Public Lands Clips: November 20, 2024

 

 

What Trump's 'Drill, Baby, Drill' Fracking Agenda Could Look Like — “Wright founded the publicly traded oilfield services firm Liberty Energy in 2010, which fracks 20% of the onshore wells nationally. The $3 billion company is involved in nearly 10% of the United States’ total energy production, according to Wright. ‘Chris has been a leading technologist and entrepreneur in Energy. He has worked in Nuclear, Solar, Geothermal, and Oil and Gas,’ Trump wrote in a statement announcing Wright as the nominee. ‘Most significantly, Chris was one of the pioneers who helped launch the American Shale Revolution that fueled American Energy Independence, and transformed the Global Energy Markets and Geopolitics,’ Trump added. During an interview with Bloomberg in July, Wright suggested that the Trump administration would expand drilling on federal lands and make it easier to permit infrastructure. … Despite the back-and-forth between Trump and Vice President Kamala Harris on a so-called fracking ban during the election cycle, fracking wells in the U.S. are predominantly on private land, with federal land leases only accounting for 24% of the total number of wells, according to the American Petroleum Institute.” [ABC News, 11/20/24 (=)]

 

What To Know About Chris Wright, Trump’s Choice To Run The Energy Department — “If confirmed, Wright will join North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum, Trump’s choice to be interior secretary, as a key player on energy policy in a second Trump term. Wright will be a member of a new National Energy Council that Burgum will chair. The new panel will seek to establish U.S. ‘energy dominance’ around the world, Trump said. The energy council will include all executive branch agencies involved in energy permitting, production, generation, distribution, regulation and transportation, with a focus on ‘cutting red tape’ and boosting domestic energy production, Trump said. The council’s mission represents a near-complete reversal from actions pursued by Democratic President Joe Biden, who has made fighting climate change a top priority. Trump has pledged to rescind unspent funds in Biden’s 2022 climate law and is widely expected to curb or reverse Biden’s push for more electric vehicles and stricter regulation of carbon pollution from coal-fired power plants. … Jackie Wong, senior vice president for climate and energy at the Natural Resources Defense Council, an environmental group, called Wright ‘a champion of dirty fossil fuels’ and said his nomination was ‘a disastrous mistake.’” [Associated Press, 11/18/24 (=)]

 

👀 What We're Watching From Trump's Commerce Department Pick — “🌎 Climate science. One of the department’s biggest components is NOAA, which houses the National Weather Service along with climate research and fisheries programs. Project 2025 proposed largely breaking NOAA up and ending its climate research, though it’s unclear where Lutnick stands on that. The agency has bipartisan support on Capitol Hill. ‘I hope he has the courage to stand up to President Trump’s worst impulses and protect vital climate and oceans organizations like NOAA,’ Andrew Wetzler, NRDC’s senior vice president for nature, said in a statement. ⚡ Energy and tech. The Commerce Department is a consulting agency for Interior Department permitting of offshore wind projects. Commerce has authority over potential effects on marine animals. A reminder that Trump despises offshore wind. Elsewhere, Commerce leads trade missions to expand foreign markets for U.S. tech. In the past that has included clean tech.” [Axios, 11/20/24 (=)]

 

Video: Long-Term Effects Of Trump's Plans For More U.S. Drilling — “President-elect Donald Trump has pledged to ‘drill, baby, drill’ on Day 1 in office. CBS News national environmental correspondent David Schechter joins to take a closer look at the environmental impact of some of Trump’s potential energy and climate policies.” [CBS News, 11/19/24 (+)]

 

Trump Picks Liberty Energy CEO And Oklo Board Member Chris Wright As Energy Secretary — “Liberty Energy is an oilfield services company headquartered in Denver with a $2.7 billion market capitalization. The company’s stock gained nearly 9% on Nov. 6 after Trump won the U.S. presidential election, but its shares have since pulled back. … ‘There is no climate crisis and we’re not in the midst of an energy transition either,’ Wright said in a video posted on his LinkedIn page last year. ‘Humans and all complex life on earth is simply impossible without carbon dioxide. Hence the term carbon pollution is outrageous.’ ‘There is no such thing as clean energy or dirty energy,’ Wright said. ‘All energy sources have impacts on the world both positive and negative.’ … Trump has vowed to increase fossil fuel production to reduce energy costs, though analysts and some oil executives have said the president has little influence on oil and natural gas output in the U.S. The U.S. has produced more crude oil than any other country in history, including Russia and Saudi Arabia, since 2018, according to the Energy Information Administration.” [CNBC, 11/16/24 (=)]

 

Coloradan Tapped To Lead Dept. Of Energy 💡 — “Environmentalists and conservationists, however, criticized the selection of a fracking executive who has decentered climate change and is opposed to fully transitioning away from the fossil fuels that exacerbate the warming of the atmosphere. ‘I can only assume his favorite place in Colorado is the Great Sand Dunes because that’s the only pile of sand big enough to bury his head in,’ said Aaron Weiss, deputy director of the Center for Western Priorities, a Denver-based conservation and advocacy organization. … Wright has spent his entire career in oil and gas and is a respected figure in Colorado’s energy industry, said Kait Schwartz, director of API Colorado, a division of the American Petroleum Institute. ‘I’ve been disappointed that he’s been characterized as a climate skeptic,’ she said. ‘He believes that it is a global challenge, but it’s far from the greatest threat to human life. This is an area where it’s not fair to classify someone as black and white. We can make peoples’ lives better and we can get cleaner.’ … If Wright walks the U.S. back from pursuing alternative energy sources and technologies, other countries will be able to take the economic lead, said Weiss of the Center for Western Priorities. Already, China is dominating the electric vehicle and solar markets, he said. ‘It’s a really risky economic impact,’ he said.” [The Denver Post, 11/19/24 (=)]

 

Trump Wants A Big Expansion In Fossil Fuel Production. Can He Do That? — “During his campaign, President-elect Donald Trump had a pointed tagline for his energy policy: ‘Drill, baby, drill.’ That statement is emblematic of where Trump is poised to focus his efforts in a second term: He’s pledged US ‘energy dominance’ and everything from ‘new pipelines’ to ‘new refiners’ that amp up fossil fuel production. This approach marks a stark shift from the Biden administration’s and puts the US’s emphasis more heavily on producing oil and gas than on attempting a transition to clean energy sources. In addition to touting the need to boost fossil fuels, Trump has disparaged subsidies for clean energy investments and called for ‘terminat[ing]’ the funds that were allocated for those subsidies in the Inflation Reduction Act. His stance ignores the role that burning fossil fuels has played in climate change and could cause considerable harm to US efforts to address the issue. Several of his nominations are indicative of these goals. He’s chosen oil industry executive Chris Wright — a fracking evangelist — to head up the Department of Energy. He’s named North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum — who connected Trump to oil executive donors during the campaign — as the lead for the Interior Department and as an ‘energy czar.’ He’s also tapped former Rep. Lee Zeldin — who’s emphasized his commitment to deregulation — as his chief of the Environmental Protection Agency.” [Vox, 11/20/24 (+)]

 

