By the end of 2014, oil and gas companies held leases on more than 34 million acres of public land, and more than 200 million additional acres are currently being targeted for drilling. These lands were set aside by past generations for the enjoyment of future generations. Yet the oil and gas industry has been allowed by our current crop of federal leaders to decimate this land. We need to support The Protect Our Public Lands Act, which would ban fracking on all federal lands – reintroduced this past spring by Congressmembers Mark Pocan and Jan Schakowsky, and 12 additional cosponsors.
When President Obama’s Bureau of Land Management originally proposed rules to regulate fracking on public lands, more than 650,000 public comments were delivered demanding an outright ban on the practice instead. More Americans are demanding real action against fracking on the federal level, and we are fortunate to have key members of Congress who are willing to heed this call. The rising national movement against fracking has been driven not just by emerging science, but also a groundswell of grassroots activism. In response, New York enacted a statewide ban in December 2014 and the Maryland General Assembly recently passed a two-and-a-half-year moratorium on fracking.
The Protect Our Public Lands Act is a huge opportunity for Congress to get on the right side of history by protecting national resources and heritage, while also decreasing America’s contribution to climate change. It is time for real action to be taken to protect our country’s pristine lands and pass the Protect Our Public Lands Act. Banning fracking on public lands should be a no-brainer for Congress and the President.
Wenonah Hauter is the executive director of Food & Water Watch (foodandwaterwatch.org).
From The Progressive Populist, June 15, 2015
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