Overnight Energy: Greens push Obama on federal fossil fuel production

DON’T DRILL, BABY, DON’T DRILL: Green groups are pushing the Obama administration to deny future fossil fuel development on federal lands.  

The groups, which wrote the White House a letter on the subject Monday, said that ending fossil fuel development on federal lands would prevent as much as 450 billion tons of carbon dioxide from entering the atmosphere.

{mosads}Such an action would send a signal to the rest of the world that the U.S. is ready to take on climate change in a big way, the groups said. 

“The longstanding U.S. policy of leasing federal public lands and oceans to corporations for coal, oil and gas extraction must end,” the groups wrote in their letter.

“As the world focuses on climate change in advance of negotiations in Paris this winter, we urge you to demonstrate strong climate leadership by stopping new leasing of our publicly owned fossil fuels.”

Green groups are mostly on board with Obama’s efforts on climate change, but they have criticized him for allowing more offshore drilling during his tenure. 

“With the stroke of a pen, you could take the bold action needed to stop new federal leasing of fossil fuels, and to keep those remaining fossil fuels — our publicly owned fossil fuels — safely in the ground,” they said in their letter.

Read more here.

ON TAP TUESDAY I: House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) outlines the fall energy agenda in the U.S. House during a speech in Houston. McCarthy previewed that agenda in an August blog post, and he’s previously said issues like lifting the ban on crude oil exports could come up before the end of the year. 

ON TAP TUESDAY II: Department of Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack and Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Gina McCarthy will address Growth Energy’s Advocacy Conference.

Rest of Tuesday’s agenda … 

The House Natural Resources Committee will hold a field hearing on federal policies and energy production in New Orleans. Louisiana’s two senators, Republicans David Vitter and Bill Cassidy, will testify.

AROUND THE WEB:

Australian Prime Minister Designate Malcolm Turnbull is stronger than predecessor Tony Abbott on climate change in many ways, but he has no plans to change the country’s climate policies, the Australian reports. 

Coal mining giant Murray Energy Corp. is settling for $2.5 million Pennsylvania claims that it caused thousands of fish to die in a creek in 2009, the Post-Gazette reports.

Minnesota Gov. Mark Dayton (D) has unveiled a plan to restore the state’s pheasant population, the Star Tribune reports.

IN CASE YOU MISSED IT: 

Check out Monday’s stories … 

-Calif. drought leads to lowest snowpack in 500 years
-Greens ask Obama to cut federal fossil fuel production
-California Legislature approves climate bill
-Global warming pause could be ending, UK says 
-Week ahead: EPA under fire for mine waste spill
-EPA halts work at 10 polluted mines, worried about possible spill
-GOP gropes for way to kill climate rule