Tell Biden to Shut Down Drilling on Public Lands and Waters

Instead of shutting down drilling on public lands and waters as he promised, President Biden is putting his foot on the pedal and driving us head first into climate catastrophe. Here’s what’s happening:

• The Biden administration in April announced that it would start selling oil and gas leases on 144,000 acres of public lands in nine states. The lease sales will start this June, and more will almost certainly follow. 
• The administration is about to announce a new five-year plan for more leasing in millions of acres of ocean waters. Last year, Biden offered more than 80 million acres of offshore waters for drilling in the Gulf of Mexico. 
• Rather than ending fossil fuel development on public lands, Biden is expected to offer a series of weak “reforms” on federal leasing that will only keep oil and gas companies drilling, when what we really need is an end to fossil fuel extraction on public lands and waters once and for all.

Avoiding climate disaster requires us to stop all new oil and gas drilling on U.S. lands and waters now and begin phasing it out entirely. We’re quickly running out of time — and Biden is taking us in exactly the wrong direction. 

We need your help to stand up and speak with a united voice against more drilling on public lands and off our coasts!

Our Petition

To: President Biden and Secretary Haaland:

The latest United Nations climate report couldn’t be more clear, the next few years will determine the collective future for all life on this planet.

To avoid the most cataclysmic effects of climate change and the acceleration of wildlife extinctions, global greenhouse gas emissions must hit their final peak by 2025 -- and then swiftly drop.

Increasing floods, fires, heat waves, storms, and droughts are already impacting Americans, our infrastructure, our food supply, and our national security.

As communities impacted by the current climate crisis, we are calling on you to take action and stop all drilling and mining for fossil fuels now.

We’re deeply troubled by your plans to expand federal fossil fuel leasing, both offshore and on our public lands. You are putting your foot on the gas and driving us headfirst toward climate catastrophe. And you’re sacrificing Indigenous, Black, low-wealth communities and communities of the global majority  of color first who are already facing the disproportionate impacts of pollution and climate chaos.

Any expansion of fossil fuel production now is a denial of science, a breach of your promise, a betrayal of frontline communities – and a death sentence for people and wildlife.

You must reverse course. Existing law gives you the authority to lead bravely and boldly, with the stroke of your pen.

One of the most significant steps you can take is to begin a managed decline of fossil fuel production on our federal lands and waters.

We call on you to start now by banning new federal fossil fuel leases.

This step alone will reduce carbon emissions by 280 million tons per year.

We urge you to do absolutely everything in your power to address the climate emergency, starting with ending new federal fossil fuel leases. Life, as we know it, cannot endure your leasing climate bomb.

[YOUR NAME HERE]