Trump, Musk Head To Site Of SpaceX Permit Problems — “President-elect Donald Trump’s expected appearance Tuesday at a SpaceX rocket launch event in Texas underscores the political pull now enjoyed by billionaire businessman Elon Musk, whose lofty ambitions have sometimes collided with the same environment-related agencies he could soon be judging. As founder of SpaceX, Musk has led a venture that has launched more than 400 rockets and also been fined for Clean Water Act violations. The spacecraft innovations anticipate an eventual 140-million-mile trip to Mars, while environmentalists have accused the company of tainting wildlife refuges located right next door. Now, as an influential Trump adviser who’s set to co-lead a new commission on government efficiency, Musk will be in a position to judge federal agencies that could well include those that have penalized or frustrated his own ventures. That prospect alarms environmental advocates who claim SpaceX skirts environmental requirements — and have urged agencies to require the company to reduce alleged damage to wildlife and waters.” [E&E News, 11/19/24 (=)]

 

Trump Is Joining Elon Musk To Watch SpaceX's Latest Starship Test — “President-elect Donald Trump has made it abundantly clear that he really likes rockets. On Tuesday, he’s expected to watch his ally launch a fully reusable, 400-foot mega-rocket out of southern Texas, according to reports. … Musk is expected to play a role in guiding the Trump administration’s artificial intelligence initiatives, as well as participate in discussions over tariffs on Chinese products. He has reportedly requested that SpaceX employees be hired as top government officials, including at the Department of Defense. Musk is also leading an undefined ‘outside of government’ group designed to recommend ways to slash federal spending and cut regulations. He has promised to use that job to push for a national approach to approving driverless vehicles — which Trump’s transition team is reportedly examining — and wants to cut permit requirements, which would benefit Tesla (TSLA +2.13% ) and SpaceX, respectively. Trump’s pick to lead the Federal Communications Commission is also a fan of Musk, SpaceX, and its Starlink subsidiary.” [Quartz, 11/19/24 (=)]

 

Trump Views Test Of Starship, The SpacexX Vehicle Musk Is Building For Mars — “Donald Trump and Elon Musk watched SpaceX launch its powerful new rocket from Texas, a sign of the president-elect’s interest in a vehicle at the heart of Musk’s ambitions for space exploration. SpaceX launched another Starship around 5 p.m. ET on Tuesday, the sixth time it has tested the vehicle in flight. … The Federal Aviation Administration, which regulates private space launches, approved Tuesday’s flight at the same time it signed off on the Starship launch last month. The green light for the missions came after back-and-forth between SpaceX and the FAA over the agency’s pace in permitting launches. Officials at the FAA have said the agency wants the space industry to advance while ensuring flights are safe and follow environmental rules.” [The Wall Street Journal, 11/19/24 (=)]

 

Trump Picks Transition Co-Chair To Lead Commerce — “President-elect Donald Trump tapped Cantor Fitzgerald CEO Howard Lutnick as his Commerce secretary nominee Tuesday, drawing on the billionaire’s financial acumen to potentially oversee an overhaul of U.S. trade policy, including the imposition of tariffs on foreign imports. In a statement posted on Trump’s Truth Social platform, he said Lutnick, who has been the co-chair of the president-elect’s transition team, helped oversee ‘the most sophisticated process and system to assist us in creating the greatest administration America has ever seen.’ … The Commerce secretary position also includes overseeing two dozen federal bureaus and offices with a combined budget of $15.4 billion. That includes the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, the 12,000-employee environmental agency charged with monitoring and understanding — and in some cases regulating — the global atmosphere and oceans. … NOAA has come under scrutiny from conservatives. A presidential policy blueprint drafted by the Heritage Foundation by conservative leaders, including members of Trump’s first administration, suggested NOAA should undergo a major downsizing and restructuring, including a purge of its climate change research agenda.” [Politico, 11/19/24 (=)]

 

 

Senate

 

Lee To Lead Senate Energy Committee Next Year — “Sen. Mike Lee (R-Utah) will lead the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee next year. He’ll take over for the panel’s current top Republican, Sen. John Barrasso (R-Wyo.), who will become the upper chamber’s No. 2 Republican next year. … In a post on the social media website X, Lee also announced that he would helm the committee. ‘Humbled and honored to take the gavel as the next Chairman of the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee,’ he wrote. ‘Time to get to work and unleash American energy.’ The Energy and Natural Resources Committee has jurisdiction over the Energy and Interior departments and a range of issues related to energy, conservation and public lands.” [The Hill, 11/19/24 (=)]

 

Senators Look To Pass Offshore Energy, Wildfire Bills — “The Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee approved 74 bills during a markup Tuesday, including legislation that could generate billions of dollars to address worsening coastal erosion. The committee also cleared a slew of wildfire, mineral, public land and livestock grazing bills without much debate or discussion. The measures could become part of a package to pass before the end of the year, Chair Joe Manchin (I-W.Va.) said, although he told reporters afterward that fitting such a deal onto the Senate’s packed agenda will be challenging. Also difficult, he said, will be finding ways to offset the cost of some of the bills. Manchin said he won’t support sending them to the floor without pay-fors. Wyoming Sen. John Barrasso, who is leaving the committee as the top Republican to become majority whip next year, announced that Sen. Mike Lee (R-Utah) would — as expected — become chair. New Mexico Sen. Martin Heinrich will take over as the committee’s top Democrat. ‘I’m so proud to be able to pass this gavel at this time to our incoming chair and incoming ranking member,’ Manchin said.” [E&E News, 11/20/24 (=)]

 

Senate Clears Popular Coastal Protection Bill — “The Senate approved legislation Tuesday evening that sponsors say will protect coastal areas. H.R. 5490, the ‘Bolstering Ecosystems Against Coastal Harm (BEACH) Act,’ from Rep. Jen Kiggans (R-Va.), would approve new expanded maps under the Coastal Barrier Resources Act. It passed the Senate by unanimous consent after moving through the House in September. ‘By expanding these maps, my bill will help make our coastal communities more resilient while maintaining fiscal responsibility and critical environmental protections,’ Kiggans said when she introduced the measure. The Coastal Barrier Resources Act bans the use of federal dollars — including floor insurance — to support development in storm-prone or ecologically sensitive areas.” [E&E News, 11/20/24 (=)]

 

House

 

Committee OKs 74 Bills — Including Wildfire, Revenue-Sharing Measures — “The Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee approved 74 bills during a markup Tuesday, including legislation that could generate billions of dollars to address worsening coastal erosion. The committee also approved via unanimous consent a slew of wildfire and livestock grazing bills without much debate or discussion. The measures could become part of a lands package to pass before the end of the year, Chair Joe Manchin (I-W.Va.) said, although he told reporters afterward that fitting such a deal onto the Senate’s packed agenda will be challenging. Also difficult, he said, will be finding ways to offset the cost of some of the bills. Manchin said he won’t support sending them to the floor without pay-fors. Wyoming Sen. John Barrasso, who is leaving the committee as the top Republican to become majority whip next year, announced that Sen. Mike Lee (R-Utah) would — as expected — become chair. New Mexico Sen. Martin Heinrich will take over as the committee’s top Democrat. ‘I’m so proud to be able to pass this gavel at this time to our incoming chair and incoming ranking member,’ Manchin said.” [E&E News, 11/19/24 (=)]

 

