Public Lands Clips: May 1, 2024

 

 

Biden Monument Expansions Coming Thursday — “President Joe Biden is expected to use his presidential authority to add land to the monuments — the San Gabriel Mountains National Monument near Los Angeles and the Berryessa Snow Mountain National Monument north of Sacramento — at a White House event planned for Thursday, according to two people who were granted anonymity because they weren’t authorized to discuss the moves publicly. The Biden administration has made a major push on environmental and conservation issues in recent weeks. The president rolled out a series of major climate and environmental rules this month and touted his efforts to conserve land and water last week during an Earth Day speech. … The Biden administration has vowed to conserve at least 30 percent of the nation’s lands and waters by 2030, a program known as ‘America the Beautiful’ or 30 by 30. … Advocates for the expansion also include the Green Latinos, the Hispanic Access Foundation, Latino Outdoors, the Pew Charitable Trusts and the Wilderness Society. … Bernal pointed to a recent study by the liberal think tank Center for American Progress, which found that the proposed expansion would technically increase the number of people living within 5 miles of the monument’s boundaries by 757,000.” [E&E News, 4/30/24 (+)]

 

 

 

Senate

 

Democrats Unveil Big Oil Report After 3-Year Investigation — “A new report released Tuesday by Senate and House Democrats alleges that large oil companies attempted to deceive the public about the effects of climate change for decades. Why it matters: The documents backing the report are finally seeing the light of day after a three-year investigation, which was stuck in limbo after Republicans took back the House in 2022. The joint 66-page report from the Senate Budget and House Oversight Committees claims some of the largest oil companies have internally acknowledged since the 1960s that fossil fuels cause climate change. The Senate Budget Committee will hold a hearing about the report on Wednesday, with Rep. Jamie Raskin (D-Md.), the top Democrat on the House Oversight Committee, as a witness. The report comes at the same time that Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) has called on the federal government to investigate the $60 billion merger between Exxon and Pioneer.” [Axios, 4/30/24 (+)]

 

US Lawmakers Condemn Oil Industry’s ‘Deception’ On Climate Action — “Democratic lawmakers in the US lambasted oil companies in a new report on Tuesday, claiming that the industry has engaged in ‘an elaborate campaign of deception and doublespeak’ to forestall meaningful climate action and sustain their outsized profits. The report marks the completion of an investigation started nearly three years ago by Democrats on the House Committee on Oversight and Accountability, which subpoenaed documents from Exxon Mobil Corp., Chevron Corp., Shell Plc, BP Plc, the American Petroleum Institute, and the US Chamber of Commerce. The report, which was produced in conjunction with Democrats on the Senate’s budget committee, accused oil companies of a range of misdeeds, such as offering public support for the Paris climate agreement while internally acknowledging their business models were at odds with such a scenario. It also said the oil companies erroneously touted gas as a bridge fuel to a cleaner future while ignoring its significant climate impacts; and it said the industry poured money into universities around the world to win support for the idea of fossil fuels being part of an energy transition.” [Bloomberg, 4/30/24 (+)]

 

Jamie Raskin Will Testify On Congressional Exposé Of Still More Fossil Fuel Lies Wednesday Morning — “For the past two years, the top Democrat on the House Oversight Committee, Rep. Jamie Raskin of Maryland and his congressional team, have been scrutinizing a gigantic pile of internal company communications to suss out how fossil fuel corporations intent on promoting lies about climate change and their commitments to doing something about it used extensive academic connections to assist in their propagandizing. In a 65-page report on the documents released Tuesday, congressional investigators said they found that the industry has engaged in ‘an elaborate campaign of deception and doublespeak’ to throw up obstacles to climate action. That assessment is not news, but the report adds a ton of detail that shows these companies in a still more unflattering light. Democrat Sheldon Whitehouse of Rhode Island, one of the Senate’s fiercest climate hawks and chairman of the Senate Budget Committee, has invited Raskin, among others, to testify on the documents Wednesday morning. The hearing is titled ‘Big Oil’s Evolving Efforts to Avoid Accountability for Climate Change.’ The huge collection of a wide range of memoranda, emails and other private correspondence, as well as presentations from top executives at BP, ExxonMobil, Chevron, BP, Shell, the American Petroleum Institute, and the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, will be the focus.” [Daily Kos, 4/30/24 (+)]

 

Takeaways From The Democrats’ Big Oil Documents — “The Senate Budget Committee on Wednesday morning will hear from academics and legal experts about allegations that the country’s biggest oil companies and their trade associations have sought over decades to downplay the effects of burning fossil fuels on the warming planet. But the star witness will be House Oversight and Accountability ranking member Jamie Raskin (D-Md.), who plans to spotlight thousands of pages of new documents that purport to corroborate long-standing accusations from Democrats and environmental activists that oil and gas companies are actively ignoring the effects of their business operations on the climate crisis. Those documents, and a 65-page report, were published Tuesday and represent the next phase of House Oversight Democrats’ investigation into Big Oil’s alleged climate misinformation campaign, which the public thought had gone dark when Republicans won back control of the chamber in 2022. Senate Republicans, who have criticized Chair Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.) for turning the Budget Committee into a de facto climate committee, are expected to discount the findings as more of the same, with a spokesperson for Senate Budget ranking member Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) telling E&E News congressional Democrats ought to stop litigating old allegations outside the panel’s purview.” [E&E News, 4/30/24 (+)]

 

