Good News for Wildlife, Public Lands, and Taxpayers

The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) released its finalized rule to reform oil and gas leasing late last week. This common-sense rule secures fair market royalty rates, which have not been increased in more than 100 years, and increases bonding rates to a reasonable level, ensuring that funds are available for necessary clean-ups and reclamation. The rule also raises the rates companies are charged for leasing public lands. Leasing criteria will also be applied to companies, reducing the practice of speculative leasing and thereby lessening development pressure on areas that contain sensitive wildlife habitat, cultural resources, high recreational usage, or other special resources and values. 

“We are pleased to see the Department of the Interior take strong action to conserve public lands by finalizing their new oil and gas rule. For too long, unnecessary oil and gas leasing on lands with high conservation value and low energy potential have placed critical wildlife habitats and ecosystems at risk,” says Michael Cravens, Advocacy and Conservation Director of the Arizona Wildlife Federation, “These pragmatic reforms will ensure fair returns for taxpayers and shift the burden of post-drilling clean-up to the companies that made the mess.”

More than 260,000 Americans, including thousands of Arizonans, submitted comments for the draft proposal and 99.4 percent of those responders supported the common-sense reforms.

“The BLM’s new rule is the right thing to do for our public lands nationally. Our public lands belong to the American people — whether they are in an oil field in New Mexico, a natural gas site in Colorado, or a helium field in Arizona. The Arizona Wildlife Federation supports the responsible management of natural resources, proper stewardship of our public lands, and a fair return to taxpayers,” says Scott Garlid, Executive Director of the Arizona Wildlife Federation.