The Biden administration has formally rejected an offer by environmental activists to phase out oil and gas production on federal lands and waters, marking its latest nod to the resilience of fossil fuels in a warming world .
Laura Daniel-Davis, the Interior Department’s principal assistant secretary for land and minerals management, said in a letter released Thursday that the agency could not devote its “limited resources” to establishing a phase-down program, having into account “competing priorities,” including the implementation of lease sales mandated by last year’s climate law.
Daniel-Davis did not address the substance of the legal and scientific arguments advanced by more than 300 environmental, community and climate groups in her 85-page rulemaking request last year, saying only that she appreciated “the thought and effort behind ” of his push. “This administration shares your concerns about the urgency of the climate crisis and is directing its limited resources in an effort to address them,” he said.
The move drew swift condemnation from activists who cited growing evidence that the world must stop developing new oil and gas fields to avoid the most catastrophic consequences of global warming and reach net zero emissions by 2050 .
“To claim that the Biden administration lacks the resources to take real climate action on federal fossil fuels is hollow and beyond hypocritical,” said Taylor McKinnon of the Center for Biological Diversity. “This is the definition of lip service. The administration recognizes the urgency of addressing climate change and meanwhile avoids every opportunity to take meaningful action on the fossil fuels under its control.”
The decision follows the administration’s approvals of ConocoPhillips’ Willow oil development in Alaska and Alaska’s LNG exports, as well as its support for provisions in the debt ceiling deal that accelerate construction of the Mountain pipeline Valley of Equitrans Midstream Corp.
On the campaign trail, President Joe Biden vowed to block new oil and gas permits on public lands and waters, saying he would “not only end federal leasing programs” but also “reduce federal oil production and existing gas”. The activists’ petition called on Interior to manage a steady decline in that production, ultimately reducing production by 98% starting in 2035.
