1. United States
2. Calif.
3. Letter

Congress must block the Interior Department's proposed rules that would gut public participation in oil and gas leasing decisions on federal lands. The administration wants to eliminate two 30-day comment periods entirely and slash the protest period from 30 days to just 10. That is not streamlining — that is shutting the public out. Public lands are chronically understaffed. Local communities often know more about specific wildlife habitats, water sources, and ground conditions than the agencies making leasing decisions. A 10-day window is nowhere near enough time for people to meaningfully respond to dozens of lease parcels in a single sale. Meanwhile, the proposal would also cut cleanup financial assurances from $500,000 to just $25,000 — a 95% reduction — leaving taxpayers on the hook for polluted water and abandoned wells when companies walk away. This is part of a deliberate pattern. The Forest Service, EPA, Army Corps of Engineers, and multiple other agencies have all moved to eliminate or weaken public comment requirements. When the people most affected by a decision are blocked from weighing in, that is an attack on democratic governance. Investigate these proposed changes and demand the public's right to be heard is preserved.