January, 20 2021, 11:00pm EDT
For Immediate Release
Contact:
Shiloh Hernandez, Western Environmental Law Center, 406-204-4861, hernandez@westernlaw.org
Jeremy Nichols, WildEarth Guardians, 303-437-7663, jnichols@wildearthguardians.org
Barbara Gottlieb, Physicians for Social Responsibility, 301-806-6826, bgottlieb@psr.org
Daniel Timmons, WildEarth Guardians, 505-570-7014, dtimmons@wildearthguardians.org
As President Biden Takes Office, Groups Double Down on Legal Push to End Fracking on Public Lands
As Joe Biden prepared to assume the presidency this week, a coalition filed a lawsuit to overturn the Trump administration's sale of more than 1 million acres of public lands in the American West for fracki
WASHINGTON
As Joe Biden prepared to assume the presidency this week, a coalition filed a lawsuit to overturn the Trump administration's sale of more than 1 million acres of public lands in the American West for fracking.
Filed in federal court by WildEarth Guardians, Physicians for Social Responsibility, and the Western Environmental Law Center, the lawsuit targets the Trump administration's failure to address the climate and public health consequences of leasing public lands to the oil and gas industry for drilling and extraction. The case targets the sale of public lands across Colorado, New Mexico, Utah, and Wyoming.
"While the Trump administration attempted to illegally cede our public lands and climate to the oil and gas industry and recklessly ignore climate science, we've been there to challenge them in court at every step of the way," said Shiloh Hernandez, Staff Attorney for the Western Environmental Law Center. "The time has come for BLM to take stock of the monumental danger caused by its entire oil and gas program."
President Joe Biden has pledged to end the sale of public lands to the oil and gas industry, and the lawsuit aims to ensure the new administration follows through with bold climate and health action to keep fossil fuels in the ground.
"It's critical for President Biden to take swift action to not only end the sale of public lands for fracking, but undo the damage done by the Trump administration," said Jeremy Nichols, Climate and Energy Program Director for WildEarth Guardians. "The federal oil and gas program is nothing but an injustice, President Biden needs to put public lands to work for people and the climate, not for the fossil fuel industry."
"Stopping oil and gas leasing on public lands will help our nation address the climate crisis, which harms the health of people across the country and around the globe," said Barbara Gottlieb, director of Environment & Health at Physicians for Social Responsibility. "At the same time it will protect our public lands, their air and their water supplies from dangerous, toxic pollution. A win in this lawsuit is a win for public health."
The lawsuit is also the latest in a series of legal actions challenging the Trump administration for selling public lands for fracking in violation of federal environmental laws.
This week, on behalf of a coalition of plaintiffs, the Western Environmental Law Center filed an amended lawsuit to overturn the sale of nearly 45,000 acres of public lands in New Mexico's Greater Chaco region.
Last week, WildEarth Guardians and the Western Environmental Law Center filed suit to overturn the sale of nearly 60,000 acres of public lands in Montana. And earlier this month, WildEarth Guardians called on a federal appeals court to block the sale of nearly 70,000 acres of public lands in New Mexico.
The lawsuits come on the heels of numerous court wins that have rejected the Trump administration's attempts to sell off millions of acres of public lands to the oil and gas industry without analyzing the cumulative effects drilling and burning enormous quantities of fossil fuels would have in worsening the climate crisis.
- In March 2019, a federal court rejected the Bureau of Land Management's sale of more than 300,000 acres in Wyoming.
- In early 2020, an Idaho judge overturned the sale of nearly 1 million acres in Nevada, Utah, and Wyoming.
- In May 2020, a federal court reversed the sale of nearly 150,000 acres of public lands for fracking in Montana.
- In October, the Trump administration voluntarily asked a court to reject the sale of more than 1.8 million acres of public lands for fracking in Colorado, New Mexico, Utah, and Wyoming.
- In November 2020, a federal court again rejected the sale of public lands for fracking in Wyoming.
- In December 2020, a court also rejected the sale of 60,000 acres of public lands for fracking in Utah.
"Just like with the election, the Trump administration proved that it is best at losing," said Daniel Timmons, staff attorney for WildEarth Guardians. "Thankfully, Trump's losses have been big wins for our climate and clean energy future and now present major opportunities for the Biden administration to get things right."
Science supports winding down and ultimately phasing out fossil fuel production as an essential strategy to confronting the climate crisis.
A 2018 U.S. Geological Survey report found that oil and gas produced from public lands and waters contributes 10% of all U.S. greenhouse gas emissions. And a 2018 report by the Stockholm Environmental Institute confirmed that ending public lands fossil fuel production could significantly reduce nationwide greenhouse gases.
Ending the sale of public lands for fracking would also yield enormous health benefits. A report in June 2019 released by Physicians for Social Responsibility and Concerned Health Professionals of New York confirmed extensive health risks associated with oil and gas extraction, including cancer, asthma, pre-term birth, and more.
