
Washington, D.C. — Today, the Senate confirmed Doug Burgum, a former North Dakota Governor, as Secretary of the Department of the Interior.
Below is a statement from Chris Hill, CEO of the Conservation Lands Foundation, which represents a national network of community advocates who are solely focused on the National Conservation Lands managed by the Bureau of Land Management.
“The message we have for Secretary Burgum is that no one has to choose between energy production and protecting the public lands we all love and need. The U.S. is already the world's largest producer of oil and gas, –has been for the last six years– and companies are already optimizing their production.
“With the vast majority of public land under the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) already available for energy production, and roughly half of existing oil and gas leases not being used for production, it’s clear that protecting public lands for the public’s use, for local economies, and for the health of our shared environment is not an obstacle to the country’s energy position.
“Public lands that are currently protected for recreation, hunting, fishing, and more are overwhelmingly popular and are an important source of income for individuals, small and large businesses, and local communities. In fact outdoor recreation on BLM lands contributes more than $11 billion to the economy and substantial revenue to state and local governments for improvement projects and public services.
“As for the effectiveness of the BLM rising to meet our current challenges, it’s not over-regulation that’s blocking responsiveness–it’s the historic strangling of funding and resources that prevent it from carrying out its mission to manage public lands for multiple purposes. The BLM is the largest federal land management agency, yet it receives the least amount of resources.
“We urge Secretary Burgum to work with Congress to help secure the resources BLM needs to be more effective and to heed the clear mandate from the people to maintain existing protections that allow the public to access their public lands. We stand ready to help and hold him accountable to this objective that benefits everyone.”
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Conservation Lands Foundation published this page in Latest News 2025-01-30 18:00:43 -0700