Public Lands Clips: January 2, 2025

 

 

Bald Eagle Is Officially America's Bird, With Biden's Signature — “The bald eagle is emblematic of America. It’s on coins and bills, graces the Great Seal and inspired conservation efforts that brought the species back from the brink of extinction. Though it was first used as the national symbol more than 240 years ago, Congress had never made it official. That changed earlier this year. And on Christmas Eve, President Biden signed the legislation declaring the bald eagle the official national bird. ‘For nearly 250 years, we called the bald eagle the national bird when it wasn’t,’ said Jack Davis, co-chair of the National Bird Initiative for the National Eagle Center, in a release. ‘But now the title is official, and no bird is more deserving.’” [CBS News, 12/25/24 (=)]

 

 

DOI Pick Doug Burgum’s ‘All Of The Above’ Approach To Meeting Energy Demand — “Gov. Doug Burgum’s (R-ND) ‘all of the above’ approach to meeting energy demand may indicate how he will lead as a key player in the incoming Trump administration. In November, President-elect Donald Trump picked Burgum, a two-term governor, to lead the Department of the Interior. The DOI is a large agency that manages U.S. lands and natural resources. It has over 70,000 employees and 2,400 operating locations across the country. During an interview on KFYR-TV in December, Burgum said his selection to become interior secretary ‘reflects the people of North Dakota’ in how the state has been able to produce energy and agriculture while maintaining clean air and water. ‘This is what we need to do as a country if we’re going to have prosperity at home and peace abroad,’ Burgum said. ‘We’ve got to get an energy policy in the right direction, and we’ve got to make sure that we’re using the balance sheet of America, which is the over 500 million acres of public land that currently the federal government is managing,’ he added.” [Washington Examiner, 12/31/24 (=)]

 

5 People To Watch On Energy, Environmental Issues In The New Year — “Energy and climate are expected to be divisive issues in 2025 as President-elect Trump, backed by GOP majorities in both the House and Senate, looks to expand U.S. energy development while congressional Democrats worried about the effect on global warming seek to stymie him. Here are five figures likely to make headlines on energy and environmental issues in 2025. Energy czar and Interior secretary nominee Doug Burgum As chair of a new National Energy Council, former North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum (R) is set to broadly coordinate the incoming administration’s energy agenda. If confirmed to lead the Interior Department, he also likely would oversee an increase in oil and gas drilling on federal lands, marking a sharp contrast to the department’s outgoing secretary, Deb Haaland, who has been a major ally within the Biden administration to environmentalists. North Dakota is the No. 3 state nationwide for crude oil production. He was a high-profile Trump surrogate during the 2024 campaign and reportedly was a vice presidential contender. One of the president-elect’s less controversial nominees, he is unlikely to see obstacles to his confirmation.” [The Hill, 12/27/24 (=)]

 

 

Hill’s New Energy Leaders — “Rep. Bob Latta (R-Ohio) will chair Energy and Commerce’s Energy subcommittee in the coming Congress, while Rep. Morgan Griffith (R-Va.) will head up its Environment subcommittee, incoming E&C Chair Brett Guthrie (R-Ky.) announced on Friday. Rep. Buddy Carter (R-Ga.), who signed a letter urging leadership to preserve parts of Democrats’ Inflation Reduction Act, will shift from chairing the Environment subpanel to Health. Rep. Gary Palmer (R-Ala.) will lead the Oversight subcommittee. On the Senate side, incoming Sens. Jim Justice (R-W.Va.) and Dave McCormick (R-Pa.) will join the Energy and Natural Resources Committee, Republicans announced late Friday. Sen. Tom Cotton (R-Ark.) is also joining ENR, while Josh Hawley (R-Mo.) will not return. Sen.-elect John Curtis, the founder of the Conservative Climate Caucus, will join the Environment and Public Works Committee.” [Politico, 12/23/24 (=)]

 

Thune Unveils Senate GOP Committee Assignments — “Incoming Senate GOP Leader John Thune late Friday night unveiled the Republican conference’s committee assignments for next term. A press release from Thune’s office noted the assignments ‘have been ratified by the Senate Republican Conference and are expected to be ratified by the full Senate early next Congress.’ One thing to note: Sen. Jerry Moran (R-Kan.) has an unusually high number of committee assignments in this list, a whopping eight. Per a person familiar with the decisions, that’s because some of his assignments are meant to save space for incoming senators who will backfill Vice President-elect JD Vance (R-Ohio), and Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.), should he be confirmed as Secretary of State.” [E&E News, 12/23/24 (=)]

 

Senate

 

Wyden’s Owyhee Canyonland Bill Sees ‘Major Momentum’ After Senate Passage — “A bill introduced by Senator Ron Wyden (D-OR) to add federal protections to Eastern Oregon’s Owyhee Canyonlands passed the Senate — creating a pathway to pass Congress in 2025, Wyden announced. The Malheur Community Empowerment for the Owyhee Act — which passed the Senate on Friday — would preserve over one million acres of wilderness in the Owyhee Canyonlands and would add more flexibility into its established grazing management system. ‘The holiday celebrations can start a few days early with tonight’s historic and huge victory for the Eastern Oregon ranchers, Tribal leaders, conservationists and recreation lovers who worked with me to design this landmark legislation for one of America’s most spectacular landscapes,’ Wyden said Friday. ‘I said earlier this week that I was committed to work with Senate leadership to pass Owyhee legislation, and tonight’s unanimous Senate consent continues its major momentum because it tees up passage to happen next year when the new Congress convenes.’” [KOIN-TV, 12/24/24 (=)]

 

Owyhee Canyonlands Bill Passes Senate And Heads To The House — “A bill championed by bipartisan lawmakers for the Owyhee Canyonlands in Malheur County has passed the Senate and will move forward to the floor of Congress. The Malheur Community Empowerment for the Owyhee Act would authorize a grazing management program, designate wilderness areas, and hold land in trust for the Burns Paiute Tribe for the Owyhee Canyonlands. The bill is supported both by U.S. Congressman Cliff Bentz and U.S. Senator Ron Wyden. Senator Wyden sponsored the bill in the Senate. In a news release, Wyden stated, ‘I look forward in 2025 to keeping up the bipartisan support and work with U.S. Rep. Cliff Bentz in the House to get these significant wilderness protections and meaningful grazing reforms for ranchers in the Owyhee into black-letter law.’” [Elkhorn Media Group, 12/24/24 (=)]

 