The Western Environmental Law Center uses the power of the law to safeguard the public lands, wildlife, and communities of the American West in the face of a changing climate. We envision a thriving, resilient West, abundant with protected public lands and wildlife, powered by clean energy, and defended by communities rooted in an ethic of conservation.
(541) 485-2471LATEST NEWS
'Why Is This Hard?' Schumer Won't Say He Opposes Regime Change in Venezuela
"Twenty-five years ago, Chuck Schumer and Susan Collins both voted to send me and friends to kill and die in Iraq," said US Senate candidate Graham Platner. "Apparently neither of them have learned a thing."
Dec 11, 2025
US Rep. Ro Khanna suggested on Thursday that the top Democrat in the Senate had offered the latest evidence that the party needs "a new generation to lead... with moral clarity and conviction" after Sen. Chuck Schumer refused to denounce the Trump administration's threats of regime change in Venezuela.
"Why is this hard?" asked Khanna (D-Calif.) after Schumer (D-NY), the Senate minority leader, told CNN's Jake Tapper Wednesday evening that "everyone would like" it if Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro "would flee on his own" instead of stating that the US should not try to force out the South American leader.
When asked point-blank if he disagrees with President Donald Trump's "ultimate goal of regime change in Venezuela," Schumer turned his focus to the lack of clarity in the White House's strategy.
"The bottom line is President Trump throws out so many different things in so many different ways. You don't even know what the heck he's talking about. You know, obviously, if Maduro would just flee on his own, everyone would like that. But we don't know what the heck he's up to when he talks about that," said Schumer. "You cannot say I endorse this, I endorse that when Trump is all over the lot, not very specific and very worrisome at how far he might escalate."
Chuck Schumer won't say if he opposes regime change in Venezuela.
JAKE TAPPER: Do you disagree with President Trump's ultimate goal of regime change in Venezuela?
CHUCK SCHUMER: Look, the bottom line is President Trump throws out so many different things in so many different… pic.twitter.com/kwjWMsBgM8
— Ken Klippenstein (NSPM-7 Compliant) (@kenklippenstein) December 10, 2025
Schumer's response, Khanna suggested, should have been: "Yes, Democrats oppose regime change war in Venezuela. Instead of wasting trillions on endless wars, we must invest in jobs, healthcare, and housing for Americans."
The CNN interview took place hours after the US military seized an oil tanker off the coast of Venezuela in what one think tank called an "illegal" escalation. In recent weeks Trump has claimed he's ordered the airspace above and around Venezuela closed—an action experts said he had no legal authority to take—authorized covert CIA action in the country, and this week said the US plans to "hit ‘em on land very soon," threatening strikes against Venezuela as well as Mexico and Colombia.
The White House has aggressively pushed a narrative about the need to stop the trafficking of fentanyl from Venezuela—despite findings by the Drug Enforcement Administration and the United Nations that the country plays virtually no role in the flow of the drug into the US. At least 87 people have been killed in US military strikes on boats in the Caribbean and eastern Pacific since September—bombings that Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and Trump have claimed without evidence have targeted "narco-terrorists," but which Latin American officials, the family of one victim, and legal experts have denounced as extrajudicial killings and homicide.
Trump has previously signaled a desire to take control of Venezuela's vast oil reserves.
On November 21, Trump reportedly spoke to Maduro in a phone call and offered him safe passage out of Venezuela if he abdicated power, in the most explicit confirmation that the administration is seeking regime change. A CBS/YouGov poll released two days later found that 70% of Americans oppose any military action in Venezuela.
Labor attorney Benjamin Dictor and Democratic US Senate candidate Graham Platner of Maine were among those who joined Khanna in condemning Schumer's refusal to unequivocally reject the goal of forcing Maduro out through military action.
"Chuck Schumer is so spineless he can’t even affirmatively oppose illegal, unauthorized regime change by military force," said Dictor.
Schumer has called for the passage of a war powers resolution to block the deployment of US forces in Venezuela. As Trump has continued the boat bombings and built up military presence in the Caribbean, two war powers resolutions aimed at stopping the US from striking boats and targets inside Venezuela have failed to pass.
But his refusal to speak out comes two months after journalist Aída Chávez reported that a "senior Democratic staffer" was "discouraging Democrats from coming out against regime change in Venezuela... arguing that opposing Trump and [Secretary of State Marco] Rubio's regime change amounts to supporting Maduro."
After Schumer's interview, Matt Duss of the Center for International Policy joined in calling for "regime change in the Senate Democratic Caucus."
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"While President Trump calls affordability a ‘hoax,’ countless families are being forced into impossible tradeoffs every day."
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Federal data released Thursday shows that the number of Americans filing for unemployment benefits surged last week, another indication of growing instability in President Donald Trump's economy as corporations lay off workers en masse and prices continue to rise.
For the week ending December 6, new unemployment claims jumped to 236,000—an increase of 44,000 from the previous week, according to figures from the US Labor Department.
Andrew Stettner, an unemployment insurance expert at The Century Foundation (TCF) noted that new unemployment claims are now at their highest level since early September.
