Wednesday, Aug. 7, 2019 | 2 a.m.
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Recently, the Associated Press wrote a story on a new bid to drill for oil and gas in Nevada’s Ruby Mountains. This request comes only four months after the U.S. Forest Service deemed oil and gas leasing unsuitable for the mountain range.
According to the World Atlas, Nevada ranks second in the United States, behined only Alaska, for having the most public land. More than half of our state is public land, belonging to the American people. The land is rich with mountain landscapes, deserts dusted with cacti, fresh river streams, wildlife and irreplaceable biodiversity. If we don’t protect our public land from corporations seeking to profit off of oil exploration and drilling, we risk the chance of destroying what cannot be fixed.
This exploration is unnecessary, as the opportunities to invest in renewable energy in Nevada are among the strongest in the nation. The cost of renewable energy continues to be cheaper, and innovation will create millions of new jobs without causing destruction to our land. We need to end new oil and gas leasing on our land, and instead invest in renewable energy infrastructure.