Oregon Public Broadcasting | Owyhee Protection Bill Passes U.S. Senate — “On a Friday voice vote, the U.S. Senate passed the Malheur Community Empowerment for the Owyhee Act, which would designate more than 1 million acres as federally protected wilderness centered around Eastern Oregon’s Malheur County. Also known as the Malheur CEO Act, the bill is sponsored by U.S. Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Oregon. In a statement, Wyden said he hopes the bipartisan support for the bill ‘tees up’ passage through the House of Representatives next year. ‘The holiday celebrations can start a few days early with tonight’s historic and huge victory for the Eastern Oregon ranchers, Tribal leaders, conservationists and recreation lovers who worked with me to design this landmark legislation for one of America’s most spectacular landscapes,’ he wrote. Initially introduced in 2022, the Malheur CEO Act gained momentum in recent days after U.S. Rep. Cliff Bentz, R-Ontario, said he would work to ‘pass bipartisan legislation’ after previously voicing skepticism over the proposal. The Owyhee Canyonlands have been a flashpoint in Eastern Oregon for years.” [KLCC-Radio, 12/24/24 (=)]

 

Effort To Protect ‘Oregon’s Grand Canyon’ Gains Senate Approval — “An effort to protect nearly 1 million acres of eastern Oregon’s Owyhee Canyonlands passed the U.S. Senate by unanimous consent Friday night, Sen. Ron Wyden announced. The matter now moves to the U.S. House of Representatives, where Wyden has worked with Oregon Republican Rep. Cliff Bentz on a companion bill. Earlier this month, Oregon Gov. Tina Kotek had asked President Joe Biden to preserve the area, known as ‘Oregon’s Grand Canyon,’ if legislative efforts failed. Biden could create an Owyhee Canyonlands National Monument using the Antiquities Act. Wyden and Bentz pushed for congressional action, rather than a national monument. The legislation passed by the Senate includes ‘meaningful grazing reforms for ranchers in the Owyhee,’ Wyden said.” [Oregon Live, 12/21/24 (=)]

 

Editorial: More Waiting For Protection For The Owyhee — “There’s more waiting to see if the stunning Owyhee Canyonlands in Eastern Oregon will ever be granted federal protection. On Dec. 20, in a voice vote, the U.S. Senate passed Oregon Democratic Sen. Ron Wyden’s Malheur Community Empowerment for the Owyhee Act, as OPB reported. We would like to be optimistic about the bill passing the Senate. Wyden is. He said it ‘tees up’ passage through the House of Representatives next year. Well, that doesn’t seem likely. At least, in its current form. The key legislator on the House side is Rep. Cliff Bentz, R-Ontario. He opposes Wyden’s bill. He has come up with his own alternative with less protection. Some conservation groups are decidedly less than happy with the Bentz version. President Biden did not seem to make protection for the Owyhee a priority. Should we expect President Trump to be much different when it comes to putting new restrictions on federal lands?” [Bend Bulletin, 12/27/24 (~)]

 

Daily Montanan | Daines, Zinke Secure Priorities In Outdoor Recreation Package — “The U.S. Senate on Thursday unanimously passed one of the largest outdoor recreation packages aimed at supporting public lands and bolstering the nearly $1.2 trillion outdoor recreation industry. The ‘Expanding Public Lands Outdoor Recreation Experiences (EXPLORE) Act,’ which passed the House in April, includes more than a dozen individual bills that will enact sweeping policy changes around public lands and recreation, including streamlining permitting processes, funding parks and green spaces, and modernizing technology to enhance visitor experiences. Among the suite of bills comprising the bipartisan legislation package were several measures championed by Montana’s congressional delegation. ‘I’m proud to see my bipartisan bills pass the U.S. Senate and head to the president’s desk to be signed into law,’ said Montana’s soon-to-be-senior Sen. Steve Daines, a Republican. ‘This package includes major wins for Montana’s beautiful public lands, and I’ll always keep fighting for more ways to protect our outdoor way of life.’” [Missoula Current, 12/23/24 (=)]

 

EXPLORE Act Heads To Joe Biden’s Desk With Strong Bipartisan Support — “The U.S. government manages approximately 28% of the nation’s landmass for purposes that include the preservation and development of natural resources and outdoor recreation. Last week the Senate passed a sprawling package of legislation known as the ‘Expanding Public Lands Outdoor Recreation Experiences Act’ (EXPLORE Act) that would enhance the accessibility of these lands to recreational shooters, hunters, and other outdoorsmen. The bipartisan bill now heads to Joe Biden’s desk, where it will hopefully be signed into law. The bill makes clear ‘it is the policy of the Federal Government to foster and encourage recreation on Federal recreational lands and waters’ and facilitates this through a wide range of mechanisms to remove barriers to recreational access and to promote this use. The Secretaries of Agriculture and the Interior would be required to conduct an inventory and assessment of recreation resources on federal lands and to identify underutilized locations suitable for developing or expanding recreation opportunities. A Federal Interagency Council on Recreation would be established with representation from the agencies responsible for administering these lands, as well as state and local partners. Its mandate would be to coordinate on improving access to federal lands and waters.” [Ammoland, 12/26/24 (=)]

 

Congress Passes Bill Mandating More Shooting Ranges On Public Land — “The Expanding Public Lands Outdoor Recreation Experiences, or EXPLORE, Act, was introduced to Congress last November as H.R.6492 and was shepherded through the House Committee on Natural Resources by committee chair U.S. Rep. Bruce Westerman (R-Ark.). With bipartisan support – the bill had 27 Dems and 24 Republican co-sponsors – it cleared the House on a voice vote in April and the Senate by unanimous consent last week, sending it to President Biden for likely signature. Filled with lots of initiatives to improve public land and access to it, the legislation was supported by a broad swath of outdoor-oriented organizations, including advocates for hiking, horseback riding, mountain biking, recreational boating, camping, rock climbing, and others. One of the Explore Act’s sections includes language from the Range Access Act, which requires the Bureau of Land Management and the U.S. Forest Service to construct recreational shooting ranges in each BLM district and National Forest in areas where opportunities don’t already exist. The bill was supported by the NRA and the National Shooting Sports Foundation. The organizations stress it will allow more access to public shooting ranges for target practice without competing against private ranges.” [Guns.com, 12/26/24 (=)]

 

Senate Approves Fisheries, Critical Mineral Bills — “The Senate on Friday approved legislation to address fishery disasters and critical mineral supply issues. Both bills will go to President Joe Biden’s desk for his signature. The chamber passed by unanimous consent H.R. 5103, the ‘Fishery Improvement to Streamline untimely regulatory Hurdles post Emergency Situation (FISHES) Act,’ from Rep. Byron Donalds (R-Fla.). The bill, which already cleared the House, would speed up the process of doling out fishery disaster relief. It would set deadlines for the Office of Management and Budget to respond to NOAA fishery funding requests. ‘We, as legislators, must continue to find ways to cut self-induced red tape and streamline the disbursement of relief to communities devastated by a natural disaster,’ said Donalds during House floor debate. The Senate also passed H.R. 6395, the ‘Recognizing the Importance of Critical Minerals in Healthcare Act,’ which would require the U.S. Geological Survey to consult the Department of Health and Human Services when designating critical minerals. The idea is to make sure sure minerals necessary to life-saving medicines make it on the list.” [E&E News, 12/23/24 (=)]