Committee Clears Royalties Bill — “As part of a 75-bill markup, ENR advanced a bipartisan bill, S. 373 (118), that would allow Gulf states to collect higher royalties on oil and gas production off their shorelines and use the revenue for coastal restoration and resiliency projects. It would also create a revenue sharing program for the states to benefit from offshore wind development in federal waters.” [Politico, 11/20/24 (=)]

 

Wittman Teases Bipartisan Critical Minerals Package — “Reps. Rob Wittman (R-Va.) and Kathy Castor (D-Fla.), who lead a critical minerals working group on the House select China committee, hope to release a handful of bipartisan bills to counter Beijing’s stranglehold of the industry by the first week of December. That’s what Wittman told Josh Siegel Tuesday, adding the duo also plans to release an accompanying report before the end of this Congress laying out findings from a series of hearings the working group has held on combating China’s mineral dominance and possible legislative remedies. Castor said she is ‘hopeful’ about working out a bipartisan agreement on legislation to bolster the U.S. supply of critical minerals with Wittman. Wittman acknowledged that while it’s unlikely the bills will get a vote during the lame duck session, ‘it’s important to set in legislation what we have learned and use that as the starting point going forward — essentially saying there is still more to be done.’ He said he expects the incoming Trump administration to act on critical minerals legislation informed by the working group’s work. ‘They will absolutely look at this strategically,’ Wittman said.” [Politico, 11/20/24 (=)]

 

House Passes Second Geothermal Bill In A Week — “House Republicans are continuing their lame-duck push on geothermal, passing another bill Tuesday designed to streamline environmental approvals for the energy source. The House passed Rep. Russ Fulcher’s (R-Idaho) H.R. 1449, the ‘Committing Leases for Energy Access Now Act,’ on a 244-171 vote. More than two dozen Democrats backed the bill. That comes after the House last week passed H.R. 7409, the ‘Harnessing Energy at Thermal Sources Act,’ from Rep. Young Kim (R-Calif.), to also promote geothermal energy development. And the House is not finished with geothermal. On Wednesday, the Natural Resources Committee will mark up a bipartisan bill, H.R. 8665, from Rep. Frank Lucas (R-Okla.), that would establish a program at the Department of Energy to bolster so-called supercritical geothermal, which requires deep drilling. ‘The potential for geothermal energy in this country cannot be understated,’ said House Natural Resources Chair Bruce Westerman (R-Ark.). ‘We must do all we can to ensure that bureaucratic red tape does not hamper this resource.’” [E&E News, 11/20/24 (=)]

 

House Clears Geothermal Measure — “The House on Tuesday passed legislation, H.R. 1449 (118), that would require the federal government to hold more frequent geothermal lease sales and speed up permitting for geothermal projects, with 31 Democrats crossing the aisle to back the bill. The Democrat-led Senate is unlikely to take up the bill this Congress, but it could be a priority for Republicans next year.” [Politico, 11/20/24 (=)]

 

House Passes Republican Bill To Boost Leasing For Geothermal Power — “The House on Tuesday passed legislation mandating the Department of the Interior to increase the frequency of geothermal lease sales and accelerate the permitting process in order to meet energy demands. In a 244 to 171 vote, the House passed Rep. Russ Fulcher’s (R-ID) Committing Leases for Energy Access Now Act, also known as the CLEAN Act. The bill would require the DOI to increase the number of geothermal lease sales from every two years to every year. It would also require the department to hold replacement sales if one is canceled or missed. The department will also create deadlines to inform permit applicants of the decision on their application. ‘Idaho is home to the largest functioning geothermal system. This energy source has the potential to be a key contributor in meeting the U.S.’s growing energy demand,’ said Fulcher. ‘I am proud to have introduced both the CLEAN Act and the Enhancing Geothermal Production on Federal Lands Act to bolster exploration and development of this energy source.’” [Washington Examiner, 11/19/24 (=)]

 

Republicans Cooking Up 2025 Permitting Plan If Lame-Duck Push Fails — “If Republicans aren’t able to cinch a deal with Democrats on permitting overhaul this year, they say that’s OK. They’ll come back next year to do it on their own. And they have an unlikely model for such an effort: Democrats. As they prepare to control Washington, Republicans are looking back to 2021 when Democrats forged what was then ‘Build Back Better,’ the ambitious $3.5 trillion social and climate budget reconciliation package that was ultimately whittled down to the much smaller Inflation Reduction Act. ‘If you look back at the IRA, the Democrats went way beyond what anybody ever thought you could do in reconciliation,’ House Natural Resources Chair Bruce Westerman (R-Ark.) said Tuesday. ‘They had 12 committees of jurisdiction involved. So we’re studying what they did to get things kosher with the parliamentarian.’ His team is trying to see if there are lessons to be learned to further their long-sought goal to achieve ‘permitting reform,’ a buzzword that’s come to mean everything from accelerated environmental review to grid construction and oil and gas lease sales.” [E&E News, 11/20/24 (=)]

 

 

Bureau of Land Management (BLM)

 

Feds Defend BLM Authority In States' Methane Rule Challenge — “The Biden administration has urged a North Dakota federal court to grant it a summary judgment win in five states’ lawsuit challenging a new rule aimed at cracking down on natural gas waste, defending the rule’s creation as being well within the Bureau of Land Management’s statutory authority. The U.S. Department of the Interior argued in a motion for summary judgment filed Friday that contrary to what a North Dakota-led alliance of states has argued, the rule was merely a ‘careful and modest update’ to long-standing — but outdated and burdensome — BLM regulations. ‘The Rule clarifies when royalties are owed on public or Indian-owned natural gas and what steps operators must take to avoid wasting such gas,’ Interior wrote in the motion. ‘But it claims no new authority for BLM.’ The states have also challenged the rule as being arbitrary and capricious. But Interior argued that its BLM supported its findings with ‘ample evidence’ and worked extensively with oil and gas operators. ‘[N]o oil and gas operators or trade associations have challenged the Rule,’ the department said.” [Law360, 11/19/24 (=)]

 

Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement (BSEE)

 

Long Delayed Biden Rule Could Shake Up Offshore Oil Well Cleanups — “The Biden administration promised to release a new standard for ocean drilling that could help clean up a growing number of old oil and gas wells, but the first-of-a-kind rule has yet to arrive with just two months before President-elect Donald Trump reenters the White House. The fitness to operate standard — intended to weed out companies unable to cover cleanup costs or guilty of safety and environmental infractions — carries huge implications if it’s not rewritten or indefinitely delayed by the Trump administration. A draft rule could land in January as the last major effort of the Biden administration to reshape the nation’s offshore fossil fuel program, in lieu of retiring the program, as President Joe Biden promised during his 2020 presidential campaign. If finalized, the standard could block so-called bad actor companies from buying new drilling leases offshore, giving federal regulators an added way to pressure companies to improve their compliance records and decommission their old wells, pipelines and platforms. The rule ‘would basically say to the industry, ‘If you don’t meet your safety obligations, your environmental obligations and your decommissioning obligations, then you lose your ability to operate,’ said Andrew Hartsig, senior director of the Arctic program at the Ocean Conservancy.” [E&E News, 11/20/24 (=)]

 

Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS)

 

