"President Obama Urged to End Fossil Fuel Leases on Public Land"

"More than 400 organizations have joined together, calling for the president to marry his statements about protecting the climate with policy."

"A coalition of more than 400 groups have signed a letter to President Obama they will send on Tuesday urging him to stop the sale of new oil and gas drilling leases on public land to combat climate change. The signees include indigenous groups, labor unions, scientists, religious leaders and environmental organizations.

'Over the past decade, the burning of fossil fuels from federal leasing has resulted in nearly a quarter of all U.S. energy-related emissions and nearly 4 percent of global emissions,' the letter states. 'Despite this pollution and the looming climate threat, your administration continues to lease publicly owned fossil fuels, endangering the health and welfare of communities and the planet.'

The campaign comes four days after the Obama administration announced it would open nearly 40 million acres in the Gulf of Mexico to new oil and gas drilling leases, and one month after it approved a permit for Royal Dutch Shell to drill in the Arctic."

Katherine Bagley reports for InsideClimate News September 14, 2015.

Source: InsideClimate News, 09/15/2015