Utah is among multiple states showing strong opposition to Biden’s Executive Order to suspend oil and gas leases on public lands among other actions. Utah Governor Spencer Cox and 10 other representatives and leaders issued a joint statement that included the following: “The economic impacts of this decision will be felt nation-wide and couldn’t come at a worse time for Utah’s rural communities, tribes, and small businesses. Our energy industry is among the hardest hit by the pandemic. Utahns previously employed in the energy sector have lost their jobs in historic numbers. This decision only exacerbates the problem. We encourage President Biden to reconsider this counterproductive step. We are eager to work with his administration to improve management of our public lands, but gratuitously punishing our rural economy is not helpful.” Other states have likewise issued statements including Wyoming which says the order is “unnecessary, punitive and contrary to President Biden’s pledge to unify our nation and get people back to work.”
