In a significant environmental move, the Biden administration has announced plans to prohibit oil and gas leasing across 264,000 acres of Nevada’s Ruby Mountains, aiming to preserve the region’s unique landscape and rich biodiversity.
Earlier in the week, the Department of the Interior formally submitted an application to withdraw these lands from potential oil and gas leasing for the next 20 years, reported Fox News. This application triggers an immediate two-year pause on any new mineral leases in the area while officials conduct an in-depth review. The process will include a mandatory 90-day public comment period, which will fall under the oversight of the incoming Trump administration.
Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack underscored the ecological and recreational importance of the Ruby Mountains. “The Ruby Mountains are an iconic landscape with exceptional recreation opportunities and valuable fish and wildlife habitat worth preserving for the future,” Vilsack stated. He emphasized that the decision reflects input from tribal communities, environmental advocates, and outdoor recreation groups.
While the proposal restricts new oil and gas leases, it does not entirely block mining activities, leaving some extractive industries with potential access. Still, the measure introduces significant regulatory challenges for future oil and gas development in an area celebrated for its natural beauty and environmental value.
This isn’t the first time the Ruby Mountains have been at the center of controversy over oil and gas drilling. During Donald Trump’s presidency, the U.S. Forest Service considered leasing 54,000 acres in the area for drilling. The proposal faced overwhelming public backlash, with thousands of comments opposing the plan from local residents, state officials, and national advocacy groups. In 2019, the Forest Service ultimately rejected the proposal.
Scientific experts have also questioned the economic feasibility of oil extraction in the Ruby Mountains. Jenna Padilla, a geologist from the Humboldt-Toiyabe Ruby Mountains Ranger District, previously pointed out that geological surveys show little to no potential for significant oil reserves in the area.
The move comes as Biden prepares to issue a decree “permanently banning new offshore oil and gas development in some US coastal waters, locking in difficult-to-revoke protections during his final weeks in the White House,” according to Bloomberg.
The outlet said he intends to put in place a ban that Trump cannot rescind.
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Common sense environmentalism is conservative, a la Theodore Roosevelt (Robin Williams). SloJoes handlers are fanatics, and use the environment as a tool to push communism and globalism.
Wrong move Biden Back off