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The Biden administration is introducing last-minute restrictions on oil and gas drilling in the West just weeks before President-elect Donald Trump’s inauguration.
The Interior Department announced Monday a plan to ban oil and gas leasing on 264,000 acres in Nevada’s Ruby Mountains for 20 years.
The government submitted an application to withdraw the land from potential leasing, and a two-year ban on new mineral leases in the area was initiated during the approval process. The proposal is currently in a 90-day public comment period, which falls under the jurisdiction of the Trump administration.
“The Ruby Mountains are an iconic landscape with exceptional recreational opportunities and valuable fish and wildlife habitat worth preserving for the future,” Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack said in a statement. Ta. “Today’s action honors the voices of tribal communities, conservation organizations, and sportsmen’s organizations and is another important step in protecting our precious landscapes.”
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President Biden (Kevin Dietsch) speaking at the Department of Labor in Washington, DC on December 16, 2024
The Biden administration’s lease restrictions do not impose limits on mining in the region.
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During the Trump administration, the Forest Service investigated the possibility of leasing 54,000 acres in the Ruby Mountains for oil and gas drilling.
The proposal was finally approved in 2019 after “thousands of comments locally, from Nevada, and from across the country” opposed the idea during a public comment period, according to Forest Supervisor William Dunkelberger, who signed the decision. It was rejected.
Great Basin, Nevada, Elko County, Ruby Mountains, Lamoille Valley. (Dukas/Universal Images Group)
At the time, Jenna Padilla, a geologist with the Humboldt-Toiyabe-Ruby Mountains Ranger District, said geological surveys indicated the area had “low to no oil potential.” The Times reported in 2018.
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It is unclear whether the Trump administration will consider the possibility of leasing in the area, but any such action could face obstacles in the wake of the Biden administration’s new proposals.
Aubrey Spady is a writer for Fox News Digital.
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