press releases

JOURNALISTS: If you’d like to receive our press releases by email, please contact WORC’s Communications team here. Also, be sure to follow our Twitter account @WORCaction.

4/12/2024

Western Ranchers and Communities Applaud New Federal Onshore Oil & Gas Leasing Rule

April 19, 2022

NEPA Phase 1 Rulemaking is Critical to Sound Environmental Decision-Making

April 18, 2022

Statement on Federal Oil Gas Leasing Reform Announcement

March 31, 2022

USDA Needs Solutions, Not Surveys

March, 21, 2022

New Federal Oil and Gas Leasing Should Not Occur Before Program Reforms

January 12, 2022

BLM’s Coal Program Review Lacks Solutions

January 10, 2022

Biden administration defends Trump-era decision that fails to account for the costs of pollution from leasing publicly owned coal


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2021

November 30, 2021

White House Oil and Gas Report Sees the Trees but Misses the Forest

November 23, 2021

National Coal Council Topples Under Pressure

November 2, 2021

Western residents near oil and gas development applaud nationwide methane emission rules

October 21, 2021

Western Conservation Group Pushes Ahead With Lawsuit To Expose Industry Trade Association Masquerading as Federal Committee

September 15, 2021

National Coal Council Under Intense Scrutiny

June 22, 2021

Crucial Legislation Introduced to Address Orphaned Oil & Gas Wells

April 28, 2021

Lowenthal Bonding Bill Would Ensure Timely and Complete Reclamation of Thousands of Federal Wells

April 19, 2021

Diverse Coalition of 21 Moves to Defend Biden Administration’s Oil, Gas Leasing Pause

April 15, 2021

Comments Signed by 115k+ People Submitted to Interior Department Urging Reforms to Federal Oil and Gas Leasing to Protect Public Lands, Oceans, Taxpayers, and Wildlife

April 4, 2021

Court Denies Attempt to Dismiss Case Over Coal Council That Refused to Turn Over Trump-era Documents

March 15, 2021

Interior Secretary Haaland Confirmed by US Senate

February 2, 2021

WORC Urges Vilsack to Commit to Bold Action

January 27, 2021

Westerners support reforming broken leasing system for federal coal, oil and gas

2020

October 29, 2020

Remaining Western coal mine reclamation could create thousands of jobs for rural communities

September 22, 2020

Savanna’s Act Passes U.S. House

September 22, 2020

New Bill Tackles Unemployment and Abandoned Wells

August 27, 2020

Conservation groups: Federal Powder River Basin coal plan violates court order

August 6, 2020

U.S. Census Bureau Ends Count Early, Underrepresenting Impacted Communities of Color

July 28, 2020

Remaining Western coal mine reclamation could create thousands of jobs for rural communities

July 16, 2020

Trump Administration Unlawfully Rescinded Protections against Methane Waste, Court Rules

July 15, 2020

Trump Administration Guts Environmental and Public Health Protections While COVID Crisis Deepens

June 29, 2020

Coal Community Leaders Release HIstoric Platform for National Economic Transition

May 28, 2020

American Farmers, Ranchers and Food Workers Call for Better Worker Protections at Meatpacking Plants to Stop COVID-19 Outbreaks and Protect Food Supply

April 2, 2020

Bankruptcies and Inadequate Bonds Threaten Taxpayers, Landowners with Orphan Oil and Gas Wells

March 27, 2020

EPA Endangers Public Health During Global Pandemic by Relaxing
Enforcement of Pollution Rules, Groups Say

March 20, 2020

Corporate bailout proposed by coal lobbyists would mean massive shortfalls in revenue for rural communities

March 12, 2020

Savanna’s Act Passes U.S. Senate

February 11, 2020

Westerners Travel to Denver to Speak in Opposition to Fundamental Changes to NEPA, Nation’s Bedrock Environmental Law

January 10, 2020

States face massive coal mine cleanup as closures loom, says new report

2019

December 16, 2019

As USMCA/NAFTA 2.0 House vote nears, COOL must be included

December 5, 2019

Statement of WORC & Powder River in Response to Confirmation of Cloud Peak Energy’s Chapter 11 Bankruptcy Plan

October 30, 2019

Speakers gather from across West to voice concerns over KXL threats to water, climate, and land rights

