Issue Briefing:

No New Fossil Fuel Projects on Public Lands

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The first step toward 100% displacement of fossil fuels is to halt new drilling immediately.

Photo by Aleksandar Littlewolf via Freepik

Clear Policy Ask

Congress must prohibit all new oil and gas development offshore and on federal lands by passing the Keep It in the Ground Act.


The Keep It in the Ground Act, which would prohibit new and renewed permits for drilling and infrastructure development for fossil energy projects on public lands. The bill needs cosponsors in the House and Senate to increase its chances of getting a vote.

Check whether your members of Congress already cosponsor the Keep It in the Ground Act:

The Case for Keeping It in the Ground

Preventing new fossil projects is critical to curbing emissions. The only viable path to net-zero emissions by 2050, per the IEA, includes an immediate halt to all new oil, gas, and coal extraction projects.

Fossil energy projects are dangerous. Both oil and gas pipelines pose extreme hazards to human health and local ecosystems, whereas extraction sites can all but destroy the local environment. These hazards disproportionately impact communities of color and Indigenous populations.

Financial institutions are funding the fossil fuel industry in direct contradiction to their stated climate goals and their financial interests. Major banks are greenwashing by continuing to finance new fossil exploration projects even as they commit to sustainability goals, and economic forecasting has continuously predicted this is bad for their bottom line.

Increased production of fossil fuels will not ease our energy woes. Our dangerous and costly dependence on fossil fuels leaves us vulnerable to foreign adversaries, and relying on an extractive energy source makes the market inherently volatile. Renewable energy, especially when produced domestically, is the most stable and security energy option.

Expanded production of fossil fuels is losing popularity. A spring 2020 Pew Research Center poll found that 79% of U.S. adults said expanding clean energy sources should be prioritized over fossil fuels; only 20% said oil, gas, and coal extraction should be the top priority. This result held true for two-thirds of Republicans and Republican-leaning independents.

 
 

 In the News: Project Willow

There’s no better example of why Congress must act urgently to ban oil and gas leases on federal lands. Project Willow, a proposal from ConocoPhillips, is the largest proposed drilling project and is currently under environmental review by the Bureau of Land Management. Here’s what you need to know:

Photo by Marc Marchal on Unsplash

  • According to the Center for American Progress, Willow’s extracted oil could release 260 MMT of CO2, nearly the equivalent of one-third of all U.S. coal plants.

  • This would completely negate the Biden administration’s progress on climate: current plans to ramp up renewable energy would only avoid 129 MMT of CO2.

  • The Department of the Interior should block the Willow lease, but an act of Congress would permanently ban public lands oil leasing, regardless of who is in the White House.

Sample Social Post

More drilling won't solve our energy crisis. The largest proposed drilling project, ConocoPhillips' Willow in the Arctic, would extract 160k barrels of oil daily. Congress MUST prohibit drilling on public lands & offshore. Enough is enough. [@MoC1] [@MoC2] [@MoC3]