 

House

 

Why The Permitting Talks Collapsed — “Lawmakers have spent days lamenting the collapse of a package to improve the electric grid and accelerate the development of all type of energy projects. They’ve been playing a blame game. But people familiar with the talks say a deal was never even close, despite negotiators insisting they were making progress a week ago. Senate Energy and Natural Resources Chair Joe Manchin (I-W.Va.) has been behind the ‘permitting reform’ push for years, particularly since passage of the Democrats’ climate law in 2022. He had powerful allies on both sides of the aisle, and lobbyists from fossil fuel and renewable energy interests. In the end, lawmakers got bogged down by the same problems that have plagued the effort for years. And there wasn’t enough time to resolve those issues for a permitting accord to ride on another must-pass vehicle. ‘It’s a missed opportunity,’ said Sen. Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.), who will become ranking member of ENR next year. ‘Because a lot of people were basically willing to compromise and largely on the same page.’” [E&E News, 12/23/24 (=)]

 

Permitting And EVs In Focus — “Congress will soon begin haggling over the next five-year surface transportation bill, the successor to the 2021 infrastructure law. What ideas will the House GOP get behind? Transportation Committee Chair Sam Graves (R-Mo.) told Chris that two main areas Republicans can support are ‘streamlining permitting’ for projects and ‘making sure electric vehicles are paying their share [for] the use of the road.’ The legislation’s drafting, he said, will be informed by what lawmakers and Trump want.” [Politico, 12/24/24 (=)]

 

Lawmakers Push Through Last-Minute National Parks Bills — “Senators pushed through two national parks bills during the final hours of the 118th Congress, including one to allow development of Washington’s RFK stadium campus. The Senate passed H.R. 4984, the ‘D.C. Robert F. Kennedy Memorial Stadium Campus Revitalization Act,’ by unanimous consent early Saturday morning, sending it to President Joe Biden’s desk for signature. The proposal transfers jurisdiction of the Robert F. Kennedy Memorial Stadium Campus in Washington from the National Park Service to the District of Columbia. This makes it possible for the city to negotiate a new stadium for the Washington Commanders football team on the site. The current RFK campus contains a stadium that has fallen into disrepair and disuse. Washington’s government has pushed for plans to revamp the campus and construct a new stadium, and the Commanders have expressed interest in relocating there from their current home in Landover, Maryland.” [E&E News, 12/23/24 (=)]

 

 

Interior Secretary Deb Haaland Leaves Legacy After 4 Years Of Impact: 'My Authentic Self' — “Haaland also played a leading role in forwarding Biden’s ‘America the Beautiful’ initiative which set out to conserve 30% of the nation’s lands and waters by 2030. She oversaw the establishment of new rules governing the oversight of 250 million acres of public land managed by the Bureau of Land Management to better safeguard the lands, expedite clean energy development and continue to provide for outdoor recreation. Tribes now have more say in what happens to ancestral lands and other issues important to Native peoples. ‘We had held consultations that really made sure that tribes had a seat at the table,’ she said. ‘Because of President Biden, $45 billion was able to be sent to Indian Country for (tribes) to make the lives of their people better.’” [Arizona Republic, 12/20/24 (+)]

 

Interior Secretary Deb Haaland Leaves Legacy After 4 Years Of Impact: 'My Authentic Self' — “Deb Haaland had just begun her second term in the U.S. House of Representatives in January 2021, elected from her native New Mexico. She was one of the first Indigenous women to be elected to Congress, but President Joe Biden had another ‘first’ in mind. He nominated her as the first Native American cabinet official and the first Native person to serve as Secretary of the Interior. Haaland said it was ‘a really scary thing’ when she first stepped onto the road to public service. ‘It was like stepping into an area that you haven’t gone before,’ she said. ‘And the job was no different. I had never been a Secretary of the Interior before.’ She overcame that anxiety and set out to make history. Among her accomplishments managing the U.S. government’s largest agency was a significant step for Indigenous communities. ‘We gave tribes a true seat at the table.’” [Arizona Republic, 12/20/24 (=)]

 

Haaland Leaves Lasting Tribal Legacy But Mixed Record On Energy — “Interior Secretary Deb Haaland will be remembered for being the first Native American to serve in that role, but her legacy is mixed because she either did too much to vanquish fossil fuels on federal land, or too little, advocates and environmental attorneys say. Martha Williams, US Fish and Wildlife Service director, summed up Haaland’s legacy during the dedication of a new national wildlife refuge in southern Maryland on Dec. 13, which featured members of the Piscataway tribal community. Haaland’s sense of fairness, care for imperiled species, and ‘impeccable moral compass’ have permeated all of the Interior Department’s decisions during the Biden administration, Williams said. The Interior Department during Haaland’s tenure expanded safeguards for endangered species, took steps to gird federal lands for climate change, slowed oil and gas leasing, worked with the White House to expand or create vast national monuments, and blocked some oil drilling and mining in Alaska’s Arctic while also approving ConocoPhillips’ Willow oil and gas project there.” [Bloomberg Law, 12/31/24 (~)]

 

‘They Didn’t Forget Indian Country’: Tribal Leaders And Scholars Reflect On Biden Administration — “Secretary of the Interior Deb Haaland didn’t mince any words when she called Pres. Joe Biden the best president for Indian Country of her lifetime during this year’s final White House Tribal Nations Summit. ‘This is the president and an administration that truly sees Indigenous people and has worked tirelessly to address the issues in Indian Country that have long been underfunded or outright ignored,’ Haaland said. Cherokee Nation Principal Chief Chuck Hoskin Jr., who attended the recently concluded summit at the Department of the Interior, told Gaylord News he thinks Biden has been one of the most consequential presidents for Native Americans. ‘That’s not a partisan statement. That is a statement based on my objective assessment,’ Hoskin said. ‘Some of what changed has made national news, the effort to not only apologize for the injury done by the boarding school era but to do it based on a thoughtful study.’” [Cherokee Phoenix, 12/20/24 (+)]

 

Q&A With Outgoing Secretary Of The Interior Deb Haaland — “U.S. Secretary of the Interior Deb Haaland (Laguna Pueblo), the first and only Native American to hold a secretarial position in a presidential cabinet, will conclude her tenure at the end of the Biden-Harris administration on January 20, 2025. As the 54th Secretary of the Interior, Haaland has demonstrated remarkable leadership, particularly in her role in launching the Federal Indian Boarding School Initiative, a highlight of her work in office. In this Friday’s episode of Native Bidaské, Levi Rickert, editor of Native News Online, sat down with Secretary Haaland. Together, they explored her historic journey, transformative leadership, and vision for the future of Indian Country.” [Native News Online, 12/20/24 (+)]