"These totals don’t include an additional 12,732 former federal workers who are also now relying on unemployment benefits, as the number of federal workers on UI has stayed at levels not seen since the pandemic, even after the government shutdown has ended," Stettner said.
"This disappointing news comes on the heels of other troubling labor market data," he continued, pointing to private-sector payroll figures showing the US economy lost 32,000 jobs in November. "With hiring still so weak, it is no surprise that the percentage of workers feeling confident enough to quit their job dropped to its lowest level since the beginning of the pandemic in April 2020. In fact, our polling shows that 27% of Americans said they took on a 'second job, side hustle, or gig work' in the past year to help make ends meet."
The updated unemployment numbers come as Trump is on an economic messaging tour during which he has dismissed the notion that his policies have worsened the country's affordability crisis, calling such claims a Democratic "hoax" even as polling shows Americans—including a significant percentage of his own voters—increasingly blame the president for rising costs groceries and other necessities.
"We inherited the highest prices ever, and we’re bringing them down,” Trump said, falsely, during a stop in Pennsylvania earlier this week.
"We’re crushing it, and you’re getting much higher wages,” the president added, another falsehood.
Survey data released Thursday by The Century Foundation shows that Americans are increasingly skipping meals and doctor visits as prices rise.
"Roughly three in 10 voters delayed or skipped medical care in the past year due to cost, while nearly two-thirds switched to cheaper groceries or bought less food altogether," the group noted in a summary of its findings. "About half tapped into their savings to cover everyday expenses."
Julie Margetta Morgan, president of The Century Foundation, said in a statement that "while President Trump calls affordability a ‘hoax,’ countless families are being forced into impossible tradeoffs every day as a result of Trump’s disastrous policies that are jacking up prices."
"Working-class Americans are living in a different, harsher economy under Trump," Morgan added, "and they feel the impacts of financialization—and the added risks and costs that come with it—most severely."
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Trump Economic Approval Hits All-Time Low as White House Official Insists ‘Nothing Bad Is Happening’
“Trump’s claims about inflation are false, and you can go to the grocery store and see it yourself,” said one economist.
Dec 11, 2025
A new poll shows US voters' approval of President Donald Trump's handling of the economy has hit an all-time low, even as the president and his officials insist the economy is the best in the world.
The latest Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research poll released Thursday found that only 31% of voters approve of Trump's handling of the economy, the lowest figure in that survey throughout either of his two terms in office. Overall, 68% of voters said that the current state of the economy was "poor."
What's more, Trump's approval rating on the economy among Republican voters now stands at just 69%, a strikingly low figure for a president who has consistently commanded loyalty from the GOP base.
Despite the grim numbers, the president and his administration have continued to say that the US is now in the middle of an economic boom.
During a Thursday morning interview on CNBC, Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick said that the US now has "the greatest $30 trillion economy in the world."
"We are doing great," Lutnick said. "Nothing bad is happening. Greatness is happening. We grew at 4% GDP! Come on!"
Lutnick: "Jay Powell is too afraid to lead the greatest $30t economy in the world. We should be leading with our front foot. Instead we are always leaning back as if something bad is happening. We are doing great. Nothing bad is happening. Greatness is happening. We're growing 4%… pic.twitter.com/uWqrlwpllE
— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) December 11, 2025
Lutnick's message echoes the one Trump delivered earlier this week during a rally in Pennsylvania, where he said that voters' concerns about being able to afford basics such as groceries, electricity, and healthcare were a "hoax" concocted by Democrats.
"Prices are coming down very substantially," Trump falsely claimed during his speech. "But they have a new word. You know, they always have a hoax. The new word is affordability."
Trump on the US economy: “I said it the other day. And a lot of people misinterpreted it. They said ‘Oh he doesn’t realize prices are high.’ Prices are coming down very substantially. But they have a new word. You know, they always have a hoax. The new word is affordability.” pic.twitter.com/JkErFnkT1D
— Sahil Kapur (@sahilkapur) December 10, 2025
As NPR reported on Thursday, data shows that the prices of groceries and electricity have continued to rise throughout Trump's second term, directly contradicting his claims that prices are "coming down."
University of Michigan economist Betsey Stevenson told NPR that Trump is playing with fire by making false claims about prices when US consumers can see costs persistently going up.
"Trump's claims about inflation are false, and you can go to the grocery store and see it yourself," Stevenson said.
Even some members of Trump's own party are growing wary of him insisting that America is experiencing an unprecedented economic boom when voters feel otherwise.
Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska) told The Hill that Trump's insistence on making happy talk about the economy would not fly with voters.
"You can’t call it a hoax and suggest that people are going to believe it," she said. "What you say matters."
An anonymous Republican senator also told The Hill that they were concerned about the optics of Trump building a massive luxury ballroom in the White House at a time when Americans say they are struggling financially.
"The cost of living just makes life very difficult on people," the senator stressed.
And Sen. Shelley Moore Capito (R-W.Va.) gently pushed back on Trump's messaging by telling CNN that "a lot of people are still having trouble making ends meet" in her state.
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