Big Oil Privately Acknowledged Efforts To Downplay Climate Crisis, Joint Committee Investigation Finds — “Major fossil-fuel firms have also pledged support for international climate efforts, but internally admit these efforts are incompatible with their own climate plans. And they have lobbied against climate laws and regulations they have publicly claimed to support, documents newly revealed by the committee show. The tranche of subpoenaed communications were unveiled on Tuesday morning by Democrats on the House oversight committee before a Wednesday hearing. ‘For decades, the fossil-fuel industry has known about the economic and climate harms of its products but has deceived the American public to keep collecting more than $600bn each year in subsidies while raking in record-breaking profits,’ said Rhode Island Democrat Sheldon Whitehouse, who chairs the committee.” [The Guardian, 4/30/24 (+)]

 

Senate, House Dems: Oil Companies Pivoted From Climate Denial To ‘Deception, Disinformation, And Doublespeak’ — “Major oil companies have internally conceded their public vows to reduce planet-warming emissions are incompatible with their business plans, according to a three-year report issued by Democrats on the Senate Budget Committee and the House Oversight Committee. The report, which builds on an Oversight probe that stalled out after Republicans took the House majority, includes documents in which oil industry figures seemingly concede the industry’s history of knowingly suppressing the link between fossil fuels and climate change. In 2015, a joint investigation by Inside Climate News and The Los Angeles Times reported that ExxonMobil had deliberately pushed back against climate science. While the company publicly denies this, documents in the report include a 2016 email exchange in which a media relations manager writes, ‘It’s true that Inside Climate News originally accused us of working against the science but ultimately modified their accusation to working against policies meant to stop climate change, such as Kyoto. I’m ok either way since they were both true at one time or another.’” [The Hill, 4/30/24 (+)]

 

Dems Spotlight Oil ‘Disinformation’ — “The Senate Budget Committee is hosting a hearing this morning on the oil industry’s efforts to ‘avoid accountability for climate change,’ based on internal communications obtained through a probe that began last Congress. House Oversight Democrats released a report based on those documents Tuesday, particularly highlighting the industry’s influence in academia. Industry representatives and Republicans dismissed the report as well-trodden attacks that don’t reflect the sector’s efforts to address climate change.” [Politico, 5/1/24 (+)]

 

What A Years-Long Probe Of Big Oil Reveals About Its Climate Strategy — “Some of the world’s largest oil companies have privately expressed skepticism of the Paris agreement, federal climate regulations and their own goals of reaching ‘net zero’ emissions by mid-century, even as they publicly voiced support for these efforts, according to documents that congressional Democrats released Tuesday. The documents also detail industry efforts to fund university research into the environmental benefits of natural gas. They were obtained by Democrats on the House Oversight and Accountability Committee and the Senate Budget Committee as part of a years-long investigation. Democrats say the findings demonstrate that the oil industry has misled the public about its role in causing and addressing climate change, an allegation the industry rejects. The new documents come as oil companies already face a wave of lawsuits that seek to hold them responsible for extreme weather events fueled by global warming.” [The Washington Post, 4/30/24 (+)]

 

House

 

House Approves Gray Wolf, Mining And Public Land Bills — “The House on Tuesday passed several Republican-led natural resources bills amid sometimes fierce debate, underscoring the divide between the parties on public lands and endangered species. The bills, which passed mostly along party lines, seek to overturn a new Bureau of Land Management rule elevating conservation as a formal use, delist the gray wolf in the lower 48 states and reverse a mining ban on sensitive federal lands in Minnesota. The Republican-led House also approved H.R. 615, which would block the Interior and Agriculture departments from banning lead ammunition and fishing tackle on federal lands. Some of the fiercest debate Tuesday centered on H.R. 3397, sponsored by Utah Republican Rep. John Curtis, which would require BLM to withdraw its conservation and landscape health rule that was finalized this month. The House approved Curtis’ bill 212 to 202, mostly along party lines. Three Democrats — Reps. Henry Cuellar of Texas, Jared Golden of Maine and Marie Gluesenkamp Perez of Washington state — voted with Republicans to approve.” [E&E News, 5/1/24 (=)]

 

US House Votes To Remove Wolves From Endangered List In 48 States — “The U.S. House voted Tuesday to end federal protection for gray wolves, approving a bill that would remove them from the endangered species list across the lower 48 states. A handful of Democrats joined with Republicans in passing the bill. The measure now goes to the Senate, but it appears doomed after the White House issued a statement Monday warning that the Biden administration opposes it. Congress shouldn’t play a role in determining whether a species has recovered, the statement said. The Republican-authored bill comes amid national debate on the wolves’ future. Hunters and farmers across the country maintain the species is stable and have been complaining for years about wolf attacks on game species and livestock. They want to be allowed to legally kill the animals. Conservationists insist the population remains fragile after being hunted to near-extinction by the 1960s.” [Associated Press, 4/30/24 (=)]

 

Boebert Bill To Remove Endangered Species Protections For Gray Wolves Just Passed The House — “A bill from GOP Rep. Lauren Boebert to delist the gray wolf from the Endangered Species Act squeaked through the U.S. House Tuesday, 209-205. Boebert’s bill, titled the Trust the Science Act, would force the Department of Interior to remove protections for the gray wolf in the lower 48 states and prohibit judicial review of the decision. While the bill garnered some Democratic support, only one of those crossover votes came from Colorado. Rep. Yadira Caraveo joined Republicans Boebert and Doug Lamborn in voting for the bill. The rest of Colorado’s Democratic members — Reps. Jason Crow, Diana DeGette, Joe Neguse and Brittany Pettersen — voted against it, as did four Republicans from other states. During the debate, Boebert pointed out that both Democratic and Republican administrations have tried to delist the gray wolf. She also noted that state and tribal wildlife agencies have a proven track record ‘successfully’ managing their wolf populations.” [Colorado Public Radio, 4/30/24 (=)]

 

U.S. House Votes To Kill BLM Rule, Delist Gray Wolf, End Boundary Waters Mining Limits — “The U.S. House approved four bills focused on natural resources and land management Tuesday, promoting a Republican message of dissatisfaction with the Biden administration’s approach to conservation. The four bills would force the withdrawal of a recent Bureau of Land Management rule that would allow leases for conservation, remove mining restrictions near Minnesota’s Boundary Waters, delist the gray wolf from the Endangered Species Act and block federal bans on lead ammunition. The bills passed with few members of each party crossing the aisle. All four Iowa representatives, who are Republicans, voted in favor of all four bills. They are unlikely to become law — or even receive a vote in the Democrat-controlled U.S. Senate — but their passage is an election-year message that Republicans support extractive industries in rural communities and oppose what they describe as an overreaching environmental agenda.” [Iowa Capital Dispatch, 4/30/24 (=)]

 

House Of Representatives Votes To Remove Gray Wolves From Endangered Species List — “Lawmakers are one step closer to removing the gray wolf from the endangered species list, an effort that has been a focus in Wisconsin’s congressional delegation. The House on Tuesday passed the so-called Trust the Science Act, authored by Colorado Republican Rep. Lauren Boebert and co-sponsored by Republican Rep. Tom Tiffany and Wisconsin’s other House Republicans, on a 209-205 vote. The bill would permanently remove the gray wolf from protections of the federal Endangered Species Act of 1973 and restore wolf management authority to state lawmakers and state wildlife officials. Its future in the Senate is uncertain. Wisconsin 7th District Representative Tom Tiffany gives an interview before a Donald Trump campaign rally on Tuesday, April 2, 2024 at the KI Convention Center in Green Bay, Wis. ‘This is a great success of the Endangered Species Act that a species that was endangered has now recovered,’ Tiffany told the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel Tuesday, saying people will ‘lose respect’ for the Endangered Species Act if recovered species are not delisted. … Boebert’s bill would prevent any judicial review of the delisting. … ‘This is just a crazy member of Congress, who doesn’t believe in science, who is trying to undercut the process,’ Pocan said, referencing Boebert.” [Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, 4/30/24 (=)]

 

House Passes Four Conservation Bills — “The House on Tuesday passed the first four of its slate of six bills this week targeting the Biden administration’s conservation policies. The four bills — H.R. 3195 (118) to reverse the administration’s land withdrawal in the Boundary Waters region of Minnesota, H.R. 3397 (118) to block Interior’s newly finalized public lands conservation rule, H.R. 764 (118) to bar the Endangered Species Act listing for the gray wolf and H.R. 615 (118) to limit regulations on lead in ammunition and fishing tackle — received a smattering of Democratic votes but largely hewed to party lines. The Biden administration expressed its strong opposition to all six bills, and they are not likely to advance in the Democratic-led Senate. The House also overwhelmingly passed bipartisan bills to boost research into terrestrial carbon sequestration, H.R. 4824 (118), and remediation of abandoned oil and gas wells, H.R. 4877 (118).” [Politico, 5/1/24 (=)]

 

House Republicans Deal Heavy Blow To Gray Wolf Conservation Efforts With New Bill — “The US House on Tuesday passed a bill that would remove endangered species protections for the gray wolf across much of the country, sparking outrage among conservationists. Sponsored by far-right Representative Lauren Boebert, the bill passed narrowly along party lines in the Republican-majority House and now heads to the Senate. The White House on Monday announced its strong opposition to the measure, indicating a likely veto from President Joe Biden if it reaches his desk. In October 2020, former president Donald Trump removed gray wolves from their protected species status, which was put in place in the 1970s after their near extinction in the continental US.” [TAG24, 4/30/24 (=)]

 

House Passes Boebert-Led Bill Removing Gray Wolf From Endangered Species List — “The House approved a proposal to remove the gray wolf from the endangered species list after concerns from Republicans that the distinction disproportionately affected farmers by threatening their livestock. Lawmakers voted 209-205 to pass the Trust the Science Act on Tuesday, which would delist the gray wolf and remove any judicial oversight over the animal population. The bill was passed largely along party lines, with only four Democrats voting in favor of the measure. Four Republicans voted against it. The legislation was led by Rep. Lauren Boebert (R-CO) in response to the release of 10 gray wolves in Colorado late last year, which the congresswoman said has resulted in livestock depredations and at least six separate wolf attacks ‘just this month.’ The bill, if passed, would remove the gray wolf from the federal endangered species list and return oversight of wolf management to individual states and tribal wildlife agencies. ‘Let’s do as my bill says: Trust the bipartisan science and pass this bill so we can finally delist the recovered — fully recovered — gray wolf and focus scarce taxpayer funding on endangered species that actually need help,’ Boebert said on Tuesday.” [Washington Examiner, 4/30/24 (=)]

 

Rep. John Curtis Speaks On House Floor Against BLM Rule That Would Limit Use Of Public Lands — “Reps. John Curtis, Celeste Maloy, Blake Moore and Burgess Owens and nine other members of Congress’ Western Caucus sponsored legislation to withdraw the rule, alleging it would limit access to public lands. The rule, titled ‘Conservation and Landscape Health,’ was introduced in March and purportedly ‘lays groundwork for conserving wildlife habitat, restoring places impacted by wildfire and drought, expanding outdoor recreation, and thoughtful development,’ according to an Interior Department press release. Curtis spoke about the bill on the House floor, where he spoke about Utah’s rural communities, and how they ‘work hard to feed our families, protect American energy, and lead in manufacturing.’ ‘We should be making it easier for them,’ he continued. ‘Instead, the Biden administration is pushing this rule to allow environmental groups funded by Swiss billionaires who pretend to be representing Utah to lock up public lands. This is completely backwards… .’ Curtis said the new rule favors ‘wealthy individuals and environmental groups, allowing them to lock up land that belongs to all Utahns. I am pleased that the House voted in a bipartisan manner to pass my bill revoking its implementation.’” [The Deseret News, 4/30/24 (=)]

 

 

 

Colorado River Tribes, Deb Haaland Sign Historic Water Rights Lease Agreement — “The Colorado River Indian Tribes (CRIT) community was joined April 26 by Department of the Interior Secretary Deb Haaland, Governor Katie Hobbs, Senator Mark Kelly and numerous other state and federal officials to sign a historic agreement allowing CRIT to lease and transfer their Colorado River water rights to off-reservation entities. Prior to this agreement, CRIT was unable to lease, sell or transfer water off of their designated tribal land, compromising their freedom and authority as a sovereign nation. Backed by the Colorado River on Catalina Island behind the Blue Water Resort & Casino, those involved in the signing addressed the community, emphasizing their gratitude and support of this agreement. ‘We gather here at the edge of the bank of the very river that has provided for our ancestors since time immemorial,’ said CRIT Chairwoman Amelia Flores. ‘Today we celebrate the empowerment of our rights to make our own decisions with who, when and how our water resources may be used. This is a significant event in the history of CRIT. These agreements clear the path for CRIT to finally be recognized as an essential party in all future decisions regarding the future of the Colorado River.’” [Navajo-Hopi Observer, 4/30/24 (=)]

 

Bureau of Land Management (BLM)

 

Op-Ed: BLM Rule Puts Conservation Where It Belongs — On Par With Multiple Uses — According to Kerry Drake, “The Bureau of Land Management’s new Public Lands Rule is a game-changing shift that, after nearly 80 years of the agency’s industry-first policies, finally puts conservation on par with mining, oil and gas development and grazing. It ushers in a glorious new day for Wyoming’s environment, one we should celebrate. To hear Gov. Mark Gordon and Wyoming’s congressional delegation tell it though, radicals have seized control and the state’s economy is forever ruined. ‘It appears that Wyoming’s comments — and those from our people who depend on public lands for their livelihoods — were completely overlooked,’ Gordon complained in a statement. ‘The [BLM plan] will completely upend economies across the West, including grazing, recreation and energy.’ Wyoming interests weren’t overlooked. An overwhelming 92% of more than 200,000 public comments either supported the proposed rule or urged stronger measures, according to a Center for Western Priorities analysis.” [WyoFile, 4/30/24 (+)]

 

Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM)

 

US Unveils 18GW Of New Offshore Wind Lease Areas — “The US Department of the Interior and the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) have proposed two new offshore wind auction areas off the coast of Oregon and in the Gulf of Maine. The two sales could generate some 18GW of energy, according to the US federal government. ‘As we move forward with offshore wind energy in Oregon and the Gulf of Maine, the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management remains dedicated to close collaboration with our government partners and key stakeholders,’ BOEM director Elizabeth Klein said. ‘We’re excited to unveil these proposed sales and emphasize our commitment to exploring the potential for offshore wind development from coast to coast.’ The launch is the first in a five-year lease schedule, and the announcement comes a week after the federal government laid out a five-year blueprint for offshore wind lease auctions across the United States. The plan could see as many as 12 separate auctions conducted across the next five years.” [reNEWS.biz, 4/30/24 (+)]

 

Interior Proposes First Offshore Wind Sales For Maine, Oregon — “The Interior Department on Tuesday proposed forthcoming offshore wind auctions off the coasts of Oregon and Maine, a potential boost for emerging floating wind technology that could also conflict with fishermen and Pacific Northwest tribes. Combined, the proposed waters in the Gulf of Maine and the Pacific Ocean would support enough energy to power 6 million homes, or roughly 18 gigawatts of electricity generation. The proposed auctions — final notices that include sales dates have not yet been announced — come on the heels of Interior’s decree this month that it will hold 12 offshore wind lease sales over the next five years. President Joe Biden has approved enough offshore wind projects since taking office to power roughly 4 million homes. The industry is a key tenet in the administration’s climate agenda despite inflation and supply chain troubles slowing offshore wind growth and even canceling some projects last year.” [E&E News, 4/30/24 (=)]

 

Biden Admin Proposes Sale Of 1 Million Acres In Gulf Of Maine For Offshore Wind Projects — “The U.S. Department of the Interior on Tuesday announced their proposal to lease nearly one million acres in the Gulf of Maine for offshore wind energy projects. The Biden administration’s proposed sale would cover approximately half of the final two million acre Wind Energy Area (WEA) off the coast of Maine, New Hampshire and Massachusetts released by the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) last month. The proposed eight lease areas in the final WEA would have the potential to generate approximately 15 gigawatts of energy, and to power more than five million homes, according to the Department of the Interior.” [The Maine Wire, 4/30/24 (=)]

 

US Proposes Auctions For Over 18 GW Of Offshore Wind Capacity — “The two sales proposed by the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) have the potential to generate more than 18 GW of offshore wind energy, enough to power more than six million homes. ‘Since the start of the Biden-Harris administration, the Department of the Interior has approved the nation’s first eight commercial-scale offshore wind energy projects. Today’s announcement represents another stride in our commitment to building a greener energy future while creating jobs and supporting families,’ said US Secretary of Interior Deb Haaland. ‘We’re taking decisive action to catalyze America’s offshore wind industry and leverage American innovation to provide reliable, affordable power to homes and businesses, all while addressing the climate crisis.’ … ‘As we move forward with offshore wind energy in Oregon and the Gulf of Maine, the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management remains dedicated to close collaboration with our government partners and key stakeholders,’ said BOEM Director Elizabeth Klein. ‘We’re excited to unveil these proposed sales and emphasize our commitment to exploring the potential for offshore wind development from coast to coast.’” [OffshoreWIND.biz, 4/30/24 (=)]