 

Op-Ed: President Joe Biden Is Right On The Indian Boarding School Monument: “We Don’t Erase History.” — According to Levi Rickert, “In late October 2023, after the Road to Healing tour’s stop at the Alaska Native Heritage Center in Anchorage, around 500 Alaska Natives gathered to witness the raising of a healing totem pole, created to honor those who attended Indian boarding schools. Among the attendees were U.S. Department of the Interior Secretary Deb Haaland (Laguna Pueblo), Assistant Secretary Bryan Newland (Bay Mills Indian Community), and other Interior Department staff. Both Haaland and Newland participated in the totem-raising ceremony. Haaland, accompanied by a group of Alaska Native youth, placed cedar on the pole as a blessing, while Newland, braving the cold Alaskan October air, assisted in carrying the pole alongside a group of Alaska Native men. An inscription for the healing totem pole reads: ‘The healing totem depicts Bear mother who can be seen clutching her two cubs while the father (in human form) sits above her, embedded in a raven’s tail. Above him, the raven is mid-transformation, at a place in between a human and a raven form. Two children rest comfortably in raven’s ears.’” [Native News Online, 12/20/24 (=)]

 

Bureau of Land Management (BLM)

 

Biden Administration Finalizes Western Solar Plan — “The Western Solar Plan is meant to help guide the siting of solar energy proposals in areas with fewer resource conflicts. Photo courtesy of Department of Energy. The Biden administration took steps Friday to enshrine utility-scale solar energy production across the western United States, issuing an updated Western Solar Plan to guide the development of large-scale solar power developments on thousands of acres of federal lands. The updated plan released in a record of decision ‘will ensure that solar project permitting is more efficient and offers clarity for project developers while maintaining flexibility to adapt to local needs and concerns,’ Steve Feldgus, the principal deputy assistant secretary for land and minerals management, said in a statement Friday. Details: The Western Solar Plan is meant to help guide the siting of solar energy proposals in areas with fewer resource conflicts. It updates the 2012 Western Solar Plan developed by the Obama administration by adding five additional states — Idaho, Montana, Oregon, Washington and Wyoming. And it makes more than 31 million acres of public lands across 11 western states available for potential solar development. However, the department, in its announcement Friday, underscored that only about 700,000 acres are anticipated to be developed by 2045 to meet projected demand.” [Politico, 12/20/24 (=)]

 

BLM Finalizes New Land-Use Restrictions For Region — “The Bureau of Land Management has given final approval to a number of new, site-specific restrictions on public-land uses in the region intended to reduce fire danger, better protect wildlife and prevent resource damage. The measures apply to things such as camping, trail use and target shooting, and takes effect later next month.” [Grand Junction Daily Sentinel, 12/27/24 (=)]

 

Department Of The Interior Releases Solar Development Plan Despite Lawsuit — “The Department of the Interior is now releasing its final plans for the future of solar development on public lands in the western region. Peer or public employees for Environmental Responsibility filed a lawsuit and said the Old Spanish Trail was designated a national historic trail and that any development should come with more rigorous assessments on the impacts of the trail in accordance with BLM policy. It runs through six states including Utah and Colorado, and some of it sits in the Orchard Mesa area. Officials have not confirmed whether the western slopes portion of the trail is set for solar development. The Department of the Interior says their western solar plan will create jobs as well as support the goal of achieving a 100% clean electric grid by 2035.” [KJCT-TV, 12/21/24 (=)]

 

Almost 32M Acres Are Available For Solar In The West. Will Trump Push Back? — “Despite outcry from some Nevadans, the Biden administration has released a relatively unchanged version of its road map for solar in the West. Not a single acre of the Silver State’s land was added to or excluded from future solar development when compared with the proposed plan released in September, a Bureau of Land Management spokesman said. The Interior Department reaffirmed its decision that Nevada’s public lands have the most potential for future solar farms, with more than 11 million of the roughly 32 million acres falling within state boundaries, even though 11 states in total were explored in the plan. The BLM has yet to fulfill the Las Vegas Review-Journal’s public records request for official protests to the proposed plan that were submitted by the September deadline, though one Native tribe, one county and several environmental groups confirmed at the time they would be submitting one. ‘Under the Biden-Harris administration, the Interior Department has moved at the pace needed to meet the moment,’ Interior Secretary Deb Haaland said in a statement Friday. ‘With an updated Western Solar Plan, created with extensive input from the public, the Department will ensure the responsible development of solar energy across the West for decades to come.’” [Las Vegas Review-Journal, 12/21/24 (=)]

 

Interior Department Finalizes Framework For Future Of Solar Development On Public Lands — “The Department of the Interior has announced an updated Western Solar Plan to help guide efficient and environmentally responsible solar energy permitting on public lands across the West.  The plan will guide the siting of solar energy proposals in areas with fewer resource conflicts, advance the nation’s growing clean energy economy, help lower energy costs for consumers, create good-paying jobs, tackle the climate crisis and advance clean air and environmental justice priorities, in support of the goal of achieving a 100-percent clean electricity grid by 2035. ‘Under the Biden-Harris administration, the Interior Department has moved at the pace needed to meet the moment and swiftly grow a robust and sustainable clean energy economy while protecting precious resources in America’s public lands. With an updated Western Solar Plan, created with extensive input from the public, the Department will ensure the responsible development of solar energy across the West for decades to come,’ said Secretary Deb Haaland.” [Morning AgClips, 12/21/24 (=)]

 

Industry Pans Western Solar Plan — “Solar industry groups criticized the Interior Department’s final plan issued Friday to guide the development of large-scale solar across the West. Ben Norris, SEIA’s vice president of regulatory affairs, said that ‘by not making changes to the treatment of projects that submitted applications under the previous PEIS, today’s decision adds significant regulatory uncertainty to an already challenging development environment, potentially putting jobs and investment dollars at risk.’” [Politico, 12/23/24 (=)]

 

 

