White House

 

Biden Urges Supreme Court To Restart Mountain Valley Pipeline — “The Biden administration is throwing its weight behind a controversial natural gas pipeline that helped seal congressional negotiations over the debt ceiling — and whose future now rests in the hands of the nation’s highest bench. In a Supreme Court brief docketed Friday, Solicitor General Elizabeth Prelogar pressed the justices to reverse orders from the 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals that tossed out key permits for the Mountain Valley pipeline and stopped construction on the project that is slated to carry gas 303 miles from West Virginia to Virginia. Prelogar wrote that court orders fly in the face of the ‘unambiguous text’ of the Fiscal Responsibility Act, enacted in June, that approved all permits necessary to build the $6.6 billion pipeline and removed the judicial branch’s authority to review federal approvals related to the project. She added that if environmental groups fighting Mountain Valley permits in the 4th Circuit want to challenge the constitutionality of Congress’ move, the legislation requires them to file suit instead in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit. Prelogar’s brief is the latest in a string of Supreme Court filings in support of Mountain Valley’s emergency application to restart construction.” [E&E News, 7/21/23 (=)]

 

Biden Administration Joins Manchin, GOP Whip In Backing Pipeline At Supreme Court — “The Biden administration has joined Sen. Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.) and a coalition of Republican representatives in asking the Supreme Court to block an order halting construction of a controversial pipeline. The deal reached in June to raise the federal debt ceiling includes a provision to approve the Mountain Valley Pipeline, a natural gas project in Virginia and West Virginia that Manchin has vocally backed. It also transfers jurisdiction over the matter from the 4th Circuit Court of Appeals in Richmond, Va., to the D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals. Last week, however, the 4th Circuit granted a request from The Wilderness Society to temporarily halt construction of a segment of the pipeline in Jefferson National Forest. In response, the pipeline company filed an emergency request with Chief Justice John Roberts to take up the case. Roberts has the option to either act on the request on his own or put it to the court for a full vote, as he has historically done.” [The Hill, 7/21/23 (=)]

 

Feds, House Urge Justices To Greenlight Pipeline — “The federal government and the House of Representatives’ bipartisan legal arm are joining a chorus urging the U.S. Supreme Court to overturn a Fourth Circuit decision that blocked Mountain Valley Pipeline construction, saying Congress ordered agencies to approve the natural gas pipeline in a must-pass debt ceiling bill. U.S. Solicitor General Elizabeth B. Prelogar told justices Friday the panel issued the stays that conservation groups challenging the pipeline requested, even after the federal government and Mountain Valley Pipeline LLC informed the court that June’s Fiscal Responsibility Act, passed by Congress, not only raised the nation’s borrowing limits but ordered agencies to approve the pipeline and stripped courts of jurisdiction over those approvals. The government and Mountain Valley Pipeline moved to dismiss the conservation groups’ challenges, Prelogar said, but the Fourth Circuit issued one stay before the government submitted a timely reply to a pending stay request and the groups’ contention that Section 324 of the bill is unconstitutional. It issued another stay the following day.” [Law360, 7/21/23 (=)]

 

Biden Backs Mountain Valley Pipeline Before Supreme Court — “The Biden administration on Friday urged the Supreme Court to step in and allow construction to resume on the Mountain Valley Pipeline. The pipeline’s operator last week sought help from the high court after the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 4th Circuit stayed construction while it resolves pending legal issues. But the recent debt ceiling deal included language effectively greenlighting the 300-mile gas pipeline and barring further legal challenges. If construction does not resume by next week, the developer warned it may not be able to finish construction of the final segment through Jefferson National Forest before winter weather sets in, potentially delaying completion until spring. … What’s next: Chief Justice John Roberts gave the Wilderness Society, which is challenging the pipeline in the lower courts, until July 25 at 5 p.m. to respond. The 4th Circuit is slated to hear arguments in the matter on July 27.” [Politico, 7/21/23 (=)]

