HomeMy WebLinkAboutbocc.res.028.2021A RESOLUTION OF THE BOARD OF COUNTY COMMISSIONERS ("BOCC") OF
PITKIN COUNTY, COLORADO ENDORSING PRESIDENT BIDEN'S TEMPORARY
PAUSE ON OIL AND GAS LEASING ON FEDERAL PUBLIC LANDS
RESOLUTION NO. 028-2021
RECITALS
WHEREAS, Pursuant to Section 2.8.4 (Actions) of the Pitkin County Home Rule Charter
("HRC"), all matters not required to be acted upon by ordinance or formal resolution may be
acted upon by informal resolution, and;
WHEREAS, our vast network of federal public lands offers abundant natural beauty, a wealth of
natural resources, a vital economic engine for local communities, and a sought after unique
quality of life for residents of communities adjacent to them; and
WHEREAS, it's critical that our public lands and waters are managed responsibly and
sustainably so they can remain open and accessible to present and future generations; and
WHEREAS, we support the legal requirement that our federal lands be managed under the
`multiple use' standard to best meet the present and future needs of the American people; and
believe that the federal land management policies should be developed with input from local
communities and public land users, and incorporate the best available science; and
WHEREAS, federal public land policy should ensure that the companies extracting natural
resources provide a fair return to federal and state taxpayers while also protecting wildlife and
providing the opportunity for the development of sustainable economic non -extractive activity
such as outdoor recreation; and
WHEREAS, our state is experiencing the devastating impacts of a warming climate including
severe heat and drought, which are making wildfires more frequent and extreme; an increase in
emissions of methane, a powerful greenhouse gas emitted on our public lands; extremes in
precipitation; and dust on snow, which causes snowfall to evaporate prematurely; and
WHEREAS, one-quarter of the country's greenhouse gas emissions come from fossil fuel
activity on public lands; and
WHEREAS, in 2018 pollution caused by the burning of fossil fuels caused 8.7 million or one in
five deaths globally; and
WHEREAS, Pitkin County's efforts to halt natural gas extraction in the Thompson Divide has
been successful, but only temporarily so; and
WHEREAS, over 2.4 million acres in Colorado are currently leased with 1 6 million acres on
lands with the highest potential for oil and gas development; and
WHEREAS, almost 1.4 million acres leased for oil and gas development are not currently
developed; and
WHEREAS, as elected leaders, it is our responsibility to take and support prudent and pragmatic
steps to reverse climate change and mitigate its devastating impacts by reducing the amount of
greenhouse gases and other forms of pollution that contribute to climate change; and
WHEREAS. The BOCC finds that it is in the best interests of the citizens of Pitkin County to
approve this Resolution.
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED by the Board of County Commissioners of Pitkin
County, Colorado that it hereby adopts a Resolution of the Board of County Commissioners
("BOCC") of Pitkin County, Colorado Endorsing President Biden's Temporary Pause on Oil and
Gas Leasing on Federal Public Lands and authorizes the Chair to sign the Resolution and upon
the satisfaction of the County Attorney as to form, execute any other associated documents
necessary to complete this matter; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that we encourage the administration to modernize the federal
oil and gas leasing program to ensure the oil and gas companies that hold leases and extract
natural resources provide a fair return to federal and state taxpayers; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that we encourage the administration to develop a plan to phase
out the production of fossil fuels, which are a major contributor to climate change, in a way that
also supports the workers, communities, and states that currently have fossil fuel -dependent
economies.
INTRODUCED, READ, AND ADOPTED ON THE 28TH DAY OF APRIL, 2021.
ATTEST: BOARD OF COUNTY COMMISSIONERS
By JuvA ft, .,bint,S
By:
Jeanette Jones Kelly McNicholas Kury, Chair
Deputy County Clerk
Date: Apr -29-2021
APPROVED AS TO FORM: MANAGER APPROVAL
battV'a C. 41/14taV' PLIUS 111LAu,
Laura C. Makar, Phylis Mattice for Jon Peacock, County Manager
Assistant County Attorney