 

Interior Tees Up Potential Offshore Wind Sales Off Oregon, Maine — “Interior plans to hold as many as four lease sales this year, including in the Gulf of Maine and off the coast of Oregon. South Fork Wind The Interior Department is taking another step toward auctioning offshore wind leases off the coast of Oregon and in the Gulf of Maine. The Bureau of Ocean Energy Management announced proposals for auctions off Oregon and in the Gulf of Maine on Tuesday that have the potential to generate more than 18 gigawatts of power — enough for more than six million homes. The proposals — which would likely support floating offshore wind turbines — come as President Joe Biden seeks to add 30 gigawatts of offshore wind power by 2030, but as the nascent U.S. industry continues to confront economic conditions, like rising costs and supply chain constraints, that have jeopardized projects.” [Politico, 4/30/24 (+)]

 

US Proposes 18 GW Of Offshore Wind Lease Sales In Gulf Of Maine, Oregon — “The US Department of the Interior today proposed to auction offshore wind areas off the coast of Oregon and in the Gulf of Maine that together have the potential to accommodate more than 18 GW of offshore wind generation. The proposed sale in the Gulf of Maine Wind Energy Area covers eight lease areas offshore Maine, Massachusetts and New Hampshire, which total almost one million acres and have the potential to generate about 15 GW. The Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) is proposing to carry out simultaneous auctions for each of the eight areas using multiple-factor bidding. It is seeking feedback on various aspects of the proposed lease areas, including size, orientation and location and which should be prioritised for inclusion or exclusion from the lease sale.” [Renewables Now, 4/30/24 (+)]

 

US Now Accepting Offshore Wind Proposals Off Oregon And Maine Coasts — “The Department of the Interior today announced two proposals for offshore wind energy auctions off the coast of Oregon and in the Gulf of Maine. The two sales proposed by the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) have the potential to generate more than 18 GW of offshore wind energy. ‘As we move forward with offshore wind energy in Oregon and the Gulf of Maine, the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management remains dedicated to close collaboration with our government partners and key stakeholders,’ said BOEM Director Elizabeth Klein. ‘We’re excited to unveil these proposed sales and emphasize our commitment to exploring the potential for offshore wind development from coast to coast.’” [Windpower Engineering & Development, 4/30/24 (+)]

 

 

 

Clean Energy

 

US Wind Generation Fell In 2023 For The First Time Since The 1990s — “Annual US power generation from wind turbines declined in 2023 for the first time since the mid-1990s – here’s why. The US saw the addition of 6.2 gigawatts (GW) of new wind capacity last year, but data from the US Energy Information Administration’s ‘Power Plant Operations Report’ show that US wind generation in 2023 totaled 425,235 gigawatt-hours (GWh) – 2.1% less than the 434,297 GWh generated in 2022. US wind capacity increased steadily over the last several years, more than tripling from 47 GW in 2010 to 147.5 GW at the end of 2023. Electricity generation from wind turbines also grew steadily, at a similar rate to capacity, until 2023. Last year, the US wind turbine fleet’s average capacity factor – how much energy it’s generating versus what it can produce at continuous full power – fell to an eight-year low of 33.5%, compared with 35.9% in 2022, the all-time high.” [Electrek, 4/30/24 (=)]

 

Fossil Energy

 

Mountain Valley Pipeline Final Cost Revised Up To $7.85 Billion — “The Mountain Valley Pipeline’s lead developer said Tuesday it anticipates the natural gas project will have a final price tag of approximately $7.85 billion. That figure is around $220 million more than the upper end of the range of $7.57 billion to $7.63 billion that the company announced in February. Equitrans Midstream, the lead developer of the pipeline joint venture, said factors contributing to the new cost estimate include a slower-than-expected pace of construction recently, which has resulted in additional labor and equipment costs, and expenses related to restoring land after construction. The route of the Mountain Valley Pipeline, which runs for 303 miles through Virginia and West Virginia. Courtesy of Mountain Valley Pipeline. ‘Project costs were affected by challenging physical construction conditions, certain equipment and other issues during now-completed boring operations, unexpected challenges with certain pipeline cleaning procedures, and inclement weather,’ the company said in a news release Tuesday in which it reported a first-quarter profit of $111.9 million.” [The Cardinal News, 4/30/24 (=)]

 

In America’s Biggest Oil Field, The Ground Is Swelling And Buckling — “In a desolate stretch of desert spanning West Texas and New Mexico, drillers are pumping more crude than Kuwait. The oil production is so frenzied that huge swaths of land are literally sinking and heaving. The land has subsided by as much as 11 inches since 2015 in a prime portion of the Permian Basin, as drillers extract huge amounts of oil and water, according to a Wall Street Journal analysis of satellite data. In other areas where drillers dispose of wastewater in underground wells, the land has lifted by as much as 5 inches over the same period. The constant extraction and injection of liquids has wrought complex geologic changes, which are raising concerns among local communities long supportive of oil and gas. Earthquakes linked to water disposal have rattled residents and prompted state regulators to step in. Some researchers worry that wastewater might end up contaminating scarce drinking-water supplies. ‘They’re affecting the geology of the ground, the surface,’ Ty Edwards, a Pecos County, Texas, resident who helps manage groundwater in the region, said of oil producers. ‘That is pretty wild.’ … Environmental groups say Texas regulators’ oversight of the industry is falling short and that it is time for the federal government to intervene. Oil executives, meanwhile, say the issue of water disposal is having an impact on their bottom line, driving up the costs for new wells. They also fear that, if left unmanaged, it could dent local support for their activities.” [The Wall Street Journal, 4/28/24 (=)]

 

 

 