 

WV News | MVP Stakeholders Hope SCOTUS Will Intervene Before Winter Weather Causes Further Delays — “Just when it seemed there were no remaining obstacles left in way of completing the Mountain Valley Pipeline, the Fourth Circuit of Appeals issued a pair of stays that halted the project again. Now, project stakeholders hope the U.S. Supreme Court will intervene, granting the project the ability to resume construction before work is impeded by winter weather. Although mandates for the project’s completion were included in the Fiscal Responsibility Act of 2023, the Fourth Circuit ruled in favor of a motion filed on behalf of a coalition of environmental groups that challenged construction through the Jefferson National Forest. Project developers Equitrans Midstream Corporation then filed an emergency application to U.S. Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts asking for the lower court’s rulings to be vacated.” [The State Journal, 7/24/23 (=)]

 

It’s A Gas (Summit) — “The White House will hold what it’s dubbing the first-ever methane summit on Wednesday, it confirmed to ME. The event will center on methane reduction efforts in the oil and gas sector, according to an invite obtained by ME (not to attend, sadly — but we would if you’re reading this, Climate Policy Office!). A White House official said local, state and federal officials will attend, adding the summit ‘will spotlight how state and tribal governments are responding to dangerous emissions events, will showcase cutting edge detection technologies, and will identify areas for further collaboration.’ The confab comes as methane policy is on the front burner. EPA is slated to finalize its methane rule for oil and gas wells in August, according to the unified regulatory agenda. The Bureau of Land Management is also expected to release an updated methane rule for federal land by September. And EPA is working on a $1,500 per metric ton fee on methane emissions from the oil and gas sector as required by the Inflation Reduction Act. The Biden administration has made methane central to its international climate efforts, too, spearheading the now-150-country-strong Global Methane Pledge to slash emissions 30 percent below 2020 levels by the end of the decade.” [Politico, 7/24/23 (=)]

 

 

Congress

 

Prairie Chicken Rule Up To Bat — “The House is set to vote on two Senate-approved Congressional Review Act resolutions this week that would overturn Biden administration endangered species designations. President Joe Biden has threatened to veto S.J. Res. 9 (118) and S.J. Res. 24 (118), which would reverse protections for the lesser prairie-chicken and northern long-eared bat, respectively. Sen. Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.) joined Republicans to help both measures pass the Senate in May, and they’re likely headed for passage in the GOP-led House. The issue of protections for the lesser prairie-chicken, Reg. 1018-BB27, has long been contentious as its territory overlaps with areas used for extracting oil and gas and agriculture. The Fish and Wildlife Service acknowledged the northern long-eared bat rule, Reg. 1018-BG14, could also impact wind energy and electric infrastructure, but the species’ population has been decimated by white-nose syndrome.” [Politico, 7/24/23 (=)]

 

Rep. Newhouse Moves To Stall Biden Public Land Usage Restriction — “U.S. Dan Newhouse, R-Wash., put forth an amendment to prohibit federal funding of a recent Bureau of Land Management, or BLM, proposed rule change that would grant broad authority to restrict the usage of public lands. According to the executive summary of the bill in the federal register, the Conservation and Landscape Health rule would ‘advance the BLM’s mission to manage the public lands for multiple use and sustained yield by prioritizing the health and resilience of ecosystems across those lands.’ Meant to ensure the health and resilience of BLM-managed lands, the rule gives the BLM authority to ‘protect intact landscapes, restore degraded habitat, and make wise management decisions based on science and data,’ and ‘[provides] an overarching framework for multiple BLM programs to promote ecosystem resilience on public lands.’” [The Center Square, 7/21/23 (=)]

 