How Do You Protect A Species That Lives Across A Continent? Monarch Butterfly Decision May Soon Try — “One of the most recognizable and widely dispersed insects in North America may soon be headed for protections under the Endangered Species Act. In early December, federal wildlife officials will decide whether the monarch butterfly, which pollinates plants and flutters through backyards in nearly every U.S. state, is deserving of federal protections. The decision comes after a decade of efforts by wildlife groups, ecologists as well as non-scientists, who have documented declining monarch populations. And a diverse network of monarch enthusiasts, conservation efforts and landowners are anxious to see whether or how the federal government plans to protect the widespread monarch. ‘I think for the general public and for a lot of scientists, it [might] feel kind of strange to have formal protections for something that spans the continent and reaches very high numbers in the summer,’ said Matt Forister, a plant and insect ecologist at the University of Nevada, Reno. ‘But I think that’s a sign that the world is in that state, like the threats are that severe.’” [KOLG-TV, 11/19/24 (=)]

 

U.S. Geological Survey (USGS)

 

USGS: China Export Bans Could Cost US Billions — “The U.S. economy could see a $3.4 billion hit if China imposes a total ban on gallium and germanium, critical components for computer chips, according to new federal research. The U.S. Geological Survey on Tuesday unveiled those findings along with a model the agency created to assess the economic effect of disruptions on supplies of critical minerals. Under the Energy Act of 2020, a critical mineral is a material that’s essential to the nation’s economic and national security but faces vulnerabilities to disruption. Export bans are a risk the U.S. faces, said USGS Director David Applegate. He noted that China imposed export licensing controls on mineral commodities containing gallium and germanium in 2023, requiring state approval for all exports. ‘Modern technology and manufacturing depend on reliable supplies of minerals, so it makes sense for the USGS to track mineral supply chains and develop approaches to scan the horizon for potential disruptions,’ Applegate said.” [E&E News, 11/19/24 (=)]

 

USGS Backs Bipartisan Critical Minerals Bill — “A senior U.S. Geological Survey official Tuesday voiced support for a bipartisan bill that would require the creation of a federal strategy for critical minerals, but questioned a separate measure that would set up a new task force. Colin Williams, who leads the USGS mineral resources program, told the House Natural Resources Subcommittee on Energy and Mineral Resources that the agency supports the ‘Critical Minerals Security Act,’ H.R. 7662, from Democratic Rep. Chrissy Houlahan of Pennsylvania and Republican co-sponsors. The legislation would require agencies to craft a strategy for advancing mining, refining and processing of critical minerals, and provide a host of reports to Congress. ‘The USGS supports this bill,’ Williams made clear during the hearing. A version of the bill, S. 3631, passed the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee during a markup Tuesday on a variety of measures.” [E&E News, 11/20/24 (=)]

 

 

Mining

 

Exxon Mobil Signs Non-Binding Lithium Supply Deal With LG Chem — “Exxon Mobil (XOM.N), opens new tab said on Wednesday it has signed a non-binding lithium supply deal with battery parts maker LG Chem (051910.KS), opens new tab, the oil giant’s second agreement to supply the electric vehicle battery metal from its proposed Arkansas project. Exxon last year announced plans to extract lithium from the Smackover Formation, an underground deposit of salty water known as brine that stretches from Florida through Arkansas and into Texas, using at least one type of direct lithium extraction (DLE) technology. Exxon and other oil companies such as Occidental Petroleum (OXY.N), opens new tab and Equinor (EQNR.OL), opens new tab are increasingly investing in lithium projects, partly due to their belief that extracting the metal from brine involves similar processes as petroleum extraction. The LG Chem agreement, which would require Arkansas officials to set a state lithium royalty rate to be finalized, is for up to 100,000 metric tons of the ultralight metal over several years.” [Axios, 11/20/24 (=)]

 

🧁 Bonus Biz Note: Exxon's New Lithium Deal — “Exxon just announced a non-binding deal to supply battery heavyweight LG Chem with up to 100,000 tons of lithium for its cathode plant slated to open in Tennessee. Why it matters: It’s the second agreement Exxon has revealed from its new lithium business, which aims to extract the metal from brines in Arkansas. What we’re watching: The deal proceeding rests on variables like ‘competitive regulatory frameworks,’ Exxon said. Per Reuters, Arkansas officials are still weighing royalty rates.” [Axios, 11/20/24 (=)]

 

 

Small Oil Producers Ask Trump For NEPA Revamp, Methane Repeal — “Small oil and gas producers sent the incoming Trump administration a policy blueprint Tuesday, calling for a repeal of new methane emissions standards and an overhaul of the National Environmental Policy Act. The Independent Petroleum Association of America’s letter — addressed to the Trump transition team — said EPA regulations aren’t flexible enough and that more narrow NEPA reviews are needed. The document from IPAA echoes some aspects of a separate policy road map issued last week by the industry’s largest U.S. trade group, the American Petroleum Institute. But while API members include heavyweights such as Exxon Mobil and Chevron, IPAA touted its report to President-elect Donald Trump’s team as the view of independent oil and gas companies. ‘We urge the administration to take positive actions to support America’s small oil and natural gas producers and develop a robust energy policy that will unleash American entrepreneurs, expand our economy, and make the United States an energy superpower once again,’ said Jeff Eshelman, IPAA’s CEO, in the letter.” [E&E News, 11/20/24 (=)]

 

 

Alaska

 

Carcass Of Endangered Fin Whale Washes Up Near Alaska’s Largest City — “An endangered fin whale that washed up near a coastal trail in Alaska’s largest city has attracted curious onlookers while biologists seek answers as to what caused the animal’s death. The carcass found over the weekend near Anchorage was 47 feet (14.3 meters) long — comparable to the width of a college basketball court — and female, according to National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration biologists. Barbara Mahoney, a NOAA biologist examining the whale, told the Anchorage Daily News the whale was likely 1 to 3 years old. Fin whales are the second-largest whale species, according to NOAA Fisheries, and fully grown can reach up to 85 feet (25.9 meters) long and weigh between 40 tons and 80 tons. Strikes by ships, entanglements in fishing gear, underwater noise and the effects of climate change are among the threats that fin whales face, according to the agency.” [Associated Press, 11/19/24 (+)]

 

California

 

Native Americans Press Biden To Designate Three New National Monuments In California — “A Native American-led coalition is pressing the Biden administration to designate three new national monuments in California, with some fearing the chance to protect these areas from mining, drilling and logging could be jeopardized after President-elect Donald Trump takes office Jan. 20. The lands being sought for monument status encompass more than 1.2 million acres, the largest being the proposed Chuckwalla national monument on more than 620,000 acres stretching from the Coachella Valley near the Salton Sea to the Colorado River. Backers led by the Torres Martinez Desert Cahuilla Indians and other tribes also want neighboring Joshua Tree National Park expanded by nearly 18,000 acres. In addition, the Fort Yuma Quechan Indian Tribe is seeking to establish the 390,000-acre Kw’tsán national monument on nearby desert lands in the southeast corner of California, abutting the Colorado River and hugging the border with Mexico. And the Pit River Nation is requesting designation for roughly 200,000 acres of their ancestral territory and spiritual sites in Sáttítla, or the Medicine Lake Highlands, which encompasses striking volcanic formations in Northern California.” [Los Angeles Times, 11/19/24 (+)]

 

