A coalition of environmental groups, including 350.org, Friends of the Earth, and NextGen Climate, on Thursday led a rally at the White House to deliver a petition calling for an end to fossil fuel extraction on federal lands. The petition has more than 1 million signatures, according to The Nation. The group is calling for an immediate end to leasing starting with the cancellation of the next lease sale. “Protect our communities and our climate. It’s past time you cancel all oil and gas lease sales on public lands and waters. You can start by canceling the next lease sale, which will be held online on September 20,” the petition says.
Up for sale Sept. 20 are several oil and gas production tracts in Kentucky and Mississippi.
The Interior Department announced in mid-January it would issue no new coal leases on federal lands while completing a programmatic environmental impact statement of the U.S. coal leasing program. The review is intended to determine if the program is properly structured to provide a fair return to taxpayers, reflects its impacts on the environment, and will continue to help meet the nation’s energy needs. The agency last conducted a PEIS review for the federal coal program in 1983-1984. Currently, approximately 41 percent of the nation’s annual coal production comes from federal land.