Zinke Uses Funding Bill To Challenge Haaland Over Bison Management — “Interior Department bison restoration plans are getting roped in by the purse strings wielded by congressional Republicans. In the latest turn of a rangeland wrangle, GOP lawmakers this week added a last-minute rider to a fiscal 2024 appropriations bill that would block funding for a program that Interior calls the ‘Restoration of American Bison and the Prairie Grasslands.’ The rider attached to the Interior-Environment funding package approved by the House Appropriations Committee on Wednesday would undercut a bison working group and related efforts spun out from Secretarial Order 3410 signed by Interior Secretary Deb Haaland in March. A separate rider included in the underlying bill would prohibit the introduction of American bison on the Charles M. Russell National Wildlife Refuge in Montana. One of Haaland’s predecessors, Rep. Ryan Zinke (R-Mont.), led the charge against the program. ‘I’m not going to accept unregulated bison being dumped on Montana,’ Zinke said in an interview Friday.” [E&E News, 7/21/23 (=)]

 

Zinke Moves To Delist Grizzlies, Spare Colstrip From Stricter Pollution Laws — “U.S. Representative Ryan Zinke secured amendments in federal spending bills this week that would shield Colstrip from tougher pollution laws and remove grizzlies from the endangered species list. The Western District Republican had secured so many amendments to EPA and Department of Interior Appropriations that Subcommittee Chairman Mike Simpson, joked that the bill should be named after Zinke. Appropriations amendments are how lawmakers use the power of the purse by blocking spending on issues which they oppose. ‘This is a measured response based on the science what we have and the studies are clear on the Greater Yellowstone grizzly population, that population has recovered we should celebrate the grizzlies,’ Zinke said in streamed proceedings. ‘The grizzlies are great, great grizzlies out there, but the ask we request, that the government to do the right thing on the grizzlies in the Greater Yellowstone population.’ House Republicans authored bills to remove grizzly bears from the endangered species act earlier this year. Zinke and Wyoming Rep. Harriet Hageman, a Republican, introduced a bill in February to delist the bears in the Greater Yellowstone Area and return management to the states. Eastern District Rep. Matt Rosendale put forth a similar bill in March.” [Billings Gazette, 7/20/23 (=)]

 

 

Department of the Interior (DOI)

 

Op-Ed: Biden’s Interior Secretary Wants You To Believe She’s A Down-The-Middle Administrator — According to Rick Whitbeck, “It must be re-election time if the Biden administration is attempting a centrist re-brand. Take the recent puff piece on Interior Secretary Deb Haaland. Reading the Washington Post profile, one could be forgiven for seeing Haaland as a down-the-middle administrator, tasked with making tough decisions in the best interests of the nation, with no agenda driving her actions. Let’s take a walk down memory lane. Before Interior, Haaland was a back-bencher member of Congress whose short tenure was marked by vehement hostility toward domestic energy projection. Despite representing the second-largest oil and gas producing state in the nation, Haaland earned a 98% alignment with the extremist League of Conservation Voters. She proudly co-sponsored Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez’ Green New Deal. She opposed numerous development projects in my home state of Alaska, including the Willow oil project greenlit by the Biden administration earlier this year. Haaland also joined environmental activists fighting the Dakota Access Pipeline.” [The Daily Caller, 7/21/23 (-)]

 

Bureau of Land Management (BLM)

 

New Public-Land Drilling Rules Would Overhaul The Western Oil Industry — “The last time the federal government raised the amount that oil and gas companies have to pay to drill on public land was in 1960 — the same year that four unknown, floppy-haired Brits formed a band called The Beatles. Other aspects of the Department of the Interior’s oil and gas leasing regime are more than a century old. Yesterday, the Biden administration proposed what would be a substantial overhaul of this system, a broad new set of rules that would dramatically increase the operators’ financial obligations, boost the royalties that companies pay and tighten permissive leasing regulations. Many Western environmental advocates and public officials praised the proposal as the much-needed and long-overdue restructuring of a system that has always favored industry. ‘Big Oil has been operating with an unfair advantage on our public lands for far too long,’ Arizona Democrat Raúl M. Grijalva, ranking member of House Natural Resources Committee said, in a statement. The proposed rules would codify reforms that were laid out in the Inflation Reduction Act, signed by President Biden last year.” [High Country News, 7/21/23 (=)]

