The fact the lands are PUBLIC means they are for the benefit of all the public. The people who are extracting fossil fuels on these lands are PRIVATE business people who pay themselves, not the PUBLIC from the profits of selling these fossil fuels. Only small fees are paid for the privilege of using up the resources that belong to us all for the benefit of a few.
Yeah, I always thought that too. The government has no business owning land. They should sell it all off (to Americans) and put it towards the national debt.
You must drive an electric car. When I put the petroleum products that BIG oil spends a lot of money getting out of the ground into my car, I'm using up those resources and paying BIG oil to get them for me.