Biden: Stop letting the fossil fuel industry off the hook

 

This month marked the end of the Biden administration’s first year. We’ve seen incredible progress so far — hard fought wins that materialized only because of the persistent activism of people like you. We’ve protected the Tongass National Forest, restored Bears Ears National Monument, banned chlorpyrifos, and so much more. We’ve had remarkable success in court, including a victory on Thursday that vacated the leases from the Biden administration’s unprecedented offshore drilling lease sale in the Gulf of Mexico. Despite this progress, we still have a long way to go in the fight against climate change. Global emissions jumped up last year after a pandemic-induced drop and extreme weather increasingly threatens every region in the country. We need action, now. Our leaders are not meeting the moment — largely due to the fossil fuel industry’s delay tactics. President Biden has not yet made it clear that he understands we have a choice to make between the continued existence of the fossil fuel industry and a livable climate. While the Biden administration has acted on some important issues — like setting precedents for coal ash cleanup and supporting desperately needed investments in renewable energy — polluters are still largely getting what they want. Here’s how the Biden administration has let the fossil fuel industry off the hook. It has: Attempted the largest offshore oil and gas lease sale in history, selling off the Gulf of Mexico to Big Oil. This would’ve locked us into decades of fossil fuel use if not for the successful Earthjustice lawsuit that vacated the leases. Allowed the Dakota Access Pipeline to operate without a permit — endangering the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe and threatening their water. Allowed construction of the Line 3 Pipeline without adequate environmental review or consent of the Anishinaabe people of northern Minnesota. Refused to restore the Obama-era moratorium on new coal leases. Undoing the toxic legacy of fossil fuels requires ambitious, large-scale efforts, and the administration’s encouragement of increased fossil fuel extraction is only creating more harm to undo. We must change course. Although it’s possible he hasn’t fully come to terms with his place in history, President Biden must be the president who ends the fossil fuel era. From extraction to transport to combustion to disposal, fossil fuels poison our communities and our future, and it’s beyond time for them to go. President Biden has the means to get the job done, but we’ll have to use our collective power to compel him to do it. Join us in calling on President Biden to act with the conviction that this crisis requires. Click here to fight fossil fuels by taking all the actions below on one page.     Protect our public lands and waters from fossil fuels Thanks to an Earthjustice lawsuit, the biggest offshore oil and gas lease sale was deemed illegal, but the fight's not over. The federal government still leases vast swathes of public lands and waters to private corporations to drill for oil and gas and to mine for coal. As a result, nearly 25% of climate-cooking emissions from the United States come from fossil fuels pumped or mined from lands and waters that belong to the public. It doesn’t have to be this way. The federal oil, gas, and coal leasing program is broken and reforming it is crucial to meaningfully address climate change. TAKE ACTION     Tell the EPA to cut methane emissions Methane is the second largest contributor to the climate crisis after carbon dioxide. On a pound-for-pound basis, methane traps 86 times more heat than carbon dioxide, making it far more potent and dangerous to our climate. Fortunately, the Environmental Protection Agency just released its first draft for new regulations to tackle methane and associated pollution from new and existing oil and gas operations, and it is taking feedback from the public. The draft is a good start, but there’s room for improvement — and we need you to push for even stronger protections. Take action before tomorrow’s deadline. TAKE ACTION     Tell Biden to shut down the Dakota Access Pipeline ­­­­­The Biden administration has said it will not take immediate action to shut down the Dakota Access Pipeline while the government conducts a court-ordered environmental review of the pipeline, therefore allowing oil to continue flowing through the Tribe’s ancestral land and water supply. The fight is not over. Urge the Biden administration to do the right thing and permanently shut the pipeline down after the environmental review is completed. TAKE ACTION     Shut down the Line 3 pipeline ­­­­­Anishinaabe people of northern Minnesota have waged a seven-year effort to stop the Line 3 pipeline from being built in the heart of territory where they retain the rights to hunt, fish, and harvest wild rice and other plants. When fully operational, the pipeline will carry 760,000 barrels of oil per day, including dirty tar sands oil, threatening sacred places and locking in decades of climate pollution at a time when we cannot afford anymore. Tell the Biden administration to support the people, not the polluters, and stop the Line 3 pipeline. TAKE ACTION   The issues above need your support. Click here to take all the actions on one page. We’ll need your voice in the fights that lie ahead. The best way to stay engaged is to sign up for text messages from Earthjustice by clicking here or texting JUSTICE to 43428. Thank you for your advocacy and commitment to protecting people and the planet. Sincerely, Kyle Berquist Digital Advocacy Specialist

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