Here’s How Green Groups Get Their Agendas Implemented In The Administrative State, Bypassing Congress — “The Arabella network group Sixteen Thirty Fund poured $3.6 million into the Sierra Club from 2014 to 2022, according to IRS records. Tides Advocacy, the 501(c)4 lobbying arm of the left-wing dark money Tides Foundation, gave the group nearly $1 million between 2018 and 2021. … Meanwhile, the National Wildlife Federation, an environmentalist group that promoted Al Gore’s 2006 film ‘An Inconvenient Truth,’ received nearly $1 million via Arabella nonprofits. The federation’s former employees now hold positions of power at Interior. Four-year federation staffer Tracy Stone-Manning is now the director at the Bureau of Land Management. She notoriously sent a threatening letter to the National Forest Service in 1989 on behalf of eco-terrorists who spiked trees to cause physical harm to loggers. She later said she does ‘not condone tree-spiking or terrorism of any kind.’ … Haaland’s own daughter, 29-year-old Somah Haaland, has been heavily involved with the Pueblo Action Alliance, a radical left-wing group with ties to the Cuban government. In October 2021, the alliance helped lead a coalition of organizations known as ‘Build Back Fossil Free,’ which rioted at the Interior Department, injuring Interior staffers. … Kimberly A. Probolus had previously worked with the Southern Poverty Law Center to help with its project shaming officials into removing all public symbols of the Confederacy. The Tides Foundation sent the SPLC more than $1 million between 2018 and 2022. In a meeting of the Interior committee, she noted this previous work, expressing her gratitude for the chance to ‘continue to work toward racial and social justice’ with Interior.” [The Daily Signal, 4/30/24 (-)]

 

Activist Group’s Leader Declines To Participate In House Hearing On Her Org’s Alleged Influence Over Biden Admin — “Julia Fay Bernal, the head of the Pueblo Action Alliance (PAA), declined to take up the House Committee on Natural Resource’s invitation to testify at a hearing focusing specifically on ‘examining the influence of extreme environmental activist groups in the Department of the Interior.’ PAA — a group that Interior Secretary Deb Haaland’s daughter, Somah, works for — is alleged to have improperly influenced the agency’s June 2023 decision to restrict fossil fuel activities in Chaco Canyon, New Mexico. ‘While the extremists at Pueblo Action Alliance appear to have unlimited time and resources for colluding with the Department of Interior, they can’t seem to find a few hours to defend their back-room dealings in a congressional hearing,’ Republican Arizona Rep. Paul Gosar, who chairs the committee’s Oversight and Investigations Subcommittee, told the Daily Caller News Foundation in a statement. ‘The best medicine is always sunshine, and just as with many actions taken by the administration and its radical friends, their refusal to defend their shadowy dealings speaks volumes about the nature of this relationship.’” [The Daily Caller, 4/30/24 (-)]

 

Lawmakers Clash Over Environmentalist Groups’ Influence On Interior Department — “House lawmakers at a Natural Resources oversight subcommittee hearing sparred Tuesday over whether the Department of the Interior allows undue influence by nonprofit activist groups and private companies. Republicans on the oversight and investigations panel of the committee, led by Chairman Paul Gosar of Arizona, accused DOI Secretary Deb Haaland, of fostering close and potentially improper relationships with ‘radical’ nongovernmental organizations ‘driving the Biden administration’s extreme environmental agenda.’ Ms. Haaland is expected to testify before the full committee on Wednesday. ‘The issue at hand here is twofold. Number one, at their core, most of these groups are fundamentally opposed to congressionally authorized missions of the land management agencies that they seek to influence,’ Mr. Gosar said in his opening statement. He added, ‘Some of these groups are also influenced by dark money from unfriendly foreign sources like China. We now know that China provides funding for many radical environmental groups.’” [The Daily Signal, 4/30/24 (=)]

 

New Laws Needed To Solve Interior's 'Corruption' Problem: Ex-White House Lawyer — “Subcommittee Chairman Paul Gosar, Republican-Arizona, said that ‘close and potentially improper relationships’ with these groups could be swaying Interior’s decisions and rulemakings, including the moratorium on new oil and natural gas leasing around the Chaco Canyon area in New Mexico and a mining moratorium on acres in the Superior National Forest in northern Minnesota that included the site of the copper-nickel Maturi project proposed by Twin Metals Minnesota, a unit of Antofagasta. Gosar flagged Interior Secretary Deb Haaland’s ties to the Pueblo Action Alliance, which advocated for the Chaco withdrawal, and an off-the-books meeting between Interior officials and lobbyists for the Wilderness Society, which was fighting the Twin Metals project in court. Republicans at the hearing also brought up dark money believed to fund extreme environmental groups and foreign interference in government appointments and policymaking. Democrats called the hearing ‘political theater’ and highlighted the numerous investigations and criminal referrals involving Interior during the Trump-era, including instances of influence peddling, ethical violations, and corruption.” [S&P Global, 4/30/24 (-)]

 

VIDEO: How Would Use Of Public Lands Change Under A Trump Presidency? — “Description: William Perry Pendley wants to sell public land to the oil and gas industry — and if Trump wins the presidency, conservatives might make it a reality” [Big Country News, 4/30/24 (+)]

 

 

 

Colorado

 

