Earlier this year, President Obama announced a moratorium on new coal leases on public lands. This is huge news, and proof that our movement is working. But this fight isn't over.
We need to keep all fossil fuels on federal lands in the ground. That means not just coal, but also oil and gas.
Since 1920, the government has been selling coal, oil and gas on federal land to the highest bidder. Halting coal auctions is a great step, but it doesn't get us where we need to be. There are over 200 billion tons of oil and gas on public lands that need to stay in the ground. We need to end fracking on public lands too.
We also know that fracking is inherently unsafe. Across the country, communities are speaking out against the health impacts they face from fracking, as well as the threat it poses to our water, air, and climate.
If there's any doubt about the climate impacts of fracking, the latest essay by Bill McKibben in The Nation makes it clear: you can't fix climate change with more fossil fuels.
Sign on to join The Nation and 350 as we call on President Obama to ban fracking on public lands. We're partnering up to make sure this petition gets shared far and wide.