Tribal Representatives Call On President Biden To Designate New National Monuments In California — “Tribal representatives in California are calling on President Joe Biden to designate three new national monuments in the Golden State before he leaves office in January. Some fear the chances of protecting the areas from mining, drilling and logging could be minimal once President-elect Donald Trump takes office. These are lands being sought for national monument status: Southeastern senators push for disaster relief funds The proposed Kw’tsán National Monument includes 390,000 acres of tribal homeland in Imperial County. The proposed Chuckwalla National Monument, which includes 644,000 acres of public lands in Riverside and Imperial Counties, which stretches from the Coachella Valley near the Salton Sea to the Colorado River The proposed Sáttítla National Monument includes over 200,000 acres that extend over parts of the Shasta-Trinity, Klamath and Modoc national forests in northeastern California.” [KTLA-TV, 11/19/24 (=)]

 

Public Feedback Sought On Possible Mitigation Of Future Offshore Wind Projects In California — “The US Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) is inviting the public to comment on a regional environmental analysis of potential mitigation measures on future development activities for five offshore wind lease areas off California’s central and north coasts. The Notice of Availability (NOA) for the California Draft Programmatic Environmental Impact Statement (PEIS) was published in the Federal Register on Thursday, November 14, initiating a 90-day comment period. BOEM estimates that full development of these leases, totaling over 373,268 acres (151,056 hectares), has the potential to produce over 4.6 GW of offshore wind energy, enough to power over 1.5 million homes. ‘Public input on our analysis will guide mitigation of future offshore wind energy development across multiple leases offshore California,’ said BOEM Director Elizabeth Klein. ‘We believe that this comprehensive regional approach will foster efficiencies for future project-specific wind energy project environmental reviews, all while ensuring the protection of our ocean environment and marine life.’” [Baird Maritime, 11/19/24 (=)]

 

Op-Ed: A Controversial Court Decision Is Making Forest Restoration In California More Difficult — According to Brian Yablonski and Blake Henning, “Implementing forest restoration in California and throughout the Western U.S. has now become more challenging thanks to an obscure and controversial court decision you likely have never heard of. Issued in 2015, the so-called Cottonwood federal court decision requires the Forest Service to halt restoration work throughout a forest whenever a new species is listed, critical habitat is designated or other new information is discovered about a species in that particular forest. This decision — which is designed to protect animals — is now having the opposite effect: It is destroying their habitat by preventing forest restoration and making megafires more frequent. Restoring our forests and reducing the risk of catastrophic wildfire will, in large part, require overcoming this legal hurdle. This news is especially concerning given that we are well into fall and the 2024 wildfire season is still ongoing. So far this year, California’s Park Fire grew to be the fourth-largest wildfire in the state’s history. Wildfires in Oregon and Idaho shut down major highways and blanketed western states in smoke for months. And in Wyoming, wildlife have been sent fleeing the state’s ongoing elk fire. In total, nearly eight million acres have already burned this year.” [Sacramento Bee, 11/19/24 (~)]

 

Colorado

 

10,390 Acres NW Of Meeker Considered For Oil, Gas Lease Sale — “The Bureau of Land Management is considering offering nearly 10,400 acres northwest of Meeker in an oil and gas lease sale next year. The agency has begun a 30-day period to gather initial public comments on a proposal to possibly offer 13 parcels in Colorado totaling 12,115 acres in a lease sale next September. Some of the acreage is in eastern Colorado, but 10,390 acres lies primarily in Rio Blanco County, with one 998-acre parcel straddling the Rio Blanco/Moffat county line. The parcels lie on both sides of the White River and stretch from roughly a quarter of the way to half-way between Meeker and Rangely. Three of the northwest Colorado parcels involve split estates, where the federal government owns the underlying minerals but not the land above them. A 16.67% royalty rate will apply to any production from the leases, up from a previous rate of 12.5% for federal wells. The higher lease rate is included in a BLM leasing rule and reflects direction from Congress in the Inflation Reduction Act and the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, the BLM says.” [Grand Junction Daily Sentinel, 11/19/24 (=)]

 

Residents Band Together, Seek Action If Group Tries To Seize Land Northeast Of Mancos — “A diverse group of community members who first banded together in October to remove a highly contested fence at Chicken Creek outside of Mancos has formed a coalition. It’s called the Chicken Creek Coalition, and the group is just as diverse as it was on Oct. 10 when they first went into the woods. ‘These are people who would not normally be working shoulder to shoulder. There’s little beefs between the different groups, but we are all working together,’ said Howard Kalnitz, one member of the coalition. ‘With this common thread, it was so easy and comfortable to come together and work together,’ said Brad Finch, another coalition member who lives in Mancos. The coalition is made up of people from the Mancos Trails Group, the Chicken Creek Nordic and Back Country Horsemen, too. Some are grazing allotment holders, and others are private landowners. ‘We are rallying together for our public lands,’ one member said. ‘The coalition is everybody. We just happen to be a few people who are willing to speak up.’” [The Durango Herald, 11/19/24 (=)]

 

Maryland

 

Chesapeake Bay Inches Closer To National Park Status — “America’s largest estuary, the Chesapeake Bay, moved closer to becoming a national park Tuesday after legislation passed through a U.S. Senate committee. The Chesapeake National Recreation Area Act was passed unanimously by the Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources. Chesapeake Bay enthusiasts and conservation advocates have hoped for this milestone since the 1980s. The bay’s watershed includes seven states, from New York to West Virginia and Washington D.C.. The act aims to designate a collection of new and existing parks and protected lands along the Chesapeake Bay and its tidal waters in Maryland and Virginia as part of the National Park System. The act would not impact water or fishing rights, supersede state authority or impose additional recreational or business activity regulations. The park system will be permitted to acquire or partner with landmarks such as Burtis House, Whitehall, Thomas Point Shoal Lighthouse, and the North Beach of Fort Monroe by voluntary sale or donation to serve as the first sites within the area. The bill authorizes the park service to acquire additional lands or property through voluntary donation, purchase from a willing seller, exchange or transfer from another agency.” [Courthouse News Service, 11/19/24 (+)]

 

Chesapeake Bay Gets A Step Closer To National Park Status — “A bipartisan group of lawmakers from the Chesapeake Bay region has been pushing to designate the Chesapeake Bay as a National Recreation Area—adding and improving parks and protecting lands on the Bay and its tributaries. On Wednesday, that effort took a step forward. In July 2023, Senator Chris Van Hollen introduced the Chesapeake National Recreation Area Act. Today, the Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources voted the legislation out of committee. The proposed law would establish a Chesapeake National Recreation Area (CNRA), which would protect the nation’s largest estuary, provide more public access to it, and infuse federal funding to new and existing parks all over the watershed. Under the legislation, the National Park Service would be authorized to acquire four sites, including Whitehall in Annapolis, the first National Historic Landmark ever to be designated in Maryland. Here’s a map of the initial proposed sites, stretching from Thomas Point Light to Fort Monroe:” [Chesapeake Bay Magazine, 11/19/24 (+)]

 

Senate Committee Approves Chesapeake National Recreation Area Act — “Tuesday, the Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources unanimously voted the Chesapeake National Recreation Area Act out of committee. This is a critical step forward as it is now set to be considered by the House and Senate. Maryland Senator Chris Van Hollen first introduced the act in July 2023, alongside cosponsors Virginia Senators Mark Warner and Tim Kaine. The act aims to establish a Chesapeake National Recreation Area (CNRA). The CNRA would designate a collection of new and existing parks and protected lands along the Chesapeake Bay as part of the National Park System. The CNRA would also increase public access to the Chesapeake Bay and aims to strengthen the culture of stewardship across the region. Leaders of organizations that are dedicated to the preservation and resilience of the Chesapeake Bay shared their responses to the unanimous vote, including the Federal Policy Coordinator of the Chesapeake Bay Foundation, Annabelle Harvey.” [WVEC-TV, 11/18/24 (=)]

 

Opponents Urge Delay To Ocean City Wind Project, Citing Pending Compensation And Lawsuit — “State and local officials who represent Ocean City are again calling for Gov. Wes Moore and others to delay plans for more than 100 wind turbines off the Maryland coast. Baltimore-based US Wind is seeking a tidal wetlands license to replace a pier, but advocates for the local fishing industry and opponents of the project more broadly, including the Ocean City officials, have claimed that doing so would be devastating for the local commercial fishing industry. ‘We’re protecting our way of life,’ state Sen. Mary Beth Carozza, a Republican whose district includes Ocean City, said in a phone interview. The town government and various business, tourism and environmental groups have also sued the federal government in an attempt to block the project. While the White House and the Moore administration have touted the project as a major step toward clean energy production goals, opponents have argued that it will lower real estate values, tourism, wildlife and the local tax base while increasing noise pollution and reducing water and air quality.” [Maryland Daily Record, 11/19/24 (=)]

 

Massachusetts

 

‘We Will Show Them': Healey Doubles Down On State's Commitment To Offshore Wind — “Massachusetts Gov. Maura Healey doubled down Tuesday on the state’s commitment to offshore wind amidst signals that the federal government could soon turn far more antagonistic to the growing sector, telling a union hall audience that the partnership of organized labor and the clean energy industry gives the state ‘a special sauce’ that positions it to continue its energy transition. Development of a robust offshore wind industry is key to Massachusetts’ decarbonization commitments and is seen as a sector that could provide an array of new jobs for residents. But President-elect Donald Trump, who dealt a setback to the offshore wind industry during his first term, has said about wind power that he intends to ‘make sure that that ends on Day 1’ of his new administration in January. ‘Mark my words: We will show them. Because we’re moving ahead. We’ll show them,’ Healey said Tuesday at an event in Taunton, referring to skeptics generally. ‘We’ll get this done, and people will be behind it.’ The governor spoke at IBEW Local 223 as union-backed ‘climate jobs’ coalitions from Massachusetts, Connecticut, and Rhode Island called in a new report for southern New England to ‘double down on offshore wind and go bigger and bolder on clean energy and high-quality union jobs.’” [NBC Boston, 11/19/24 (=)]

 

Select Board Objects To Proposed Mitigation For Southcoast Wind, But Its Attorneys See Little Recourse — “The Select Board held a public forum Tuesday night on SouthCoast Wind, the next offshore wind farm slated for the waters southwest of Nantucket that is in the final stage of permitting. A large crowd showed up both online and in-person looking to discuss the new project as well as the impact of Vineyard Wind, its blade failure in July, and the Good Neighbor Agreement it struck with the town. But they were quickly dissuaded from a wide-ranging debate over SouthCoast Wind, as Select Board chair Brooke Mohr told those in attendance that there would only be a discussion of one topic: how the town should respond to the proposed mitigation for the impacts of the new wind farm offered by the federal Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) and what it should ask for. The town has already objected to BOEM’s mitigation proposal: just $150,000 for historic property surveys and archeological assessments - to limit the impact of the offshore energy development on the island. ‘I’d like to hear from the community whether you think we should respond or not,’ Mohr said. ‘What should we ask for from BOEM? What does the community want us to ask for?’” [Nantucket Current, 11/19/24 (=)]

 

Bam! Scientists Study Wind Farm Construction Noise Impacts On Lobsters... By Making Big Noises — “Offshore wind developers are already aware of problems that construction noise may create for marine life. To absorb pile-driving sound and protect whales, Vineyard Wind is using ‘bubble curtains’ — walls of air bubbles, released from the ocean bottom. It’s a good start, Mooney said, but not targeted for the entire ecosystem. ‘A lot of the mitigation measures are not designed for animals on the bottom, the fishery species that are detecting the vibratory component of sound,’ he said. ‘That’s really just so fundamentally different.’ The WHOI team ultimately hopes to identify best practices to make construction noise less harmful to the bottom-dwellers. For instance, they’re looking at how lobsters respond when the pile driving is ramped up slowly. Analyzing the data they collected will take about a year. The researchers hope to be back here in Woods Hole Harbor, running more experiments — and wearing ear protection — next fall.” [Cape And Island, 11/20/24 (=)]

 

Nevada

 

Nevada May See Less Solar, More Gas Plants Under Trump Administration — “More than two-thirds of public land in Nevada is owned by the federal government, giving the U.S. Department of the Interior — the government agency that oversees the nation’s natural and cultural resources — an outsized influence in the state. Likewise, the head of the agency has massive influence over the fate of mining operations, conservation efforts, renewable energy development, and oil and gas leasing in Nevada. On Friday, President-elect Donald Trump announced that North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum will serve as the head of the Department of the Interior, where he would be tasked with fulfilling Trump’s campaign promise to ‘drill, baby, drill,’ and increase oil, gas and coal production on public lands. Nevada Democratic Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto indicated she plans to meet with Burgum before his hearing with the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee — where she chairs the Subcommittee on Public Lands, Forests, and Mining — to discuss ‘the importance of protecting Nevada’s public lands and supporting our critical minerals and clean energy industries,’ according to a spokesperson from her office.” [Nevada Current, 11/19/24 (=)]

 

Conservationists And Tribes Plan To Sue Federal Agency For Not Protecting Western Snail — “The Kings River pyrg is about the size of the tip of a ballpoint pen. The snail is found only in a remote corner of northwestern Nevada called Thacker Pass, where there are plans to mine lithium, the key ingredient for electric car batteries. Paul Ruprecht, Nevada director for the Western Watersheds Project, said mining will shrink the small springs that the snail relies on. ‘The species is really vulnerable because fluctuations in water availability could really impact its ability to continue to exist in these areas,’ said Ruprecht, noting the snail’s range is limited to just 13 small springs within a 14-mile radius. The conservation group had previously petitioned the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to list the snail as endangered. The agency was supposed to make a decision this year but never did. In response, the Western Watersheds Project and several tribes on Nov. 12 sent a formal notice of their intent to sue the Fish and Wildlife Service. The People of Red Mountain is a group of knowledge keepers and descendants from the Fort McDermitt Paiute, Shoshone, and Bannock Tribes. They say they have a cultural responsibility to protect native species in the area.” [KUNR-Radio, 11/19/24 (=)]

 

New Mexico

 