 

Biden Admin Proposes New Rule To Jack Up Prices For Oil And Gas Leases — “The Biden administration unveiled a new oil and gas leasing rule proposal Thursday that would jack up prices at nearly every stage of the public land leasing process. The Bureau of Land Management (BLM), a subagency of the Department of the Interior (DOI), issued the rule proposal Thursday in an effort to adopt a ‘more transparent, inclusive and just approach’ to federal oil and gas leasing on public lands and ‘[provide] a fair return to taxpayers,’ Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary for Land and Minerals Management Laura Daniel-Davis said, according to a Thursday DOI press release. The rule nominally aims to boost land conservation efforts, but it would do so by massively increasing minimum bid thresholds and required per-acre fees for energy interests and developers to pay. The American Petroleum Institute slammed the rule proposal, calling it ‘yet another attempt to add even more barriers to future energy production’ and ‘a concerning approach from an administration that has repeatedly acted to restrict essential energy development,’ according to a Thursday press release.” [The Daily Caller, 7/21/23 (-)]

 

3 Things To Know About Biden's Oil Regs — “The Biden administration’s proposed revamp of the federal oil and gas program caught plenty of notice from Republican lawmakers and industry for how it would dramatically increase the cost of drilling on public lands. But even the draft regulation’s more obscure elements could make waves for drillers — and federal coffers. Oil industry observers are still wading through the more than 300-page rule package published by the Bureau of Land Management on Thursday, but all agree that the administration’s new regime for public lands would have drillers paying more. That includes higher royalties and — for the first time since the 1950s and ‘60s — hiking up required bonding, the money secured ahead of drilling to cover cleanup costs when wells are abandoned. ‘The big takeaway that many have seen from the proposed rules is that, if enacted, exploring for oil and gas on federal lands will be more expensive,’ said Eric Money, an attorney with Hall Estill specializing in oil and gas law. Some of these changes were mandated under the Democrats’ climate law, last year’s Inflation Reduction Act, such as a 16.67 royalty rate that lasts until 2032. And the Biden administration was expected to act on bonding changes after it failed to get them in the final version of the Inflation Reduction Act due to deals with pro-oil lawmakers.” [E&E News, 7/24/23 (=)]

 

Biden Administration Wants To Charge Oil Companies Drastically Higher Fees For Drilling On Federal Land — “The Biden administration is working on modernizing the country’s oil and gas leasing program. Companies that want to drill on public lands will have to pay higher fees and will have to meet stricter requirements on where they can operate, according to a rule proposed by Department of the Interior on Thursday. Since 1960, the price of lease bonds has been $10,000. The new rule proposes an increase of the minimum lease bond to $150,000, and the minimum statewide bond to $500,000. The new rule also increased the bid for leasing federal parcels from $2 to $10 per acre, which has codified a provision of the Inflation Reduction Act, the announcement said. Royalty rates will also increase. Current federal royalty rates are 12.5%. That rate hasn’t increased for about a century, and is lower than what private landowners and states charged companies for drilling, the Associated Press reported. The new rule proposes rate of 16.67%.” [Gizmodo, 7/21/23 (+)]

 

For The First Time In A Century, The US Is Raising Fees For Drilling On Federal Lands — “The rules for oil and gas extraction on public lands have been stagnant for decades. Oil and gas companies have paid 12.5 percent in royalties to the federal government for drilling on public lands for more than a century, significantly lower than the rates many Western states charge. Companies must also post bonds, financial instruments that guarantee taxpayers aren’t left holding the bag for environmental cleanup if a driller goes bankrupt. But those bonds were set in 1960 at $10,000 per lease, a small fraction of the true cost of plugging and cleaning up oil wells that businesses leave behind. Good governance groups and environmentalists have long argued that these rules have functioned as a subsidy for fossil fuels, shortchanging taxpayers and encouraging oil and gas extraction at a time when the planet is warming at a dangerous rate. The Biden administration is now attempting to correct that imbalance.” [Grist, 7/21/23 (+)]

