Public Lands and Water At Heightened Risk From Climate Change and Deregulation
Washington, D.C. — GreenLatinos’ Public Land and Ocean Colectivo, a national coalition of Latino environmental advocates, today expressed deep concern over Governor Doug Burgum’s Senate confirmation hearing for Secretary of the Interior. The group emphasizes the dire risks of Burgum’s “energy dominance” agenda, which could undermine efforts to combat climate change and protect America’s public lands.
In response, GreenLatinos’ Water Equity and Ocean Program Director, Dr. Val Z. Schull, shares the following statement:
“With great dismay, Governor Burgum’s confirmation hearing was riddled with corporate-sponsored false solutions and misdirection on the severity and major contributors to climate change. To lead the Department of Interior is to steward our country’s rich legacy of world-renowned natural areas and cultural heritage yet, under Governor Burgum these resources will remain at great risk.
Virtually unchecked energy production on federal lands, now referred to as an agenda of “energy dominance”, that Burgum supports promises affordability for American families at the expense of nation-wide ecological collapse and costly climate disasters for these very same families.
Rather than working to unite our country, Burgum has attempted to instill fear of war, falling behind in the artificial intelligence revolution, and economic insecurity to the American people to justify the need for “unrestricted” energy production and for deregulation of our nation’s bedrock environmental protections.
Despite the misinformation stated during the hearing, there is no way to balance the extraction of fossil fuels and championing durable conservation initiatives. Public lands belong to all of us, and their preservation is essential to combating climate change, protecting biodiversity, and ensuring access to clean water and air for future generations - especially for communities already experiencing adverse public health and nature deprivation impacts.”
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About GreenLatinosGreenLatinos (NOTE: GreenLatinos is ONE WORD) is an active comunidad of Latino/a/e leaders, emboldened by the power and wisdom of our culture, united to demand equity and dismantle racism, resourced to win our environmental, conservation, and climate justice battles, and driven to secure our political, economic, cultural, and environmental liberation.