With three weeks remaining until President-elect Donald Trump takes office, the Biden administration has made another last-ditch effort to curb the incoming president’s oil and gas agenda by taking steps to protect a Nevada mountain range.
On Monday, the administration announced plans to withdraw roughly 264,000 acres of federal lands in the Ruby Mountains, often referred to as Nevada’s Swiss Alps, from energy development leasing.
This would prevent any oil, gas, and geothermal development on these federal lands biodiversity-rich lands for approximately 20 years. However, mining would still be permitted. The withdrawal would not affect recreational activities.
The ban is not yet in effect, as the Department of Agriculture’s Forest Service only just submitted its withdrawal request and application to Interior Secretary Deb Haaland.
On Monday, the Interior Department approved the application, initiating its consideration of the 20-year withdrawal. Simultaneously, this process has started a two-year ban on oil, gas, and geothermal development in the region while withdrawal is considered, as well as a 90-day public comment period.
Additionally, the Bureau of Land Management and Forest Service will be putting together an environmental analysis of whether these federal lands should see a ban on energy development for up to two decades. Twenty years is the longest the Interior Department can withdraw federal lands from energy leasing, as only Congress is permitted to issue a permanent withdrawal.
The move comes just weeks before Trump returns to the White House, ushering in a renewed focus on oil and gas to boost energy dominance and security in the United States.
Throughout his campaign, Trump vowed to “Drill, baby, Drill” during his second term, indicating new leasing and sweeping support for the oil and gas industry.
The Biden administration has seemingly attempted to leave various hurdles for the incoming administration to make good on those promises — primarily due to environmental concerns related to increased drilling and exports. Earlier this month, the Biden administration released its long-awaited report on liquefied natural gas exports, saying domestic energy bills would rise if exports increased.
The Biden administration has also been rushing to fulfill and finalize millions of dollars worth of federal loans for climate-related projects threatened by the incoming Trump presidency.
Trump has vowed to pull back various unspent-green funding during his next term, putting many projects at risk that have been promised funding from the Department of Energy’s Loan Programs Office but have yet to see the money. Republicans have lambasted the administration for the increased number of loans that have been improved in recent weeks, dubbing the LPO as President Joe Biden’s Green Bank.
It is not uncommon for administrations to take final-hour actions to prevent their successor from enacting certain policies that would reverse certain rules or promises previously made. For example, in late December 2016, the Obama administration moved to dismantle the inactive national registry used to track foreign visitors from certain countries. This was an effort to prevent and delay Trump from reinstating the list that many critics said would act as a Muslim registry in the U.S.
In December 2020, the Trump administration also proposed a rule requiring the Department of Health and Human Services to review the majority of its regulations by 2023 and void those that cannot be assessed by that date. Some critics said the rule was an effort to stall the Biden administration in controlling the COVID-19 pandemic, given its timing.
In Monday’s announcement, the administration said the decision to pursue the land withdrawal from leasing opportunities was driven by “requests from Tribes, conservationists, sportsmen, and the local community.”
“The Ruby Mountains are cherished by local communities for their scenic value, cultural heritage, numerous wildlife and benefit to the local economy through a thriving outdoor recreation industry,” Haaland said in a statement.
“Today, we are taking an important and sensible step to pause new mining claims to ensure that we have the science and public input necessary to inform proposed protections of the Ruby Mountains area for future generations,” the secretary continued.
The Ruby Mountains, located in Elko County, Nevada, are known for their stunning landscape, filled with towering peaks, deep valleys, and picturesque lakes. The range supports a variety of wildlife, including mule deer, mountain goats, various species of fish, and much more.
The region is also the ancestral homeland of the Te-Moak Tribe of the Western Shoshone Indians of Nevada and is frequented by hikers, hunters, birdwatchers, and others.
The move to withdraw the land from energy development has been welcomed by environmentalists and activist groups who have praised the Biden administration’s efforts to protect the mountain range.
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“We commend the Biden administration for making this move. There’s a reason these mountains are nicknamed Nevada’s ‘Swiss Alps,” said Environment America Public Lands Director Ellen Montgomery. “This wild, mountainous landscape with peaks that reach above 10,000 feet, dotted with pristine alpine lakes, hanging valleys, and year-round snowfields, is irreplaceable. Lands such as these are certainly not worth permanently scarring.”
It remains unclear how the Trump administration may move forward on the withdrawal consideration, though the decision by its predecessor is likely to be met with sweeping criticism from the energy industry.