 

US Department Of The Interior Proposes Revised Leasing Regulations — “Oil and gas companies would have to pay more to drill on public lands and satisfy stronger requirements to clean up old or abandoned wells under a new rule announced Thursday by the Biden administration. A rule proposed by the Interior Department raises royalty rates for oil drilling by more than one-third, to 16.67%, in accordance with the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) passed into law last year. The previous rate of 12.5% paid by oil and gas companies for federal drilling rights had remained unchanged for a century. The plan codifies provisions in the IRA, as well as the 2021 infrastructure law and recommendations from an Interior report on oil and gas leasing issued in November 2021. The new royalty rate set by the IRA is expected to remain in place until August 2032, after which it can be increased. The higher rate would increase costs for oil and gas companies by an estimated $1.8 billion in that period, according to the Interior Department.” [Offshore, 7/21/23 (-)]

 

Biden Administration Moves To Raise Cost To Drill On Federal Lands — “The Biden administration moved this week to hike royalties and other fees for companies drilling for oil and gas on public lands. A rule proposed by the U.S. Interior Department would hike the minimum royalty rate for federal drilling rights by more than a third to 16.67% from the previous 12.5% rate that had been paid by oil and gas companies for a century. Bonding requirements would rise for the first time since 1960, to $150K per lease from $10K, to help clean up drilling sites after they are done or cap wells that are abandoned, and the minimum fees companies pay to lease and hold lands would increase, to limit speculation on leases that companies can hold for up to a decade without drilling.” [Seeking Alpha, 7/21/23 (=)]

 

Biden’s New Fossil Fuel Leasing Rule Is A “Massive Climate Failure,” Critics Say — “Years after U.S. President Joe Biden campaigned on a promise to ban new oil and gas leases on public lands, his administration earned fresh criticism from green groups on Thursday with a proposal to update regulations for the federal fossil fuel leasing program. The U.S. Department of the Interior unveiled a proposed rule for the outdated fiscal terms of the onshore oil and gas leasing program. Bureau of Land Management (BLM) Director Tracy Stone-Manning said it ‘aims to ensure fairness to the taxpayer and balanced, responsible development as we continue to transition to a clean energy economy.’ However, advocacy organizations including the Center for Biological Diversity slammed the rule as a ‘massive climate failure.’ ‘This is a cowardly proposal that fails the basic climate imperative of ending fossil fuel expansion and phasing out production,’ said Taylor McKinnon, the center’s Southwest director. ‘President Biden is blowing an opportunity to end oil and gas extraction on public land as the world reels from one climate catastrophe to the next. This dangerous plan would ravage more of the landscape with fracking while sealing our fate of increasing megafires, more preventable heat deaths, a shrinking Colorado River, and runaway wildlife extinctions.’” [Truthout, 7/21/23 (=)]

 

First Lease Auction For Gulf Of Mexico Wind Development Set For Late August — “The first auction of offshore leases for wind power development in the Gulf of Mexico will take place Aug. 29 for tracts off the Louisiana and Texas coasts, the Biden administration announced Thursday. The Department of the Interior said the lease sale will involve more than 300,000 acres. That includes a 102,480-acre area off the southwest Louisiana coast, and areas covering 102,480 acres and 96,786 acres off Galveston, Texas. Plans for the sale come as wind energy projects are already taking shape in the Northeast. Earlier this month, the government gave the go-ahead for New Jersey’s first offshore wind farm to begin construction. That followed approval of projects now under construction in the northeast, one off Massachusetts and the other off New York and Rhode Island.” [WFIN-Radio, 7/21/23 (=)]

 

