Credit: Trevor Bexon/Flickr
The Biden regime announced Monday that it will bar oil, gas, and geothermal development in northeastern Nevada’s Ruby Mountains for the next 20 years.
This sweeping restriction covers an estimated 264,000 acres of federal land and effectively halts new energy exploration in the region.
Under the guise of environmental stewardship, the regime claims the move is in response to requests from Native American tribes, conservationists, and outdoor sports enthusiasts.
But critics argue this is another clear example of Biden’s commitment to strangling domestic energy production in favor of appeasing radical environmentalist groups.
The regime’s proposal begins a 90-day public comment period and triggers a two-year moratorium on new oil, gas, and geothermal leases in the area.
The lands will remain accessible for mining activities, leading some to question the consistency of the regime’s environmental policies.
More from Reuters:
The Interior Department said it had approved an application by the U.S. Forest Service to withdraw 264,442 acres of federal lands in the Ruby Mountains from mineral and geothermal leasing.
The application’s approval removes the lands from development for up to two years and kicks off a 90-day period for the public to comment on the proposed 20-year withdrawal.
The proposal comes three weeks before President-elect Donald Trump, who has vowed to step up domestic oil and gas production, succeeds President Joe Biden, a Democrat who has sought to conserve large amounts of public land.
The lands would remain open to mining claims, the Interior Department said.
“The Ruby Mountains are cherished by local communities for their scenic value, cultural heritage, numerous wildlife and benefit to the local economy through a thriving outdoor recreation industry,” Interior Secretary Deb Haaland said in a statement. “Today, we are taking an important and sensible step to pause new oil and gas leasing to ensure that we have the science and public input necessary to inform proposed protections of the Ruby Mountains area for future generations.”
This move aligns with a series of decisions by the Biden administration that have been perceived as hostile to the oil and gas industry.
From canceling the Keystone XL Pipeline to revoking leases for oil, gas, and mining across the West, the administration’s policies have been criticized for increasing reliance on foreign energy sources and contributing to rising energy costs for American consumers.
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