December 14, 2020 - Last week, Congressman Kevin McCarthy released the following statement commending the U.S. Bureau of Land Management’s (BLM) Bakersfield Field Office on successfully conducting an oil and natural gas lease sale yesterday in Kern County for the first time in eight years. This lease sale comes after the BLM addressed multiple protests over the years and is consistent with a court-approved settlement agreement between the BLM and various environmental groups. In addition, any development projects on leased lands will still have to pass a rigorous environmental review, under the National Environmental Policy Act and the Endangered Species Act.  

McCarthy released the following statement:

“After years of addressing protests, I want to commend President Trump and the BLM Bakersfield Field Office on successfully conducting an oil and natural gas lease sale. This sale is expected to create new jobs in Kern County, stimulate our local economy, generate new royalty-based revenue for the federal government and the State of California, and help us to ensure that all Americans have access to reliable and affordable domestically-produced energy. As environmental groups and Sacramento Democrats continue to wage a war on the oil and natural gas industry in California – one of the top oil-producing regions in the nation – it is encouraging to know that economic growth is still possible thanks to the Trump Administration’s all-of-the-above energy policies.”
Source: Congressman Kevin McCarthy

Related: Bureau of Land Management California Completes Oil and Gas Lease Sale – Seven Parcels Totaling 4,133 Acres

Center for Biological Diversity Reports Trump Administration Auctions Off California Public Lands for Oil, Gas