"BAKERSFIELD, Calif. — Oil and gas leases on federal public lands in California were put up for auction for the first time in eight years on Thursday, drawing protests from environmental organizations on grounds including threats to climate, human health and wildlife.
The seven parcels put up for bid by the Bureau of Land Management encompass more than 4,100 acres (1,659 hectares) in Kern County, in the southern San Joaquin Valley.
The Center for Biological Diversity, a nonprofit conservation organization, blasted the Trump administration for going ahead with the auction amid ongoing legal disputes, saying Kern County is already one of the most polluted in the country."
The Associated Press had the story December 10, 2020.
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Source: AP, 12/14/2020