Biden Official Defends Embattled Mining Rule Ahead Of Trump — “President-elect Donald Trump is vowing support for the mining sector by fast-tracking environmental reviews, creating ‘clean coal’ and turning corners of the Midwest into critical mineral hubs. ‘We will turn the Iron Range into a mineral powerhouse like never before,’ Trump said during a rally in Minnesota in July. But Biden administration and union officials say a new rule to help protect the health of miners should be front and center as the nation moves to dig up more critical minerals — and possibly coal — in coming years. Chris Williamson, the Biden appointee leading the Mine Safety and Health Administration, or MSHA, defended a recent rule to limit miners’ exposure to dangerous dust, which can lead to incurable and debilitating lung disease, including silicosis, lung cancer and black lung. He also called for full staffing at his agency to enforce the rule. ‘I’ve seen the president talk about how much he cares about and how important miners are,’ Williamson said. ‘The best way to demonstrate that is to protect their safety and their health and ensure they go home to their families in the community at the end of day.’” [E&E News, 12/23/24 (=)]

 

 

Regan To Leave EPA At End Of The Year — “EPA Administrator Michael Regan announced Friday that he will step down from his post at the end of the month. In a note to staff, the Biden appointee and first Black man to head the agency lauded the work done during his tenure to address climate change, prioritize environmental justice efforts, slash air pollution, improve drinking water safety and hold polluters accountable. After his departure Dec. 31, Regan said, current Acting Deputy Administrator Jane Nishida will step in to serve as Acting Administrator. Dan Utech, Regan’s chief of staff, will serve as Acting Deputy Administrator. In the note, Regan said he plans to return to North Carolina with his family.” [Politico, 12/20/24 (=)]

 

EPA Proposes Fresh Delay For Haze Reduction Curbs For Parks — “EPA is seeking to give states another three years to craft their third round of plans for cutting haze in national parks and wilderness areas. Under a draft rule published Monday, the deadline for those blueprints would be pushed back from July 2028 to July 2031. Among the reasons for the proposed extension, EPA says it would let states to ‘consider the potential emissions reductions resulting from implementing other near-term regulatory programs,’ such as a stricter ambient air quality standard for soot put in place earlier this year. The added time would also allow states to incorporate unspecified changes to the program that the agency is mulling, in part to build on ‘lessons learned’ from the work already under way, the proposal says. The cutoff for public feedback is Feb. 6. If made final, the planned extension would parallel a delay in the initial deadline for the submission of the second round of haze reduction plans, which was changed during the Obama administration from 2018 to 2021. The plans are supposed to show how states intend to keep making reasonable progress towards the regional haze program’s goal of restoring natural visibility to 156 parks and wilderness areas - the bulk of them west of the Mississippi River — by 2064.” [E&E News, 12/23/24 (=)]

 

 

Utah: We’re No Longer Asking Supreme Court To ‘Dispose’ Of Public BLM Land — “Utah is no longer asking the U.S. Supreme Court to order the United States to ‘dispose’ of 18.5 million acres of public land in the Beehive State, its latest court pleading shows. In an 18-page Dec. 4 filing, Utah says its original complaint does not seek a sell-off or ownership transfer of the federal property. That complaint to the Supreme Court in August asked justices to ‘[o]rder the United States to begin the process of disposing of its unappropriated federal lands within Utah’ — 18.5 million acres of land overseen by the Bureau of Land Management. Utah filed more papers Dec. 4 that appear to back off from that demand for divesture. ‘Utah is not ‘ask[ing] this Court to exercise … the power to dispose of public lands,’ Utah’s latest filing states. ‘Nor does Utah seek an order ‘direct[ing] Congress to enact new statutes,’ requiring the United States to shed its holdings, Utah’s latest document reads.” [WyoFile, 12/23/24 (+)]

 

Editorial: Utah’s Twisted Lawsuit Is Corrupting The West’s (And Colorado’s) Commitment To Public Lands — “The greatest assault on public lands in American history is being led by Utah’s Gov. Spencer Cox, who is suing the federal government to take over 18.5 million acres of public lands managed and protected by the Bureau of Land Management. The lawsuit makes us question for how many more generations the promise of Yellowstone National Park – ‘For the benefit and enjoyment of the people’ – will stand in America. And the mentality of public lands being disposable to the highest bidder may be seeping into states across the West. Cox claims he wants the land to ‘actively manage and protect our natural resources.’ But it’s hard not to suspect that the real reason he wants to remove the Bureau of Land Management’s oversight of these public lands is to open them up for private profit – development, mining, logging and disposal — at the expense of the American people. We’d also like to say we trust that Utah’s elected officials would never betray the American people with such a brazen act of thievery, but Cox has made it clear that he sees little value in protecting Bureau of Land Management lands for future generations with his previous opposition to BLM conservation efforts.” [The Denver Post, 12/31/24 (+)]

 

 

Clean Energy

 

Clean Energy Industry Groups Cozy Up To GOP — “American Clean Power Association CEO Jason Grumet said he is trying to defy a ‘caricature’ of what the clean energy industry stands for within Republican circles.Bennett Raglin/Getty Images for The New York Times Two of the nation’s biggest clean energy lobbying groups will soon find out whether their efforts to strengthen relationships with Republicans will save crucial policies they spent years pursuing. The American Clean Power Association and Solar Energy Industries Association both hiked their donations to GOP candidates and political action committees this past election cycle, according to a POLITICO review. That was part of a deliberate effort by the groups representing some of the world’s largest developers and deployers of zero-emission technologies to broaden support for clean energy beyond the Democratic party. A verdict on that strategy could come in the next few months as the Republican majorities in Congress eye potential rollbacks of the climate-focused clean energy measures in the lnflation Reduction Act enacted under President Joe Biden. President-elect Donald Trump has said he wants to scrap those incentives altogether — perhaps using a sweeping budget reconciliation package that Republicans could pass without Democratic support.” [Politico, 12/23/24 (=)]

 

Fossil Energy

 

The American Oil Industry’s Playbook, Illustrated: How Drillers Offload Costly Cleanup Onto The Public — “In December 1990, officials in the federal agency tasked with regulating offshore oil and gas drilling received a memo with a dire warning: America faced a ticking time bomb of environmental liability from unplugged oil and gas wells, wrote the agency’s chief of staff. Those wells and their costly cleanup obligations were being concentrated in the hands of cash-strapped drillers at the same time as production was shrinking. (The document, unearthed by public interest watchdog organization Documented, was shared with ProPublica and Capital & Main.) More than three decades later, little action has been taken to heed that warning, and the time bomb is threatening to explode. More than 2 million oil and gas wells sit unplugged across the country. Many leak contaminants like brine, methane and benzene into waterways, farmland and neighborhoods. The industry has already left hundreds of thousands of old wells as orphans, meaning companies walked away, leaving taxpayers, government agencies or other drillers on the hook for cleanup. America’s oil fields are increasingly split between a small number of wells producing record profits and everything else. Researchers estimate roughly 90% of wells are already dead or barely producing.” [ProPublica, 12/30/24 (+)]

 

 