Colorado Governor, Democrats Reach Long-Term Air Quality And Transit Deal With Oil And Gas Industry, Environmentalists — “The structure of the deal includes an agreement that the legislature will pass two bills: One that will fund efforts to cap abandoned and low-producing wells to prevent them from leaking greenhouse gasses and set new emissions reductions targets in state law, including a 30% oil and gas industry reduction in nitrogen oxides by 2025 and a 50% reduction by 2030. The bill will also have new enforcement mechanism and require modeling of emissions affects on disproportionately impacted communities in the Denver area. One that will impose a new fee on every barrel of oil produced in Colorado that will fluctuate based on market prices but generate an estimated $138 million a year. Eighty percent of the revenue from the fee will go toward transit projects, including possibly the creation of a new Front Range passenger system, while the rest will go toward public lands, specifically renewing areas that have been affected by drilling. Polis and his Colorado Energy Office and Colorado Department of Transportation have been pushing alongside other state leaders for a major expansion of passenger rail transit in Colorado, as they also seek new land use laws promoting affordable housing development concentrated at transit stops.” [Colorado Sun, 4/29/24 (=)]

 

Michigan

 

AP | Lake Superior Island’s Wolves Are Stable As Moose Numbers Fall — “Researchers forced to cut short an annual survey of wildlife on a remote Lake Superior island this winter due to unusually warm weather announced Tuesday that they managed to gather data that shows the wolf population is stable. Isle Royale is a 134,000-acre island situated in far western Lake Superior between Grand Marais, Minnesota, and Thunder Bay, Ontario. The park is a wildlife biologist’s dream, offering a rare opportunity to observe wolves and moose acting naturally without human influence. Scientists have conducted an annual survey of the island’s wolves and moose since 1958. It’s been going on every year except for 2021, when the pandemic forced researchers to cancel. Researchers typically conduct aerial surveys of the island to develop population estimates and observe animal behavior. The island doesn’t have a landing strip so the scientists use skiplanes that can land on the ice surrounding it. A team led by Michigan Tech University researchers was two weeks into this year’s seven-week survey in January when unusually warm temperatures left the ice around the island unsafe for their planes to land. They were forced to evacuate the island and could not return.” [E&E News, 4/30/24 (=)]

 

Nevada

 

Population Of Rare Devils Hole Pupfish Hits 25-Year High — “The spring population of the Devils Hole pupfish, one of the world’s rarest fish species, hit a 25-year high during this year’s count, the National Park Service said Monday. Scientists earlier this month counted 191 of the fish in Devils Hole, a deep, water-filled cavern near Ash Meadows National Wildlife Refuge in Nevada. The 40-acre site is a detached unit of Death Valley National Park, which is located in both California and Nevada. Officials said the April survey showed the highest number of fish in a spring count since March 1999. Before the mid-1990s, the population was in the 200-to-250 range every spring. But then it dropped for nearly 20 years, reaching an all-time low of 35 in 2013. NPS said a return to higher numbers could signal important changes in the ecosystem. ‘Recent high spring and fall counts show the importance of maintaining long-term data as we work to find out what’s changed,’ said Kevin Wilson, an aquatic ecologist for Death Valley National Park.” [E&E News, 4/30/24 (=)]

 

New Jersey

 

More Offshore Wind Farms? New Jersey Opens 4th Round Of Bidding — “New Jersey officials pushed forward with plans to expand the state’s offshore wind power sector, despite recent slowdowns and setbacks in the industry. The state Board of Public Utilities opened the fourth offshore wind power solicitation Tuesday, seeking proposals from companies for wind projects that could add 1.2 to 4 gigawatts of electricity production to the power grid. New Jersey has already approved three offshore wind projects: Atlantic Shores Offshore Wind, Attentive Energy Two and Leading Light Wind. Each of the projects remains in the permitting process. The companies have not yet broken ground for the turbine bases in the Atlantic Ocean. Other offshore wind projects - including Ørsted’s two New Jersey projects and three offshore wind farm plans for New York - have been canceled or put on hold over the past 12 months. Companies say inflation, supply chain disruptions and high interest rates are contributing to the challenges facing the industry.” [Asbury Park Press, 5/1/24 (=)]

 

New Jersey Seeks Fourth Round Of Offshore Wind Farm Proposals As Foes Push Back — “New Jersey is seeking a new round of proposals to build wind energy farms off its coastline, forging ahead with its clean energy goals even as local opposition and challenging economics create blowback to the effort. The state Board of Public Utilities on Tuesday opened a fourth round of solicitations for offshore wind farms, giving interested companies until July 10 to submit proposals. ‘Advancing this solicitation really demonstrates that we are committed to seeing the economic development that offshore wind is bringing to New Jersey and will continue to bring, as well as the clean energy that is so important for the residents of the state,’ said the board’s president, Christine Guhl-Sadovy. There are currently three preliminarily approved offshore wind projects in New Jersey. One from Chicago-based Invenergy and New York-based energyRE. Called Leading Light Wind, would be built 40 miles (64 kilometers) off Long Beach Island and would consist of up to 100 turbines, enough to power 1 million homes.” [Associated Press, 4/30/24 (=)]

 

North Dakota

 

‘Incredible’ News For Bears And Wild Horses As US Shifts Preservation Plans — “Wildlife advocates are celebrating ‘incredible’ news for the preservation of threatened bears, and a herd of historically significant wild horses, in separate north-western and upper midwestern national parks. In North Dakota, the National Parks Service (NPS) has dropped a plan that would have seen about 200 wild horses, descended from those belonging to Native American tribes who fought the 1876 Great Sioux war, rounded up and removed from Theodore Roosevelt national park. The scheme would have stripped the park of a cultural ‘emblem’ of the future 26th US president’s time as a cattle rancher and hunter in the Dakota territory in the late 19th century, said the Republican North Dakota senator John Hoeven, who helped secure their preservation. Meanwhile, in Washington, NPS has partnered with US Fish and Wildlife on a plan to reintroduce grizzly bears to the North Cascades ecosystem. The threatened species has not been seen in the area for more than a quarter-century.” [The Guardian, 4/30/24 (+)]

 

Wyoming

 

