One week after COP26, President Biden and Secretary of the Interior Deb Haaland hosted the largest oil & gas offshore lease sale in US history: 80 million acres of public waters for drilling. This is a violation of the climate and environmental justice promises President Biden made during his campaign.
Thankfully it’s not too late to stop the sale!
Will you call the Department of the Interior at 866-834-8040 and urge President Biden and Secretary Haaland to tell them to reverse the sale?
Secretary Haaland has the authority to reject the bids received for the sale. And under existing laws, the Interior Secretary can also suspend and ultimately cancel a lease at any time if activity would cause serious harm or damage to life, property, or the environment.
We need to demand that President Biden and Secretary Haaland take action right away. If thousands of us make a call today, we can force the administration to respond.
Call President Biden and Secretary Haaland TODAY! Here’s how:
- Call 866-834-8040 to be connected to the Department of Interior
- Script:
“My name is ___, and I live in _____, I am calling to urge President Biden and Secretary Haaland to reject the bids for lease sale 257 in the Gulf of Mexico. This was an illegal sale, and this Administration has the authority to remedy this reckless giveaway to the fossil fuel industry. It’s time for the administration to keep their campaign promises and stand up for environmental justice. Thank you.”
We need to end the era of fossil fuels now! With a simple call, you can demand that President Biden and his administration stand up to Big Oil and follow through on the promise to stop offshore drilling for good.
Please take a minute to call President Biden & Secretary Haaland at 866-834-8040 to urge them to stop offshore drilling in the Gulf of Mexico!
Thank you for taking action,
_____[Your name/ organization) _______
Background
On November 17, just days after pledging a return to U.S. climate leadership at COP26, President Biden and Interior Secretary Deb Haaland went through with an illegal sale of 80 million acres of public lands for drilling by oil and gas corporations including ExxonMobil and BP in the Gulf of Mexico (Lease Sale 257). It is the largest sale of public waters for offshore drilling in U.S. history.
Why is this so bad?
Aside from disastrous oil spills and gas leaks that have poisoned Gulf residents and the surrounding ecosystem, this sale will unleash greenhouse gas emissions equivalent to 112 million cars or 130 coal-powered plants. That is a death sentence when we need to reduce emissions and limit global warming to 1.5°C. But to push the sale forward, the Interior outrageously claims that Lease Sale 257 will have no impact on climate change or the environment.
Why is it illegal?
The National Environmental Protection Act (NEPA) requires federal agencies to take a hard look at the environmental consequences of their proposed actions before deciding to proceed. The Department of the Interior’s decision to move forward with the sale based on false information about its impact on climate change and the environment is a direct violation of NEPA.
Can we still stop it?
YES. The leases won’t be issued until January. A lawsuit has been filed in DC District Court based on the Department of the Interior’s flawed environmental review. If successful, it would reverse the lease sale. But the Secretary doesn’t have to wait for the court’s decision.
The Interior Secretary has the authority to reject bids received during the lease sale. And the Outer Continental Shelf Lands Act (OCSLA) gives the Interior Secretary clear authority to suspend and ultimately cancel a lease at any time if activity would cause serious harm or damage to life, property, national security, and the environment. We must now mobilize to pressure President Biden and Secretary Haaland.