Western State Governors Eye Public Lands For Affordable Housing Development — “With the Western United States continuing to face a shortage of affordable homes, state leaders are looking for ways to leverage one of the region’s largest assets: public lands. In Las Vegas, a bipartisan coalition of governors from across the West met this week to discuss policy ideas they say could aid their efforts to increase the supply of housing. ‘The West is unique in that the federal government has a large footprint in our area, whether it’s the Bureau of Land Management or the U.S. Forest Service,’ Colorado Gov. Jared Polis said during a press conference Monday, ‘and so a lot of the work that we need to do for community planning, for growth, for housing, it really relies on strong federal partnerships.’ In Nevada, where 80% of land is owned by the federal government, officials are utilizing a two-decades-old federal law to acquire parcels from the Bureau of Land Management for development at a fraction of the land’s market value. ‘While access to land is only a piece of the housing puzzle, in places like Clark County, where we are today, available land for development is slated to run out by 2032,’ said Nevada Gov. Joe Lombardo.” [Rocky Mountain PBS, 12/21/24 (=)]

 

 

Daily Audio Newscast - December 23, 2024 — “We head next to Arizona, a state that could be doing more to improve conservation policy. That’s according to a new report by the Center for Western Priorities. The Center’s Rachel Hamby says its latest scorecard looks at three categories - land protection and access, responsible energy development, land use, and planning for growth. She says Arizona fares well on protecting public land access but should do better in growing support for public land conservation and foster stewardship of natural resources as the state’s population grows. In any of the benchmarks that we looked at in the scorecard, any state can find another Western state that’s doing well, that provides a successful model that they could learn from as they’re trying to address a policy area where maybe they had room to improve. Hamby says Western states have a lot in common when it comes to the unique landscapes and conservation challenges they face. But during the latest legislative session, Arizona lawmakers passed various anti-public land resolutions, which oppose the 30 by 30 initiative, which aims to protect 30 percent of the Earth’s lands and waters by 2030.” [Kiowa County Press, 12/23/24 (+)]

 

Report: AZ One Of Eight Western States That Could Improve Conservation Policies — “Arizona could be doing more to improve conservation policy, according to a new report by the Center for Western Priorities. The Center’s Policy Director Rachael Hamby said its latest scorecard looks at three categories - land protection and access, responsible energy development, and land use and planning for growth. She said Arizona fares well on protecting public land access - but should do better in growing support for public land conservation, and fostering stewardship of natural resources as the state’s population grows. ‘In any of the benchmarks that we looked at in the scorecard,’ said Hamby, ‘any state can find another Western state that is doing well, that provides a successful model that they can learn from, as they are trying to address a policy area where maybe they have room to improve.’ Hamby said Western states have a lot in common when it comes to the unique landscapes and conservation challenges they face.” [Public News Service, 12/23/24 (+)]

 

Wyoming Gets Mixed Scores On 2024 Conservation Report Card — “A new scorecard from the Center for Western Priorities points to Wyoming’s success as a western state balancing conservation goals and economic growth but the state can still learn from its neighbors. The 2024 scorecard looks at three categories: land protection and access, responsible energy development, and land use and planning for growth. Wyoming scored higher than neighboring states Montana, Utah and Idaho in land protection and access but scored low among its neighbors in the other categories. Rachael Hamby, policy director at the center, said all the western states grapple with similar challenges and may find related solutions. ‘This scorecard shows that it’s possible -- and even to your advantage as a state -- to protect public lands, to steward natural resources, while growing and diversifying your economy,’ Hamby contended.” [Kiowa County Press, 12/29/24 (+)]

 

Report: NV Emerges As Conservation Leader Among Western States — “Nevada scored high for its well-funded conservation programs and for the state’s commitment to public land protections. A new report by The Center for Western Priorities evaluated eight Western states within three categories - land protection and access, responsible energy development, and land use and planning for growth. The Center’s Policy Director Rachael Hamby said Nevada has done a good job of becoming an ‘assertive leader’ as it relates to public land protection and conservation - especially with 67% of the state being made up of public lands, according to the Bureau of Land Management. She added that Nevada was also the first state Legislature to endorse the global 30X30 Initiative, which is a plan to conserve 30% of nature by 2030 - to avoid what Hamby called a ‘biodiversity crisis.’ ‘They’ve made progress towards that goal too, opening a couple new state parks,’ said Hamby, ‘and again this is a state doesn’t always have as much of a surface area to work with - and this shows that is OK. You can be a conservation leader with your state-level policies in place for the lands that you do manage on behalf of Nevadans.’” [Public News Service, 12/23/24 (+)]

 

Public News Service | Report: Utah Lags On Conservation Policy — “Among Western states, Utah could be doing more to support conservation policy, according to a new report by the Center for Western Priorities. The Center’s Policy Director Rachael Hamby said its latest scorecard looks at three categories -- land protection and access, responsible energy development, and land use and planning for growth. Hamby said Utah could improve its standing by increasing its funding for conservation programs and strengthening its commitment to public land protections. ‘In any of the benchmarks that we looked at in the scorecard,’ said Hamby, ‘any state can find another Western state that is doing well, that provides a successful model that they can learn from, as they are trying to address a policy area where maybe they have room to improve.’ Hamby said Western states have a lot in common when it comes to the unique landscapes and conservation challenges they face.” [St George News, 12/26/24 (+)]

 

CAP Presses For Calif. Monument — “The Center for American Progress issued a report Monday urging Biden to designate the Chuckwalla National Monument in southern California before he leaves office. Chuckwalla is one of many potential monuments being pushed by activists, but the analysis by CAP and Conservation Science Partners finds that the area ‘contains some of the most varied and rare ecosystems and wildlife in the West and supports more ecological connectivity than any other’ BLM lands in California.” [Politico, 12/24/24 (+)]

 

 

Alaska

 

Bid Opening For Oil Lease Sale In Alaska’s Arctic National Wildlife Refuge Delayed By One Day — “Bids for oil exploration rights in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge’s coastal plain will be opened on Jan. 10, a day later than originally scheduled, the U.S. Bureau of Land Management has said. The one-day delay is because President Joe Biden has ordered federal offices to be closed on Jan. 9 in honor of the late President Jimmy Carter, the BLM said Tuesday. The 37th president died on Sunday at the age of 100. All other aspects of the lease sale remain the same, including a requirement that sealed bids be submitted by Jan. 6, the BLM said. The Arctic National Wildlife Refuge lease sale was mandated in federal tax legislation passed in 2017. That bill ordered the Department of the Interior to hold two lease sales in the refuge’s coastal plain, each offering at least 400,000 acres. The first lease sale was held on Jan. 6, 2021, one of the last days of the prior Trump administration. That sale drew no bids from major oil companies. The Alaska Industrial Development and Export Authority, a state development agency, was the main bidder. No exploration has resulted from that lease sale.” [Alaska Beacon, 12/31/24 (=)]

