• New analysis shows 12 of 20 presidential candidates support closing public lands to responsible energy development
• White House bans on public lands would overstep laws passed by Congress
• Leasing bans ignore natural gas’s role in leading America’s greenhouse gas reductions

​DENVER – Proposals to ban oil and natural gas leases on public lands among 2020 Democratic candidates are beyond the authority of a president and ignore the fact that natural gas is the number one reason the United States has reduced greenhouse gas emissions more than any other country. Analysis conducted by Western Energy Alliance, a Denver-based oil and natural gas association, shows that 12 of the 20 candidates participating in the first Democratic debate have proposed or support banning leasing on multiple-use public lands managed by the Bureau of Land Management (BLM), including Joe Biden, Bernie Sanders, Elizabeth Warren, Pete Buttigieg, and Beto O’Rourke.

Western Energy Alliance responds to Democratic candidates at CNN debate in Iowa

DENVER -- In response to anti-oil and natural gas statements by the 2020 Democratic presidential candidates during CNN’s debate last night in Des Moines, Iowa, Western Energy Alliance’s President Kathleen Sgamma issued the following comment, which includes a warning of legal action if a ban on federal development is attempted: