Jared Huffman: “This amendment would block this legislation from allowing increased oil and gas leasing on any Federal land where…”

“This amendment would block this legislation from allowing increased oil and gas leasing on any Federal land where outdoor recreation takes place. Our public lands are for the public, not for the wealthiest industry in the history of the world to drill and to spoil with impunity. Being active in the outdoors and experiencing wild places is a way of life not just in my district but for many communities around this country. During the COVID-19 pandemic, when we were unable to gather the way we liked to indoors, we learned just how important our parks and our public lands are, how getting outside helps our well-being. This is why we must protect and expand our public lands for recreational use, not give them away to a single polluting industry. We all depend on the ecological, economic, and mental health benefits that our public lands provide. That is why my amendment protects these important lands. If we are good stewards, our public lands can simultaneously support a thriving outdoor recreation economy as well as natural resiliency against the climate crisis, all while preserving and protecting these precious lands for future generations. These are the goals of the Biden administration and the State of California in their efforts to protect 30 percent of our lands by 2030 because these lands are meant for everyone to use, enjoy, and pass down to future generations to do the same. However, H.R.…”