 

Biden Admin Invoked ‘Indigenous Knowledge’ To Cut Alaska Drilling, But Some Tribal Leaders Are Ready For Trump — “The Biden administration justified major crackdowns on fossil fuel and mineral development in Alaska by playing up its commitment to Native American tribes, but some community leaders who spoke with the Daily Caller News Foundation said they did not feel respected by the administration Over the course of the last four years, the Biden administration moved to shut down drilling activity on tens millions of acres of land in the National Petroleum Reserve-Alaska (NPR-A) and the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR), retroactively canceled lease sales and effectively blocked a major mining project in the state, often touting the administration’s commitment to protecting the environment for native communities in official statements and press releases. However, these actions were a major disappointment to some of Alaska’s natives, who told the DCNF that the administration seems to have mostly ignored their desire to allow development that generates revenues for their communities and that they are ready to work with the incoming Trump administration to strike an appropriate balance.” [The Daily Caller, 12/26/24 (-)]

 

New Conservation Program On Alaska’s North Slope To Offset Willow Drilling Impact — “As ConocoPhillips builds its huge Willow oil drilling project on the western side of Alaska’s North Slope, federal regulators and residents of the nearest Iñupiat village have struck a deal for a new type of environmental oversight to minimize impact of the development. The U.S. Bureau of Land Management announced last week that it signed a right-of-way agreement with a partnership comprising the Nuiqsut city government, Nuiqsut’s tribal government and the Kuukpik Corp., the Inupiat village’s for-profit Native corporation. The three entities, combined to form Nuiqsut Trilateral Inc., have authority over about 1 million acres of land encircling Teshekpuk Lake, the largest lake on the North Slope. The area is key habitat for the Teshekpuk Caribou Herd, among other wildlife populations. The right-of-way agreement prohibits any new leasing, roads, any surface or subsurface exploration activities or oil-related gravel or sand mining on that parcel of land for the duration of Willow’s operations.” [Alaska Beacon, 12/23/24 (=)]

 

Alaska Governor Asks Trump To End Oil & Gas Drilling Restrictions — “Alaska Governor Mike Dunleavy has asked President-elect Donald Trump to issue a state-specific executive order that includes oil and gas exploration in the pristine Arctic National Wildlife Refuge and reversing restrictions on logging and road-building in a temperate rainforest that provides habitat for wolves, bears, and salmon. Alaska Governor Mike Dunleavy and other Republican leaders are excited about the possibility of Donald Trump returning to the White House. They believe Trump would be more supportive of developing Alaska’s oil, gas, and other natural resources compared to President Joe Biden. Alaska has a history of opposing federal decisions it sees as limiting its resource development. In a letter to Trump dated November 15, Dunleavy outlined his requests, including creating a cabinet-level task force to coordinate policies for Alaska involving agencies like the Interior Department and the Environmental Protection Agency.” [Big News Network, 12/25/24 (=)]

 

Trump Promises, Again, To Replace ‘Denali’ With ‘McKinley’ — “President-elect Trump on Sunday pledged to erase Alaska’s Mount Denali name and restore its prior designation as Mount McKinley, casting the provocative move both as a suitable honor for one of his 19th-century predecessors and as a rebuke to 21st-century woke culture. Citing in particular former President William McKinley’s use of tariffs on imports, Trump included the mountain renaming in a grab bag of preinauguration threats and promises that ranged from taking back the Panama Canal to once more naming military bases for Civil War Confederate officers. ‘McKinley was a very good, maybe a great president. They took his name off Mount McKinley, right? That’s what they do to people,’ Trump told an enthusiastic audience at a conference in Arizona, adding that ‘we’re going to bring back the name of Mount McKinley, because I think he deserves it. There are lots of things we can name, but I think he deserves it.’ Alaskan elected officials quickly denounced Trump’s notion of stripping an Alaska Native name from the 20,310-foot-high mountain. ‘There is only one name worthy of North America’s tallest mountain: Denali — the Great One,’ Republican Sen. Lisa Murkowski of Alaska said in a posting on the social media site X.” [E&E News, 12/23/24 (=)]

 

Arizona

 

Ariz. Agency Takes Action To Regulate Groundwater Use In Southeast — “It’s necessary to regulate groundwater in the state’s rural southeast, allowing the designation of a controlled area to stop rapid depletion of the water through agricultural use, the Arizona Department of Water Resources announced Friday. The department’s Director Tom Buschatzke said data analysis of hydrologic conditions in the state’s Willcox basin shows that the conditions have been met ‘to take necessary steps to defend our groundwater supplies for future generations.’ Under state law, Buschatzke is empowered as director to designate what is known as an ‘active management area’ for the Willcox Groundwater Basin in Arizona’s Cochise and Graham counties. ‘As my staff has made clear in public hearings held in Willcox and in response to comments on our presentations from members of the public, the hydrologic conditions in the basin meet the statutory requirements,’ he said in a statement.” [E&E News, 12/23/24 (=)]

 

Arizona's Outdoor Recreation Industry Worth $14 Billion — “Outdoor recreation’s economic impact in Arizona surged to $14 billion in 2023, a 20% increase from the prior year. Why it matters: The industry’s growth continues post-pandemic and now accounts for 2.7% of the state’s economy, according to a U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis report released last month. By the numbers: The outdoor recreation industry generated about 111,000 Arizona jobs in 2023, about 3.4% of our total employment. We saw the biggest revenue growth in industries that support outdoor recreation, like construction, lodging and other tourism-adjacent sectors. There was also significant growth in conventional outdoor activities like bicycling, hiking and camping.” [Axios, 12/23/24 (+)]

 

California

 

Biden Admin Completes Endangered Species Rules For Calif. Water Projects — “The Biden administration signed off on Friday on its plan for how to run the massive system of pumps, canals and reservoirs that moves water across California, just weeks before President-elect Donald Trump takes office with a very different vision. The Bureau of Reclamation’s record of decision closes a four-year process to overturn Trump’s previous rules for the Central Valley Project, which both environmentalists and the state of California said did not adequately protect endangered fish like the Chinook salmon and Delta smelt and sued over. The Central Valley Project, operated jointly with the California-run State Water Project, delivers water from the wetter part of Northern California to Central Valley farmers and Southern California through the sensitive habitat of the Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta. Its guidelines are a perpetual political football, and the Biden administration’s under-the-wire plan is likely to face at least some opposition from Trump, who vowed on the campaign trail to send more water to conservative-leaning Central Valley farmers. The Trump transition team did not commit to any specific action following the decision Friday.” [E&E News, 12/23/24 (=)]

 

