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Here’s the full letter to Melanie Barnies, New Mexico State Director of the U.S. Bureau of Land Management:

Dear State Director Barnes:

We are writing to request that the Bureau of Land Management (“BLM”) cancel its plans to auction off 10,123 acres of public lands administered by the New Mexico State Office to the oil and gas industry on May 25, 2023.

We are shocked and dismayed that in spite of a clear scientific, political, and public consensus that action for the climate requires we begin to phase out fossil fuels, the BLM is continuing the legacy of sacrifice zones in New Mexico by moving forward with the auction of additional public and ancestral lands to more oil and gas leasing and drilling.

President Biden promised to end new oil and gas leasing on public lands. We would like this promise to be honored. The federal government, including the President himself, has a moral and ethical imperative to confront the climate crisis. The latest Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) report reveals that our window to address catastrophic impacts is narrowing. Quick action is required to phase out fossil fuels and BLM must play a leadership role in addressing greenhouse gas emissions from extraction in New Mexico’s Permian Basin and Greater Chaco regions which contribute to worldwide warming.

Continuing to sacrifice public lands for more fracking is taking a costly toll on clean air, pure water, and healthy lands. In fueling the climate crisis, oil and gas extraction is also contributing to more extreme weather, severe and more destructive wildfires, and intense flooding. The public health toll of oil and gas extraction is incalculable. More extraction will perpetuate environmental injustice in the New Mexico State Office, disproportionately threatening the health, safety, and well-being of people of color, Tribal and Indigenous communities, and families with fewer means.

You have received numerous protests challenging the legality and sensibility of more oil and gas leasing in the New Mexico State Office. Our groups have delivered millions of public comments challenging BLM oil and gas lease sales, and we continue to protest in person at BLM offices, as we have done since 2016, despite BLM moving these oil and gas auctions online and away from public engagement. We ask that you finally take these protests to heart and grant the requested relief.

We urge you to do the right thing and cancel the proposed oil and gas lease sale and stop leasing public and ancestral lands for extraction. The BLM New Mexico State Office can help lead a just transition that protects our environment and cares for future generations. BLM has the authority to control rates of oil and gas production, and immediately begin phasing out fossil fuels on public lands. The New Mexico State Office knows what is required to protect people and the planet. Please listen to the public instead of private interests at the expense of public health and safety.