Landmark legislation aims to eliminate climate pollution on public lands
Rich Carstensen
New bill would finally require public lands to be managed with climate in mind
Today, Chairman Raul Grijalva and Members of the House Committee on Natural Resources introduced the American Public Lands and Waters Climate Act, the first bill ever to holistically address greenhouse gas emissions on public lands and waters.
In response, The Wilderness Society released the following statement from President Jamie Williams:
“This important legislation would turn our shared lands and waters from a leading driver of the climate crisis into a powerful solution. Our public lands should benefit everyone instead of blindly prioritizing fossil fuel interests as the Trump administration has done at every turn. This bill puts the public interest first by requiring federal land managers to rein in pollution, deploy clean energy, and protect and restore natural ecosystems for the benefit of all people and the planet.”
“We urge Congress to embrace this responsibility, and we commend Chairman Grijalva and his colleagues for proposing this strong step forward.”
The legislation comes at a time when the Trump administration is continuing to push rampant oil and gas leasing, impacting future climate emissions.
According to analysis from The Wilderness Society, climate emissions resulting from oil and gas leases sold from January 2017 through April 2019 could produce 4.7 billion metric tons (MT) of carbon dioxide equivalent (CO2e), more than the total greenhouse gas emissions (GHG) stemming from all 28 member countries of the European Union for an entire year.
