How Biden can start protecting public lands even before taking office

Tuesday, Nov. 24, 2020 | 2 a.m.

President-elect Joe Biden can get a leg up on repairing President Donald Trump’s assault on the nation’s public lands, and he doesn’t need an ounce of cooperation from the administration to do it.

Here’s how: Biden should announce that upon taking office, he’ll immediately review any oil and gas leases signed during the transition period between administrations. Further, Biden should indicate that he’ll conduct those reviews with an eye toward rescinding the leases based on concerns that they would be entered into without due consideration of the public interest. Any legitimate company should hesitate at the thought of being caught trying to collude with the Trump administration to rip off the American people.

Without question, the sooner Biden can put a stop to Trump’s massive giveaway of public lands to oil and gas interests, the better.

Trump has taken these precious assets belonging to the American people and sold them out for almost nothing — a sweetheart deal for the ages for the oil and gas industry.

This past year, the administration served up 200,000 acres of land in Nevada, Wyoming, Colorado and Montana for pennies on the dollar even though the price of oil had cratered and there was absolutely no incentive to drill for new resources. No private landowner in their right mind would have sold the acreage at such low prices under any circumstances, but especially during such a low-demand time. Trump was simply allowing oil and gas companies to lock up the acreage at a bargain-basement rate so they could return to it later.

Oh, that’s not what Trump said, of course. Instead, the administration said it was trying to help Big Oil endure the pandemic, but that makes no sense. At the time, there was such a glut of oil worldwide that the price went negative, so why offer incentives to drill more?

And if that weren’t enough, the administration also gave companies a break on royalty payments on existing wells, which are taxes imposed on the revenue from resources drilled or mined on public lands.

The truth is that Trump used the pandemic as a false flag to cover his bonanza to the industry under the cover of protecting the economy and serving the national interest. It was Trump serving the big-money interests that form the center of Republican politics and serve themselves, not the American people — crony capitalism at its worst.

The public got nothing. We not only lost tax revenue from the royalties, we lost huge chunks of lands that provide scenic beauty and outdoor recreation opportunities.

Then there’s the environmental impact. The companies obtaining these lands are planning to frack it, for the most part, which is an insane risk in Western states whose shrinking water supplies could become contaminated.

Nevada also faces a significant economic impact, as reduction of public lands threatens our growing outdoor recreation economy.

Biden’s inauguration promises to bring relief, as he plans to focus on developing renewable energy and reducing reliance on fossil fuels.

The U-turn can’t come soon enough. Americans need to be assured that the public lands overseen by the federal government remain open space for safe outdoor activities, places where sustainable industries can thrive, homes for a diverse array of wildlife and flora, and sources of clean air and water.

Amid Trump’s vindictiveness over his election loss, it’s alarming to think how much more of this invaluable acreage he might fork over before he leaves office.

But by announcing reviews of any new leases between now and then, this is one way Biden could stop Trump from scorching the earth on his way out the door.