Federal officials rejected a petition from New Mexico environmental groups to phase out oil and gas drilling on federal land, citing several environment and climate-related policies enacted since President Joe Biden took office in 2021.
WildEarth Guardians, the Center for Biological Diversity and other conservation groups filed the petition and a lawsuit in April, petitioning the Department of Interior and its Bureau of Land Management to initiate a rulemaking that would curb oil and gas production on federal land.
This would have a significant impact on New Mexico, the second-largest, oil-producing state in the U.S. where about half of operations are on federal land.
The petition cited statements made by Biden during his campaign for President that he would stop drilling on federal lands and waters, arguing the administration continued leading public land to oil companies throughout the President’s term.
Most recently in New Mexico, the BLM sold leases to about 8,596 acres of federal public land in the southeast Permian Basin region and in Cheyenne County, Kansas in a sale that netted about $79 million dollars in revenue to the agency.
The BLM was also planning another lease sale in November, offering about 596 acres in leases in Eddy and Lea counties and in Oklahoma.
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