More of Utah’s public lands are opening for oil and gas, thanks to the Trump admin. 

There is no shortage of issues with the recently passed “Big Beautiful Bill” when it comes to climate and our health. Did you know it removes much of the ability the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) has in controlling public land open for drilling? 

The Salt Lake Tribune points out multiple times massive public outcry during comment periods has compelled the BLM to remove parcels of public land available to lease for oil and gas, specifically surrounding our National Park communities. 

The bill severely reduces the power of the BLM, and makes it much easier on the oil and gas industry to apply for leases. The process now heavily relies on resource management plans, which are severely outdated, and not updated to include the latest science, or local data.

These changes threaten the Uinta Basin area, where we have been fighting fossil fuel companies from expanding their already dominating presence. The presence of the industries in this particular area of the state have been linked to an “extreme spike in neonatal mortality.”

All of this is happening while the $62 million federal grant meant to expand solar energy across Utah was pulled out from under us. 

Bluff was one rural Utah town who had plans to use the program to power crucial parts of their community, like an old elementary school they’re converting into a cooperative cultural center. Bluff also lost environmental justice funds from the federal government, the Tribune reported.

Instead of making it cheaper and easier for oil and gas giants to pollute, our leaders should be protecting public health and investing in clean energy. The air pollution from drilling, refining, and transporting fossil fuels drives higher rates of asthma, heart disease, cancer, and premature death, while also worsening the climate crisis that fuels wildfires, drought, and extreme heat. 

Prioritizing industry profits over people’s health means more Utah children will grow up breathing toxic air, more families will face preventable illnesses, and our communities will shoulder the costs of treating pollution-related diseases. We should be strengthening safeguards, not dismantling them, and ensuring federal resources support clean energy solutions that protect both our lungs and our future.