Washington, D.C. — Today, the U.S. Department of the Interior issued a report on the need to reform the fundamentally broken federal oil and gas program. In response, Christy Goldfuss, senior vice president for Energy and Environment Policy at the Center for American Progress, issued the following statement:
Today’s report confirms what local communities and government watchdogs have been saying for a long time: The oil and gas program is broken and doesn’t work for anyone other than oil and gas CEOs. For too long, the fossil fuel industry has called the shots. The oil and gas industry has ripped off taxpayers, harmed tribes and local communities, and polluted our public lands—all while companies have boosted their bottom lines and handed out ludicrous salaries and bonuses to oil executives. Reform of this program is far overdue, and the Biden administration is taking an important first step by acknowledging these well-documented problems. Congress should act immediately to pass legislation to reform this broken program from top to bottom—starting with the Build Back Better Act.
For more information or to speak with an expert, please contact Sam Hananel at [email protected].