SoCal Tells Obama to “Keep It in the Ground!”

By Tess Geyer

We know that in order to avoid the worst effects of climate change we have to make immediate changes.

One of the biggest changes we can make is ending extraction of fossil fuels on public lands and in public waters. Almost 25% of  of fossil fuels burned in the United States comes from public lands. Despite the fact that this land is publicly owned, big polluting companies regularly ‘lease’ these land and waters for extraction, contributing to the large burden placed on our environment communities and climate.

The priority is now, and remains our environment, our communities and the climate. By halting new federal fossil leases, we can prevent the industry from developing fossil fuels on public land–potentially keeping up to 450 billion tons of carbon pollution from reaching the atmosphere.

The climate crisis requires urgent action. Despite a gridlocked Congress, President Obama can halt new fossil fuel leases through executive action. Across the country climate activists have been lining up at various events and engagements where Obama has been, holding signs and banners calling on Obama to only end the fossil fuel leasing program but to keep them in in the ground.

Tell President Obama to Keep It In The Ground!

This week in the San Diego suburb of La Jolla and in Beverly Hills, crowds turned out demanding that Obama act on the Dakota Access Pipeline, the rapidly expanding network of pipelines across the country and new fossil fuel leasing in the Rocky Mountain West and the Gulf of Mexico.

As activist and San Diego 350 volunteer Masada Disenhouse says, “We’d like to see President Obama act on this. He’s got less than 100 days left in office, and has an opportunity while he’s still president to push climate policy forward, things like stopping new (oil) extraction on federal land”.

We want to make sure our message is heard loud and clear, it’s time to halt new federal fossil fuel leases, and encourage the President to #ActOnClimate.

ALSO, make sure to check out some of the great video coverage of the bird dogging events here: