’s degree in public administration from the University of Colorado Denver’s School of Public Affairs.