Latest BLM Stats Prove We Can Have Record Energy Output AND Environmental Conservation

May 6, 2019

Eco-activists and far-left 2020 presidential candidates say we must make a choice between having a vibrant economy and protecting the environment.

But the latest stats from the U.S. Bureau of Land Management show that the opposite is true – we can have a strong economy and conserve the environment at the same time. In fact, this is happening right now under the Trump Administration.

As the Carlsbad Current-Argus explains, the latest BLM numbers show that U.S. energy output and federal revenue from oil and gas exploration on public lands is surging. In 2018, the federal government raked in over $1 billion in revenue from “all-time high” oil production on federal land.

We already knew that the U.S. had a stellar year of energy output. But the BLM study has a fascinating finding – this explosion of energy production on federal land happened on “the smallest footprint of acreage since 1985.”

That’s right – we’re producing more oil and gas on less land than in the past.

The federal government credits this accomplishment to advances in American energy technology.

“U.S. Secretary of the Interior David Bernhardt said the low acreage was due to advances in technology such as hydraulic fracturing and horizontal drilling, also known as unconventional drilling.”

Far-left 2020 Presidential candidates including Senators Elizabeth Warren and Bernie Sanders want to ban new energy exploration on federal lands. They’d throw energy workers out of work and cut back our economic growth in the name of environmentalism.

But this BLM report proves that it’s not a binary, either-or choice. We’re seeing record output with less and less land being used – that means more land for recreation, conservation and natural habitats for animals.

Thanks to technological innovation, we can have a strong economy and environmental conservation. Instead of rejecting these opportunities, we should welcome them and step into a brighter energy future.