Latest New Mexico Oil, Gas Lease Sale Attracts $5.5 Mil In High Bids — “New Mexico’s latest monthly state oil and gas lease sale attracted $5.5 million in high bids Nov. 19 -- lower than the last few sales but higher than others earlier in 2024, post-auction records released by the State Land Office showed. The second-highest offer of the auction was $1.24 million, or 22% of the total high bids, placed by Federal Abstract Co. -- a frequent bidder in New Mexico state land sales. Santa Fe, New Mexico-based Federal Abstract provides complete records of the chain of title and interest holders in a lease on federal, state and indigenous lands. The Federal Abstract bid, plus the Dudley bid, together accounted for two-thirds of the total $5.5 million in high bids.” [S&P Global, 11/20/24 (=)]

 

Oklahoma

 

Lawsuit Alleges Oil And Gas Companies Are Cheating Native American Landowners In Eastern Oklahoma — “The Indian Law attorneys at mctlaw filed a lawsuit against the federal government on behalf of Native Americans for breach of trust and unconstitutional action in regard to their natural gas resources. The case includes the heirs to an allotment located on the Choctaw reservation in eastern Oklahoma and addresses issues in how government officials have managed oil and gas leases under the 1947 Stigler Act. Members of the Five Civilized Tribes were given individual land allotments in Oklahoma in the late 1800s and early 1900s. These allotments were expected to be protected under federal law, requiring federal approval for any leasing or sale. One of these land allotments was given to Noel Pope, a full-blood Choctaw, in 1903. The 89-acre plot contained natural gas, which was discovered around 1930. Oil and gas companies have operated on the land through leases with the Pope family since then.” [KOKI-TV, 11/19/24 (=)]

 

Utah

 

Curtis Applauds Huge Land Swap Between Utah, BLM — “U.S. Rep. John Curtis (R-UT) applauded a massive land deal reached between Utah and the Federal Bureau of Land Management (BLM), hailing it as the final product of the Emery County Land Bill he proposed in 2018. ‘This bipartisan legislation embodies the principle that local communities know best how to manage their own lands,’ Rep. Curtis said in a Nov. 14 statement. ‘Working across the aisle and in concert with local leaders and federal agencies we can achieve results that solve real problems.’ The congressman introduced the Emery County Public Land Management Act in May 2018 to designate roughly one million acres in Utah’s Emery County for diverse uses, including recreation, conservation, development, and grazing. His bill was included in the John D. Dingell Jr. Conservation, Management, and Recreation Act of 2019, a law covering many regional land cases across America.” [The Ripon Advance, 11/19/24 (=)]

 

The Feds Are Chipping In To Save Water In Washington County — “The Washington County Water Conservancy District was selected as one of five recipients of federal funding to put dollars to work for saving water in the West — an urgent goal due to decades of drought. ‘This effort to diversify our tools by taking previously unusable water sources and turning them into new supplies will be instrumental in managing through drought,’ said Bureau of Reclamation Commissioner Camille Calimlim Touton. ‘These historic investments are allowing these communities to build and expand infrastructure to recycle large amounts of water to meet growing needs.’ In Utah’s Washington County, the $1 billion system will get a boost of $641,222 for new water treatment facilities, advanced purification technology, new conveyance pipelines and storage reservoirs, according to the bureau’s release on Monday. The southern Utah area has often come under attack for what its critics say is excessive water use — which the district disputes.” [Deseret News, 11/19/24 (=)]

 

Virginia

 

Experts Confirm Local Wind Project’s Future Ahead Of New Presidential Administration — “Dominion Energy’s Coastal Virginia Offshore Wind Energy project is well underway, but with the incoming Trump administration, people are left wondering what will happen. Dominion Energy said the project comes with a nearly $10 billion price tag, promising a job market and renewable energy for 660,000 homes. Largest U.S. offshore wind project for VB coast gets federal approval However, President-elect Donald Trump has been vocal that he doesn’t believe those promises outweigh what he said is the negative. His criticism of the Biden administration’s encouragement of renewable energy was on full display in Chesapeake during one of his campaign rallies this fall. ‘He’s given massive subsidies to windmills all over the country that are ruining our beautiful plains, our beautiful land, our beautiful oceans,’ Trump said from behind the podium. Despite the pushback, experts are looking off the coast of Virginia Beach at Dominion Energy’s multi-billion dollar project with confidence. ‘He had threatened on day one to shut down offshore wind — he can’t,’ said Eileen Woll, offshore energy director for the Sierra Club of Virginia.” [WAVY-TV, 11/19/24 (=)]

 

82 Foundations Laid In VA Offshore Wind Farm, Construction Paused For Right Whale Migration — “While legal battles rage over offshore wind development off the coast of New Jersey and Ocean City, Maryland, the nation’s largest offshore wind project construction is well underway in Virginia. Dominion Energy has announced the successful completion of their first monopile installation season for the 2.6-gigawatt Coastal Virginia Offshore Wind (CVOW) project. Installation of the gigantic monopile foundations began in May, and subsea cable installation (for bringing electrical current onshore) began in August. By the end of October, the company has installed 78 monopile foundations and 4 offshore cable substation foundations. The company’s initial objective had been to set at least 70 monopiles into the sea floor of the project area, 27 miles offshore in the Atlantic from Virginia Beach. The pause in monopile installation serves to avoid disturbing North Atlantic right whales during their migration period. It will resume in May 2025. As of this month, CVOW construction is on budget and on schedule. For the next few months, the company’s focus will be installation of the first offshore cable substation, continued export cable lays and onshore transmission construction, and placement of transition pieces on top of monopiles, to prepare for turbine installation in 2025.” [Chesapeake Bay Magazine, 11/19/24 (=)]

 

Washington

 

Wash. Tribe Looks To Ax Wildlife Refuge Protection Suit — “A Washington state tribe is looking to dismiss a challenge by three environmental groups to the federal government for failing to protect a national wildlife refuge from an industrial aquaculture operation, arguing that the true purpose of the case is to restrict its members from farming in their historic homeland. The Jamestown S’Klallam Tribe, a limited intervenor in the case, can’t join the lawsuit filed in August 2023 by Protect the Peninsula’s Future, the Coalition to Protect Puget Sound Habitat and Beyond Pesticides because of its sovereign immunity, it said in its motion filed Monday in Tacoma federal court. And without its full presence in the case, the tribe will suffer ‘devastating injury’ as a result, including the inability to provide for its people, it argued. ‘This type of lawsuit is the reason behind Rule 19: to prevent a backdoor attack of absent parties’ rights. The tribe, without waiving its sovereign immunity, intervened only to file this motion to dismiss, as tribes are immune from lawsuits targeting federal actions that impact their interests,’ it said.” [Law360, 11/19/24 (=)]

 

West Virginia

 

Nearly $29 Million In AML Grant Recommendations Announced — “Projects in Raleigh, Fayette, Wyoming and Nicholas counties are among 12 Abandoned Mine Lands Economic Revitalization (AMLER) Program projects Gov. Jim Justice recommended Tuesday that will utilize $28.6 million in federal grant funding for economic development at abandoned mine land sites across the state. ‘The dollars we’ve invested to revive our abandoned mines are helping transform West Virginia’s tourism economy,’ Justice said. ‘These lands are now becoming a whole new kind of treasure—tourism spots and job hubs. We’re taking the beautiful land God gave us here in West Virginia and using it to show the world why we’re one of the top tourist destinations around.’ Grant applications were evaluated by a committee of representatives from the West Virginia Department of Environmental Protection (WVDEP), the West Virginia Department of Commerce, the West Virginia Department of Transportation, and the Governor’s Office. The Office of Surface Mining Reclamation and Enforcement (OSMRE) must also give final approval of the projects and amounts awarded.” [CNHI News, 11/19/24 (=)]