BLM Proposes Sweeping Changes To Oil And Gas Reclamation Program — “The Bureau of Land Management is moving to modernize federal bonding requirements meant to ensure the cleanup of abandoned oil and gas wells. The reforms come more than 60 years after the agency last updated the minimum bond amounts companies must pay before they can drill on BLM leases, Biden administration officials announced Thursday. If finalized, the rule would put companies under more pressure to see their drilling projects through — a notable change to a federal program that has struggled to prevent wells from being abandoned in the past.” [WyoFile, 7/21/23 (=)]

 

Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM)

 

Interior Department To Hold First-Ever Gulf Of Mexico Offshore Wind Lease Sale — “The Department of the Interior announced Thursday a final sale notice for offshore wind energy lease areas in the Gulf of Mexico, saying that the associated auction will take place in August. The three lease areas have the potential to generate up to 3.7 GW, the DOI said. They include a 102,480-acre area offshore Lake Charles, Louisiana, and two areas offshore Galveston, Texas, that comprise 102,480 acres and 96,786 acres, respectively. The final sale notice was published in the Federal Register today, and the areas are set to be auctioned on August 29. A mock auction will be held the day before. The sixteen entities that the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management found qualified to bid are Avangrid Renewables, 547 Energy, Coastal Offshore Renewable Energy, energyRe Offshore Wind Holdings, Equinor Wind, Gulf Coast Offshore Wind, Gulf Wind Offshore, Hanwha Offshore North America, Hanwha Q Cells, Hecate Energy, Invenergy GOM Offshore Wind, RWE Offshore US Gulf, Shell New Energies, TotalEnergies Renewables USA, and US Mainstream Renewable Power.” [Utility Dive, 7/24/23 (=)]

 

 

States & Local

 

Alaska

 

AOGCC Orders ConocoPhillips To Pay Penalties For 2022 Blowout At Alpine Field — “Alaska regulators on Wednesday ordered ConocoPhillips Alaska Inc. to pay nearly $1 million in penalties for a well blowout that led to a weeks-long release of natural gas and a brief evacuation at the company’s Alpine oil field. The order issued by the Alaska Oil and Gas Conservation Commission on Wednesday makes final a proposed civil penalty of $913,796.80 announced on June 28. ConocoPhillips, which did not appeal the findings issued last month, has 10 days to pay the total, the AOGCC said. The penalty is one of the largest assessed by the commission. The order brings to a close the AOGCC’s investigation into the gas release at the CD1 well site in the Alpine field, one of the largest in Alaska. The release was discovered on March 4, 2022, and traced to freeze-protection well work done in the days prior. The commission’s investigation concluded that ConocoPhillips had committed five separate violations that led to or followed what was determined to be a shallow blowout that sent gas streaming through multiple places, including through cracks in the drill site’s gravel pad.” [Alaska Beacon, 7/20/23 (=)]

 

Arizona

 

Navajo Nation Leader Says Biden, AOC Energy Policies Cripple Tribe's Economy — “Members of the Navajo Nation in southeastern U.S. say the federal government is leaving their people behind with its energy policies, crippling their economy and leaving more people in poverty. Republicans on the U.S. House Committee on Natural Resources are attempting to overturn such Biden administration policies, including the Department of Interior’s land withdrawal and ban on oil and gas leasing outside of Chaco Canyon in New Mexico, where members of the Navajo tribe reside. The DOI issued a Public Land Order in June imposing a 10-mile buffer zone around Chaco Culture National Historical Park for the next 20 years. The prevention of oil and natural gas leasing within the zone would cause Navajo mineral owners to lose an estimated $194.3 million in revenue over the next 20 years. More than 5,000 Navajo mineral owners rely on income from energy development. The individuals are called Navajo allottees, as the minerals they own were allotted to their ancestors many years ago.” [The Center Square, 7/23/23 (-)]

 

Kansas

 