Federal Land On Wind River Reservation Could Go To BLM Or Indigenous Tribes — “The U.S. Bureau of Reclamation is trying to part ways with under 60,000 acres of federal land originally removed from the reservation as part of the Riverton Reclamation Project in 1905. The Northern Arapaho and Eastern Shoshone Tribes have argued that it never should have been removed from the reservation to begin with. The area was originally intended to be transformed into developed farmland, but that didn’t end up happening. ‘This should be restored to tribal ownership,’ said Wes Martel, a former council member in the Eastern Shoshone Tribe and a senior Wind River conservation associate for the Greater Yellowstone Coalition. ‘And that’s what I believe. That’s part of the reservation, [and] should have never been a reclamation project in the first place.’” [KHOL-Radio, 4/30/24 (=)]

 

 

 

New England

 

Judge Rejects Request To Block New England Offshore Wind Farm — “Construction of a wind farm off the coast of Rhode Island can continue after a federal judge rejected what the Justice Department called a ‘needlessly rushed’ request to block the project. The Green Oceans community group and other challengers had called for the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia to intervene and prevent the developer of Revolution Wind from starting pile driving foundations for the turbines on the ocean floor, citing concerns about the project’s effects on endangered whales and other marine life. But Senior Judge Royce Lamberth said the claim failed due to a procedural error — the groups did not meet with their opponents before filing the motion with the court. ‘The Court will therefore DENY plaintiffs’ motion to stay,’ said Lamberth, a Reagan pick. Green Oceans and other challengers had said the construction of the 65-turbine offshore wind farm should be on hold as NOAA Fisheries conducts a new Endangered Species Act analysis of how the project would affect the sei and fin whales and two species of sea turtles.” [E&E News, 5/1/24 (=)]

 

Offshore Wind Development Company Highlights Plans For New Bedford Terminal — “Vineyard Offshore officials announced plans Monday to build a new operations and maintenance (O&M) facility in New Bedford. Vineyard Offshore, an offshore wind farm company, said the proposal would create about 50 long-term jobs. Open positions could include offshore wind technicians, vessel captains, warehouse managers, and other careers essential to the operation of a wind farm. The proposed New Bedford Foss Marine Terminal is a pillar component of Vineyard Offshore’s recently submitted Vineyard Wind 2 project for Massachusetts, Connecticut and Rhode Island. ‘By planting the flag for our O&M facility for the Vineyard Wind 2 project in the city, we believe we can cement New Bedford’s status as a major hub for this emerging industry,’ said Vineyard Offshore CEO Alicia Barton in a statement. Officials said Vineyard Wind 2 will deliver enough clean and reliable energy to power more than 650,000 homes in the New England grid, starting in 2031.” [WLNE-TV, 4/30/24 (=)]

 

 

 

U.S. Plan To Protect Oceans Has A Problem, Some Say: Too Much Fishing — “On April 19, federal officials launched a new website updating the public on their 30x30 efforts. They did not indicate how much land was currently conserved (beyond approximately 13 percent of permanently protected federal lands), stating that they needed to better understand what was happening at the state, tribal and private levels. But they announced a number for the ocean: about a third of U.S. marine areas are currently conserved, the website said. The problem, according to scientists, is how the Biden administration arrived at that figure. Everyone seems to agree that the highly protected areas classified as marine national monuments should count as conserved, and they did: four in the Pacific around Hawaii, Guam and American Samoa that were set up and expanded between 2006 and 2016; and one in the Atlantic southeast of Cape Cod, designated in 2016. A vast area of the Arctic where commercial fishing is banned was also included, with wide agreement. But other places on the list should not be counted unless protections there are tightened, said Lance Morgan, a marine biologist and president of the Marine Conservation Institute, a nonprofit group that maintains a global map of the ocean’s protected areas.” [The New York Times, 4/30/24 (~)]

 

State-Level Conservation Action Sparks Hope For Nature — “Recent headlines about the state of our planet’s health have been pretty grim. Over one-third of animal and plant species in the U.S. are now at risk of extinction. Climate change is accelerating, and we’re losing a football field’s worth of natural area to development every 30 seconds. Meanwhile, political news out of Washington can make it seem like there’s a bitter partisan divide over whether or not to protect more land, water and wildlife—obscuring the strong support for conservation that Democrats and Republicans share. Thankfully, there’s hope. In state capitals around the country, leaders are stepping up and demonstrating how the nation can tackle the nature crisis head-on. Responding to calls to address biodiversity loss and inequities in nature access, President Joe Biden in 2021 launched his America the Beautiful initiative to conserve 30% of all U.S. lands and waters by 2030, in partnership with communities, Tribes and other leaders. Record federal conservation and restoration investments followed, along with new national protections for lands and waters and major reforms that promise to modernize how America manages public lands. But successfully slowing nature loss and addressing long standing inequities in access to natural spaces will require actions at other levels, too.” [Route Fifty, 4/30/24 (+)]

 

The History Of US Nature Preservation Sheds Light On How To Better Promote Clean Technologies — “For many readers, protecting nature is its own reward, but that’s not true for everyone. Some people get into EVs, solar, and such to save some money. Others get into it because they want the United States to be more energy independent. It’s also common for people to use clean technologies to become more resilient to disasters and emergencies. For many people, that instant burst of tire-shredding torque is to blame for that EV in the driveway. More common than any of these reasons is probably some mix of the above. We have to appeal to people based on where they’re at, and not necessarily where we want them to be if we want to be successful promoting these technologies. To really understand where people are at, sometimes we have to dig deeper. Things like culture, politics, and many other things definitely play a factor, but if we only look at how things are today, we miss out on lessons we might learn from the question of how we got here. For more understanding on that, we have to delve into history.” [CleanTechnica, 4/30/24 (+)]

 

 

 

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