 

 

Pacific Northwest

 

AP | More Logging Is Proposed To Help Curb Wildfires In The US Pacific Northwest — “U.S. officials would allow increased logging on federal lands across the Pacific Northwest in the name of fighting wildfires and boosting rural economies under proposed changes to a sweeping forest management plan that’s been in place for three decades. The U.S. Forest Service proposal, released Friday, would overhaul the Northwest Forest Plan that governs about 38,000 square miles (99,000 square kilometers) in Oregon, Washington and California. The plan was adopted in 1994 under President Bill Clinton amid pressure to curb destructive logging practices that resulted in widespread clearcuts and destroyed habitat used by spotted owls. Timber harvests dropped dramatically in subsequent years, spurring political backlash. But federal officials now say worsening wildfires due to climate change mean forests must be more actively managed to increase their resiliency. Increased logging also would provide a more predictable supply of trees for timber companies, officials said, helping rural economies that have suffered after lumber mills shut down and forestry jobs disappeared.” [WRAL-TV, 11/19/24 (=)]

 

AP | Salmon Are ‘Coming Home’ To Spawn In Klamath River After Dams Are Removed — “A giant female Chinook salmon flips on her side in the shallow water and wriggles wildly, using her tail to carve out a nest in the riverbed as her body glistens in the sunlight. In another moment, males butt into each other as they jockey for a good position to fertilize eggs. These are scenes local tribes have dreamed of seeing for decades as they fought to bring down four hydroelectric dams blocking passage for struggling salmon along more than 400 miles (644km) of the Klamath River and its tributaries along the Oregon-California border. Now, less than a month after those dams came down in the largest dam removal project in US history, salmon are once more returning to spawn in cool creeks that have been cut off to them for generations. Video shot by the Yurok Tribe show that hundreds of salmon have made it to tributaries between the former Iron Gate and Copco dams, a hopeful sign for the newly freed waterway. ‘Seeing salmon spawning above the former dams fills my heart,’ said Joseph L James, chairman of the Yurok Tribe. ‘Our salmon are coming home. Klamath Basin tribes fought for decades to make this day a reality because our future generations deserve to inherit a healthier river from the headwaters to the sea.’” [The Guardian, 11/19/24 (+)]

 

Why Are So Many Coho Salmon Dying? The Answer Might Be In Your Tires — “For decades, Coho salmon were turning up dead in urban streams the Pacific Northwest. The salmon would stop swimming straight, and then die before they had a chance to spawn. Researchers worried that unless they figured out the cause, the species would eventually go extinct. Enter a formidable crew of biologists, modelers, community scientists, environmental chemists. After eventually ruling out the obvious suspects — things like temperature, oxygen levels and known toxins — researchers eventually zeroed in on a prime suspect: chemicals in tires. But the question remained: Which one?” [NPR, 11/20/24 (=)]

 

Great Lakes

 

Fish & Wildlife Settles Claims It Polluted Property — “The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has settled a lawsuit alleging its disposal of large quantities of a chemical pesticide contaminated a property near Lake Michigan, the federal government has said, months after the Civilian Board of Contract Appeals ruled the government was liable for the property’s diminished value. FWS said in a note to the court on Monday that the agency and the General Services Administration reached an agreement with building owners Rita R. Wadel Revocable Living Trust and 229 Jebavy Road LLC, doing business as Ludington Industries Building, who had alleged the government diminished the value of the property during its 60-year lease by handling and storing a pesticide harmful to some wildlife and humans that contaminated the property. The notice did not provide any additional information about the settlement. The Rita R. Wadel Revocable Living Trust alleged FWS — which leased the Ludington Industries Building through the GSA — handled, stored and transported large quantities of a chemical pesticide Lampricide to kill sea lamprey larvae. Lampricide contains 3-trifluoromethyl-4-nitrophenol, or TFM, which is toxic to some fish, wildlife and humans, according to the complaint.” [Law360, 11/19/24 (=)]

 

Western Water

 

Groundwater Pumping Is Making California’s San Joaquin Valley Sink About An Inch Per Year: Study — “California’s San Joaquin Valley may be sinking nearly an inch per year due to the over-pumping of groundwater supplies, with resource extraction outpacing natural recharge, a new study has found. This agriculture-rich region, located within the state’s Central Valley, has been sinking at record-breaking rates over the past two decades, according to the study, published on Tuesday in Nature’s Communications Earth & Environment. While researchers have known that subsidence — the technical term for sinking — has been affecting the region in recent years, the total amount of collapse had not been quantified. ‘Our study is the first attempt to really quantify the full Valley-scale extent of subsidence over the last two decades,’ senior study author Rosemary Knight, a professor of geophysics at Stanford University’s Doerr School of Sustainability, said in a statement. ‘With these findings, we can look at the big picture of mitigating this record-breaking subsidence,’ Knight added.” [The Hill, 11/19/24 (=)]

 

 

How Trump 2.0 Might Affect The Wildfire Crisis: ‘The Harms Will Be More Lasting’ — “The risks and challenges have only intensified since his first term. Some in the wildfire response communities are hopeful that Trump will cut red tape that’s slowed progress on important forest treatments, but others have highlighted a blunt approach could do more harm than good. Many have voiced concerns over ambitions set out in Project 2025 to curb prescribed burning in favor of increasing timber sales. Meanwhile, federal firefighters are waiting to see whether Trump and a Republican-led Congress will secure long-overdue pay raises. The US Forest Service (USFS), the largest employer of federal firefighters, has seen an exodus of emergency responders over abysmally low pay and gaps in support for the unsustainable and dangerous work they do. Federal firefighters who spend weeks at a time on the fireline and rack up thousands of hours in overtime each summer, make far less than their state- and city-employed counterparts with paychecks that rival those of fast-food employees. That exodus has hampered its ability to keep pace with the year-round firefighting needs.” [The Guardian, 11/18/24 (=)]

 

Op-Ed: Trump’s Assault On Public Lands Could… — According to Jennifer Rokala, “President Donald Trump’s first term was a disaster for America’s public lands. While the prospects for his second term are even more bleak, Westerners across the political spectrum — even those who voted for Trump — stand ready to oppose attempts to sell off America’s public lands to the highest bidder. As for Trump’s pick for interior secretary, North Dakota Governor Doug Burgum: If Burgum tries to turn America’s public lands into an even bigger cash cow for the oil and gas industry, or tries to shrink America’s parks and national monuments, he’ll quickly discover he’s on the wrong side of history. Public lands have strong bipartisan support in the West. The annual Conservation in the West Poll, last released by the Colorado College State of the Rockies Project in February 2024, found that nearly three-quarters of voters — including Republicans — want to protect clean water, air quality and wildlife habitats, while providing opportunities to visit and recreate on public lands. That’s compared to just one-quarter of voters who prefer maximizing the use of public lands available for drilling and mining. According to the poll, which surveyed voters in Arizona, Colorado, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, New Mexico, Utah, and Wyoming — 80 % of Westerners support the national goal of conserving 30% of land and waters in America by the year 2030.” [The Denver Post, 11/19/24 (+)]

 

 

 

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