Lawsuit Latest Challenge To Lesser Prairie Chicken Protections — “A coalition of Kansas counties, ranchers and farmers has sued the Interior Department to block federal protections for the lesser prairie chicken just days after House Republicans advanced legislation that would do the same thing. The Kansas Natural Resource Coalition, which represents 30 county governments, along with several farmers and ranchers, Thursday filed a lawsuit in the U.S. District Court for the District of Kansas against the Interior Department and the Fish and Wildlife Service, claiming the listing decision violates the Endangered Species Act and other federal laws. The complaint asks the court to throw out the final rule FWS issued last year listing the southern distinct lesser prairie chicken population in eastern New Mexico and the southwestern Texas Panhandle as endangered, and the northern distinct population in the northeastern Texas Panhandle, southeastern Colorado, south-central Kansas and western Oklahoma as threatened. The Kansas lawsuit specifically targets the ESA listing pertaining to the northern distinct population.” [E&E News, 7/21/23 (=)]

 

Montana

 

Wildlife Advocates Push Back On MT Higher Mountain Lion Kill — “Big-game advocates are pushing back against a move by the Montana Fish and Wildlife Commission to increase the number of mountain lions that can be legally killed in the state. It’s part of an effort to protect other prey animals - but critics call it a play for trophy hunters. The Commission moved to increase the kill number for mountain lions, reducing their population by up to 40% in many areas. Helena Edelson - president and CEO of the Gardiner-based Large Carnivore Fund - said the increase was passed despite objections by some mountain lion hunters, sporting and conservation groups, and even state biologists - largely due to the support of big-game hunters and political special interests. ‘What Montanans need to see is how these policies play into commercialization of their wildlife,’ said Edelson. ‘This seems a political and financial maneuver partly driven by outfitters that benefit from trophy mountain lion hunts.’” [Public News Service, 7/24/23 (=)]

 

Nevada

 

BLM Picks Satellites Over Lithium On Nevada Lands — “The Railroad Valley playa in Nevada is a large parcel of land that’s most remarkable for its lack of features. While it doesn’t look like much from above, the relative nothingness contributes to how scientists understand climate change, aid in farmers, prepare for natural disasters and track the weather. In April, the Bureau of Land Management approved NASA’s request to withdraw nearly 23,000 acres of the dried lakebed so scientists can continue to use the land for satellite calibration. However, the action disrupts plans by a lithium mining company, which estimates the salt deposits below the surface could rival lithium mines in South America. Opponents of the withdrawal in the mining sector and at least one House Republican argue it will complicate major mineral development that could boost the United States’ electric vehicle supply chain and local economies. NASA contends, however, that its work ensuring satellite measurements are accurate cannot be replicated elsewhere.” [E&E News, 7/21/23 (=)]

 

AP | US Pulls Plug On Authorization For Lithium Exploration Next To A National Wildlife Refuge In Nevada — “Federal land managers have formally withdrawn their authorization of a Canadian mining company’s lithium exploration project bordering a national wildlife refuge in southern Nevada after conservationists sought a court order to block it. The Center for Biological Diversity and the Amargosa Conservancy said in a lawsuit filed July 7 that the project on the edge of the Ash Meadows National Wildlife Refuge outside Las Vegas posed an illegal risk to a dozen fish, snail and plant species currently protected under the Endangered Species Act. They filed an additional motion this week in federal court seeking a temporary injunction prohibiting Rover Metals from initiating the drilling of 30 bore sites in search of the highly sought-after metal used to manufacture batteries for electric vehicles.” [ABC News, 7/21/23 (=)]

 

BLM Admits Error, Pulls Approval Of Ash Meadows Lithium Project — “Federal land managers have pulled their approval for a controversial lithium exploration project less than a mile from a treasured wetland habitat home to a trove of species found nowhere else in the world. Late Wednesday, the Bureau of Land Management admitted the agency erred when they approved an exploratory mineral drilling operation near the Ash Meadows National Wildlife Refuge—a critical wetland habitat in the Amargosa Desert 90 miles northwest of Las Vegas—without consulting other relevant agencies. In a letter, the BLM determined the proposed operation by Canada-based Rover Metals to drill up to 30 exploratory boreholes just north of the refuge would likely cause damage to the groundwater that feeds the meadows, and potentially harm threatened and endangered species who rely on the refuge. Some of the proposed drill sites would have been within 2,000 feet of Fairbanks Spring, a critical habitat for the endangered Ash Meadows Amargosa pupfish.” [Alaska Beacon, 7/21/23 (=)]