September 18, 2019

Government Watchdog: Inadequate Oil & Gas Reclamation Bonds Cost Taxpayers

August 29, 2019

Environmental Protection Agency Proposes Unwanted Deregulation of Oil and Gas Industry

July 11, 2019

Montana Rancher Testifies Before U.S. House Subcommittee On Federal Coal Reform

June 19, 2019

RECLAIM Act Offers Hope of Revitalization for Coal Communities

May 16, 2019

Americans Call on Congress to Address the Oil and Gas Industry’s Contamination of Surface and Groundwater

May 14, 2019

Strong Air Quality Protections Gain Ground

May 14, 2019

The Reintroduction of Savanna’s Act Gives Hope to Many

May 9, 2019

Hardrock Mining Reform Seeks to Level the Playing Field

April 12, 2019

Montana’s Medicaid Expansion Program in Peril

April 8, 2019

Conservation Groups Question Cloud Peak Energy Mine Cleanup Bonds

March 28, 2019

Western Family Agriculture and Conservation Group Opposes David Bernhardt’s Nomination for Interior Secretary

January 24, 2019

Department of the Interior Continues Oil and Gas Lease Application Review During Government Shutdown

January 16, 2019

Group Argues for Transparency and Balance on Interior Department’s Royalty Policy Committee

2018

December 19, 2019

Standing for the Savanna’s Act, Dakota Rural Action Rallies for Native Women’s Rights in a Time of Crisis

December 12, 2018

As Farm Bill passage nears, NAFTA 2.0 is the next step for meaningful ag reform

October 1, 2018

Conservation and Tribal Citizen Groups Challenge Trump Administration’s Rescission of BLM Waste Prevention Rule

September 18, 2018

Trump Administration rolls back standard limiting waste of natural gas

September 11, 2018

Western groups react to EPA proposal to lessen protections against oil and gas methane pollution

August 7, 2018

Groups sue Trump Administration over committee stacked with energy and mineral representatives

June 19, 2018

Resource councils’ statement on appeals court decision on study of coal leasing program

June 5, 2018

Government Watchdog Highlights Increasing Taxpayer Cost to Cleanup Orphaned Wells

May 16, 2018

Resource Councils Seek Investigation into Westmoreland Coal Mine Cleanup Funds

April 5, 2018
Report Finds Coal Self-Bonding Unnecessary and Risky

March 28, 2018
Conservation groups file to join federal suit over coal, oil, gas valuation

March 26, 2018

Court rejects BLM plans to mine 10 Billion Tons of Coal, install thousands of oil and gas wells over 15 million acres in Powder River Basin

February 23, 2018

Judge reinstates BLM methane waste prevention rule

February 12, 2018

Secretary Zinke wastes sensible methane standard

January 30, 2018

Family farmers and ranchers tell their stories

2017

December 7, 2017

WORC criticizes suspension of methane waste prevention standard

October 18, 2017

USDA drops ranchers’ protection against unfair meatpacker practices

October 4, 2017

Groups​ ​to​ ​fight​ ​rollback​ ​of​ ​standards​ ​cutting wasteful​ ​flaring​ ​and​ ​leaking​ ​of​ ​methane

August 7, 2017

Trump administration reopens fossil fuel revenue loophole, cuts funds for coal counties

August 3, 2017

Family Farm and Ranch Groups Call for Coal Mine Cleanup on Anniversary

June 20, 2017

Report: Carbon Capture and Sequestration Expensive, Inefficient, Unreliable

May 10, 2017

Grassroots effort defeats attack on methane waste rule

April 10, 2017

Groups Ask President to Shut Down USDA’s Animal ID Road Tour

March 28, 2017

Trump climate order is a bad deal for Western communities

February 28, 2017

Statement by family farm and conservation groups on order to overhaul the Clean Water Rule

February 24, 2017

Stay on Mineral Royalty Reforms Hurts Taxpayers

Feb. 21, 2017

New Web-based Project Maps Oil and Gas Waste Stream in Four Western States

Feb. 3, 2017

House uses drastic measure to OK waste of natural gas by oil and gas companies

January 17, 2017

Ranchers’ Groups Move to Defend Pause in Federal Coal Leasing against Lawsuit by Utah Counties