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Global temperature changes

Obama Administration to Auction Off Public Land for Oil and Gas Drilling Amid Climate Talks

Strategic Insights

— 2 min read

The Obama administration plans to hold a lease auction in Washington on December 10, where 500 acres of public land in Arkansas and Michigan will be offered for oil and gas development. Environmental groups have announced their intention to protest the auction, which they claim undermines the president's efforts to reduce U.S. emissions from fossil fuels. The auction is set to coincide with the final days of the United Nations climate talks in Paris, where President Obama has emphasized the importance of global cooperation to combat climate change.

Key Takeaways:

  • The Obama administration has leased around 35 million acres of public land for oil and gas development, which is just over 5 percent of the 650 million acres of federally owned land in the United States.
  • The Interior's Bureau of Land Management (BLM) is slated to offer 500 acres of public land in Arkansas and Michigan for oil and gas leasing at the December 10 auction.
  • Environmental groups, including 350.org, plan to protest the auction outside the auction site in downtown Washington in an effort to force officials to cancel the event.
  • Critics of oil and gas leasing argue that it contradicts President Obama's broader efforts to curb greenhouse gas emissions, including the Clean Power Plan to cut climate pollution from power plants.
  • Climate scientists have said that countries will need to keep a sizable portion of known fossil fuel reserves in the ground to avoid catastrophic levels of global warming over 2 degrees Celsius (3.6 degrees Fahrenheit).
  • A report in the journal Nature found that at least 33 percent of the world's oil reserves, 49 percent of gas reserves, and 82 percent of coal reserves must remain unburned in order to keep global temperature rise below 2 degrees Celsius.
  • Environmentalists in the U.S. and worldwide are increasingly targeting fossil fuel projects that they claim could lead to rampant global warming.

Statistics:

  • In fiscal year 2014, drilling and mining activities generated more than $13 billion in revenues for the government, including royalties and rent, according to Interior Department data.
  • The U.S. government has leased around 35 million acres of public land for oil and gas development, which is a small fraction of the 650 million acres of federally owned land in the United States.
  • The Interior's Bureau of Land Management (BLM) plans to offer 500 acres of public land for oil and gas leasing at the December 10 auction.
  • Climate scientists have said that keeping at least 33 percent of the world's oil reserves, 49 percent of gas reserves, and 82 percent of coal reserves unburned is necessary to avoid catastrophic levels of global warming over 2 degrees Celsius.

Sources:

  • "Interior Department" (http://statistics.onrr.gov/ReportTool.aspx)
  • "BLM" (http://www.blm.gov/style/medialib/blm/es/minerals/oil_and_gas/december_2015_sale0.Par.53393.File.dat/December%202015%20Lease%20Sale%20Final%20website%20copy.pdf)
  • "350.org" (http://www.ibtimes.com/climate-change-conference-2015-live-updates-obama-leaves-paris-negotiations-continue-2205990)
  • "The Guardian" (http://www.theguardian.com/environment/2015/jan/07/much-worlds-fossil-fuel-reserve-must-stay-buried-prevent-climate-change-study-says)
  • "IB Times" (http://www.ibtimes.com/keystone-xl-pipeline-decision-good-for-environment-but-its-too-late-205602)
  • "The Salt Lake Tribune" (http://www.sltrib.com/news/3189245-155/blm-postpones-controversial-oil-gas-leasing-auction)

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