BIDEN ADMINISTRATIONS NEXT MOVE AGAINST OIL, GAS, COAL & NUCLEAR - THE ENDANGERED SPECIES ACT

[JoMack + 547]

Biden administration announces first steps to undo Trump Endangered Species Act changes

 

Two proposed rules would rescind Trump administration efforts to limit the critical habitat protections for imperiled species

When Biden took out his pen the day he took office and killed the Keystone XL pipeline and banned oil and gas leasing and permits on federal lands, how does Biden get to the road to zero-emissions when gasoline prices are continuing to rise and the public is out for blood.  Crying to OPEC and Russia just screams further hypocrisy and will move the public further against Biden and the Democrats when they step into the voting booth. 

So, what should one do?  Of course, one of the biggest most potent tools in Biden's box will be the use of the Endangered Species Act.  Public comment is currently being requested by the Fish and Wildlife Service on the lesser prairie chicken.  It currently occupies a five state range that includes Texas, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Kansas and Colorado.  The chicken has been on the list as threatened in 2014 and vacated in 2015 following a lawsuit. Through continued voluntary conservation by public and private sectors, the prairie chicken population has increased.  In December 2020, it was taken off the ESA list.

Although the USDA found in its study that the lesser prairie chicken population grew without being listed, the new director of Fish and Wildlife, Martha Williams, (previous Director of Montana Dept of Fish and Wildlife) who coincidently worked with Stone-Manning (eco-terrorist) at the Montana Department and now head of the Bureau of Land Management, and who were both recommended by Deb Haaland the head of the Department of Interior. are now working together to halt oil, gas, coal and nuclear development and the ESA will be their chosen weapon.  So, the lesser prairie chicken is back and all three are working hard to get it listed on the ESA as an endangered species.  If successful they will remove massive amounts of surface for habitat and potential habitat and will be off limits for energy development and agriculture.

On November 14, the BLM withdrew 264 packages from the sale of oil and gas leases in Wyoming which will occur in 2022.  The proposed lease sale followed the federal court ruling to end the Biden moratorium on federal leasing when he took office in 2020.  The packages taken off the sale list represent 382,882 acres for the Sage Grouse habitat.

So, as the DOI comprehensive review of oil and gas leasing to potentially remove rules on minimum bids, increased royalties and most important, sensitive wildlife habitats, greenhouse gas emissions will pressure the energy sector development further into decline.

So, the energy and ag sectors will be under fire until 2022, when we hope the Democrats get the boot and the Republicans get a backbone, and Congress will put up the roadblocks necessary to stop or at least slow down the insanity, which is the Biden Administration.