 

US Pulls Plug On Authorization For Lithium Exploration Next To A National Wildlife Refuge In Nevada — “Federal land managers have formally withdrawn their authorization of a Canadian mining company’s lithium exploration project bordering a national wildlife refuge in southern Nevada after conservationists sought a court order to block it. The Center for Biological Diversity and the Amargosa Conservancy said in a lawsuit filed July 7 that the project on the edge of the Ash Meadows National Wildlife Refuge outside Las Vegas posed an illegal risk to a dozen fish, snail and plant species currently protected under the Endangered Species Act. They filed an additional motion this week in federal court seeking a temporary injunction prohibiting Rover Metals from initiating the drilling of 30 bore sites in search of the highly sought-after metal used to manufacture batteries for electric vehicles.” [The Independent, 7/22/23 (=)]

 

BLM Halts Plans For Lithium Mining Operation North Of Pahrump — “The Bureau of Land Management has halted a proposed lithium mining operation near Ash Meadows National Wildlife Refuge over concerns that the drilling could impact the groundwater, the river it feeds and endangered and threatened species that depend on it. The BLM’s Pahrump office had acknowledged Rover Metals’ plans for exploratory drilling near the refuge in April but rescinded that acknowledgement Thursday. Last week, the Center for Biological Diversity and the Amargosa Conservancy filed a lawsuit against the Bureau of Land Management to stop the drilling. ‘We’re immensely relieved that our lawsuit and overwhelming public opposition compelled federal officials to slam the breaks on this project just days before drilling was supposed to start,’ Patrick Donnelly, Great Basin director at the Center for Biological Diversity, said.” [Las Vegas Sun, 7/22/23 (=)]

 

BLM Backtracks On Lithium Project — “The Bureau of Land Management last week rescinded a permit to a junior mining company that was set to launch an exploration project for lithium near a national wildlife refuge in southern Nevada. BLM wrote to Rover Metals that its acceptance of an exploration notice for the Let’s Go Lithium project was ‘in error’ after the agency received information from green groups that the drilling could impact groundwater in ways ‘not known to BLM during its review of the Notice.’ The company said in April that it had received the greenlight to drill 30 holes to a depth of up to 90 meters in an area of federal land it believes is rich with lithium. Given that the proposed exploration is ‘likely to result in disturbance to localized groundwaters,’ BLM is now requiring the company to submit an operations plan on how it will avoid impacting endangered and threatened species in the neighboring Ash Meadows National Wildlife Refuge. Rover Metals did not respond to a request for comment. More from AP on the reversal.” [Politico, 7/24/23 (=)]

 

Lake Mead Expected To Have Gained 20 Feet Of Water By End Of 2023 — “By the end of the year, the water level at Lake Mead is expected to be almost 20 feet higher than it was in January. Future releases from Lake Powell to Lake Mead are expected to raise the lake another six feet, the Bureau of Reclamation forecast this week. Lake Mead is expected to be at 1,065 feet by the end of the year, compared with 1,047 feet in January. As of June 2023, the lake was at 1,056 feet, according to Bureau of Reclamation data. Ben Burr from the Blue Ribbon Coalition, an organization dedicated to recreation and public lands, says this is good news. ‘Everyone who is recreating at Lake Mead this year is having a far better year this year than last year,’ Burr told Channel 13. ‘A lot of the facilities are open now that were struggling to be accessible last year, and it’s a blessing to have this much water.’” [KTNV-TV, 7/21/23 (=)]

 

 

 

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