Ian Brickey, ian.brickey@sierraclub.org
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, the Trump administration took a step in revoking a major federal rule protecting public lands in its latest giveaway to corporate polluters.
In a press statement, the Department of the Interior officially announced a proposal to rescind a 2024 federal rule limiting oil and gas development in the Western Arctic. The move initiated a 60-day comment period on the proposed recission.
The rule enforces protections for millions of acres in the Western Arctic, which contains the largest contiguous area of public lands in the entire United States. Both rules were adopted after robust public consultation and support. In April, the Interior Department first suggested it would move to undo the rule.
Since retaking the White House, Donald Trump has pursued an agenda defined by giveaways to corporate polluters and oil and gas firms. Several of his Day One executive orders rolled back protections on public lands across the country to make it easier for oil and gas companies to drill. The budget reconciliation bill currently being considered in Congress would further this pro-polluter agenda by returning royalty rates oil and gas companies must pay for using public lands to levels set in the 1920s.
In response, Sierra Club Executive Director Ben Jealous, released the following statement:
“Donald Trump is trying to giftwrap the Western Arctic with a bow for Big Oil CEOs. Rescinding this rule would send us back to the days when oil and gas companies had free rein to drill our public lands for pennies on the dollar, and American families were left holding the bag.
“For more than 100 days, Donald Trump has schemed to transform the largest single area of public lands in the country into the world’s largest gas station, going against the will of Congress and the American people. We will not let him get away with this without a fight, and we will stand up for the communities and wildlife that call this majestic landscape home.”
About the Sierra Club
The Sierra Club is America’s largest and most influential grassroots environmental organization, with millions of members and supporters. In addition to protecting every person's right to get outdoors and access the healing power of nature, the Sierra Club works to promote clean energy, safeguard the health of our communities, protect wildlife, and preserve our remaining wild places through grassroots activism, public education, lobbying, and legal action. For more information, visit www.sierraclub.org.