Carlsbad Caverns National Park, Chaco Culture National Historical Park, and Dinosaur National Monument are among the National Park System sites expected to benefit from rule changes for oil and gas leasing on Bureau of Land Management lands, according to the National Parks Conservation Association.
The Interior Department said the Fluid Mineral Leases and Leasing Process rule “will guide BLM efforts to focus oil and gas leasing in areas that are the most likely to be developed — areas with existing infrastructure and high oil and gas potential — lessening development pressure on areas that contain sensitive wildlife habitat, cultural resources, high recreational usage, or other special resources and values.”
“These are the most significant reforms to the federal oil and gas leasing program in decades, and they will cut wasteful speculation, increase returns for the public, and protect taxpayers from being saddled with the costs of environmental cleanups,” said Interior Department Secretary Deb Haaland. “Alongside the historic investments we are making through President Biden’s Investing in America Agenda to clean up orphaned oil and gas wells, these reforms will help safeguard the health of our public lands and nearby communities for generations to come.”
More than 80 national park units border public lands managed by the BLM, making the health of the parks directly affected by decisions made by the bureau, NPCA staff said Friday, adding that the updated rule will “prevent poorly sited drilling in and near critical wildlife areas, watersheds, or cultural and natural resources, like national parks.
“This long-overdue update shows a commitment to balancing conservation with oil and gas leasing on public lands, better prioritizing the protection of our national parks from the relentless encroachment of fossil fuel development,” said Beau Kiklis, NPCA’s senior program manager of energy and landscape conservations. “NPCA commends the Biden administration, Department of the Interior, and Bureau of Land Management for bringing the first significant update to our oil and gas leasing program in over 30 years.”
NPCA said the rule change could have the following effects:
- Carlsbad Caverns National Park: Despite stunning underground geologic features, Carlsbad Caverns National Park, situated in one of the most active oil and gas regions, has long faced risk from nearby fossil fuel development. Continued drilling poses threats, including gas or fluid leaks into cave passages, jeopardizing visitor safety during cavern hikes. The Oil and Gas Rule empowers the BLM to redirect development away from parks, protecting the underground caverns and preventing groundwater contamination.
- Grand Teton National Park: Grand Teton National Park and the Greater Yellowstone ecosystem provide refuge for many Northern Rockies species, including big game like mule deer and pronghorn. The parks and surrounding landscapes, providing essential habitat and migration corridors for pronghorn and mule deer, are now better protected from future drilling.
- Dinosaur National Monument: Straddling the Colorado-Utah border, Dinosaur National Monument is renowned for its dinosaur fossils embedded in rocks and canyon walls and for featuring over 800 paleontological sites. The Oil and Gas Rule provides real pathways for the BLM to stop leasing these unique landscapes to oil and gas development.
- Chaco Culture National Historical Park: Oil and gas drilling within or near parks dramatically changes the night sky. Excessive light pollution from industrial lighting can compromise the cultural values held in many national parks, such as the celestial calendars built at Chaco Culture National Historical Park in New Mexico.
Also applauded the rule change was the National Wildlife Federation.
“This is a win for wildlife and people alike. Increased bonding rates ensure that industry — and not taxpayers — pay for the cleanup of the toxic messes left behind after drilling. The rule also prioritizes oil and gas leasing in areas with high potential for development while ending the practice of noncompetitive leasing that previously allowed drilling on public lands for as little as $1.50 an acre,” said Bailey Brennan, public lands attorney for the federation. “These long overdue reforms will encourage better stewardship of our public lands so they can continue to offer vital habitat for wildlife, plentiful opportunities for recreation, and a boost for rural economies.”