Operation Donkey Removal: San Bernardino County To Capture Wild Burros In Controversial Plan — “San Bernardino County has partnered with Peaceful Valley Donkey Rescue (PVDR) to capture the infamous wild burros that call the shrubs and underpasses of Southern California home. The rescue will provide needed medical assessments and treatment to the donkeys of the unincorporated Reche Canyon area of San Bernardino County and safely relocate them to sanctuaries in Arizona and Texas, county officials said. According to San Bernardino County Public Health, burro herds double every four years and their increasing numbers put residents and the wild animals at risk. PVDR, a national leader in burro rescue and rehabilitation with over 20 years of experience, has been employed as a volunteer to help assist with this problem and ‘provide [the burros] with a second chance to live safe and healthy lives,’ San Bernardino County said as a part of the news release online.” [Victorville Daily Press, 12/20/24 (=)]

 

Colorado

 

Dolores Monument Proposal Divides Public — “People with a shared love of the Dolores River region in Mesa and Montrose counties have some starkly different ideas about how it should be managed, as an emerging debate this year over a proposed national monument there revealed. A group called the Protect the Dolores Coalition has released a draft proposal for a national monument covering some 400,000 acres in the two counties and a small portion of San Miguel County. They say the proposed Dolores Canyons National Monument would conserve the region’s outstanding ecological, cultural, historical and recreational resources. They say the region faces threats from sources such as climate change, mining exploration, unplanned recreation and development pressures. But they also say their proposal excludes 90% of existing mining claims in the Dolores River watershed, wouldn’t prevent public-lands grazing, wouldn’t result in entrance fees being charged, would allow mountain biking, would support access to high-value motorized trails, and would maintain public access to hunting.” [Grand Junction Daily Sentinel, 12/27/24 (=)]

 

Rocky Mountain PBS | In Colorado, A Marriage Of Solar Energy And Farming Provides A Model For A More Sustainable Future — “The fields surrounding Byron Kominek’s farm lay fallow. But on a sunny morning in mid-December, Kominek harvests the sun’s rays. The idea to add solar panels to his family’s 24-acre farm emerged out of necessity. ‘Without much farming experience, it’s hard to just jump into agriculture and expect to make a living on it. Solar was a way to have a long-term, steady income.’ said Kominek, who moved to his grandfather’s farm in 2016 and now runs Jack’s Solar Garden — a nationally recognized site for agrivoltaic research named in honor of his grandfather. Today, Kominek’s 3,276 solar panels generate enough electricity to power approximately 300 homes (the panels themselves take up just four acres of the property). This year delivered Denver’s second hottest summer on record. As temperatures rise, agrivoltaics could provide a blueprint for how farmers can adapt.” [Aspen Public Radio, 12/20/24 (=)]

 

Four Corners Public Radio | A Public Lands Celebration Was Held In Southwest Colorado In Response To A Recent Land-Grab Attempt — “Ten miles north of Mancos, Colorado, in the San Juan National Forest, about 200 community members, land owners, tribal members, and people passionate about public land recently gathered at the Chicken Creek trailhead to dr i nk hot cocoa and listen to live music . The blue sky, crisp winter air, and tall ponderosa pine trees made an idyllic scene for gathering to celebrate public lands. Regina Lopez-Whiteskunk is a Ute Mountain Ute tribal member. She spoke to the crowd about the meaning of feeling connected to the land. ‘We are the land. She is us. Without that, we wouldn’t have anything beneath our feet. Without that, we wouldn’t have much to fight for. Indigenous people, this is our identity. Each of you has a place on this earth that your family derives from. You are Indigenous to some place on this earth,’ said Whiteskunk. The San Juan National Forest is 1.8 million acres in size. It’s a shared space used by members of the public, including land owners, Native Americans, cattle ranchers, skiers, snowmobile riders, snowshoers, hikers, campers, and more.” [Aspen Public Radio, 12/20/24 (=)]

 

Bill Directing Sale Of Clifton Federal Land To County Clears Congress — “A bill that directs the Bureau of Land Management to sell 31 acres of land in the Clifton area to Mesa County for economic development has been passed by the U.S. Senate and is now headed to President Joe Biden’s desk to be signed into law. The Clifton Opportunities Now for Vibrant Economic Yields, or CONVEY, Act was sponsored in the Senate by U.S. Sens. John Hickenlooper and Michael Bennet, both D-Colo. A companion bill sponsored by U.S. Rep. Lauren Boebert, R-Colo., previously cleared the House with bipartisan support. ‘The federal government has already determined that it no longer needs this land, and Mesa County has plans for ways to put it to work,’ Hickenlooper said in a news release. ‘This is a win-win for the federal government and for Mesa.’ ‘Mesa County has made significant strides to secure a vibrant future for Clifton, and our legislation would be one more step towards prosperity for the community,’ Bennet said in the release.” [Grand Junction Daily Sentinel, 12/22/24 (=)]

 

Florida

 

Florida For Sale? Environmentalists Worry That State’s Conservation Lands Face Uncertain Future. — “Some environmentalists are worried that Florida’s long-running support for conservation is under threat, despite new infusions of hundreds of millions of dollars. Florida’s natural habitats and wildlife are considered crown jewels of the state that are important to Floridians’ way of life and the state’s economy. But some environmentalists are increasingly concerned about the direction the state is heading, including talk by some state leaders of selling or trading land, and a recent failed push by Gov. Ron DeSantis’ administration to build golf courses and lodging at state parks. And the state’s recent focus on easements paying farmers not to develop their land within the Florida Wildlife Corridor — a state-designated network of over 18 million acres — has split environmentalists, with some praising the program and others saying it comes at the expense of buying more land for parks, wildlife and and public access. ‘I think we’ve had great bipartisan support for our public lands,’ Sarah Gledhill, Florida Wildlife Federation president, told POLITICO. ‘And we want to see those elected officials continue on that path and remain committed to the lands that all Floridians and visitors can enjoy.’” [Politico, 12/26/24 (=)]

 

Georgia

 

Interior Seeks World Heritage Status For Okefenokee Refuge — “The Interior Department announced Friday the Okefenokee swamp in Georgia will be nominated as a UNESCO World Heritage Site, a classification that would elevate its profile as one of the world’s last intact black water swamps. If formally designated, the Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge would join the ranks of more than 1,200 other global hot spots — from the Grand Canyon to the Taj Mahal in India and the Great Wall of China — in being recognized as a cultural and natural site of universal importance. The shallow wetland straddling the border between Georgia and Florida is home to threatened and endangered species like the red-cockaded woodpecker, indigo snake and wood stork. In recent years, it’s also been at the center of a fight over mining near the swamp. ‘This nomination serves as a recognition of the refuge’s unparalleled natural and cultural significance, and of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service employees, local communities and Tribes that have stewarded these lands for generations,’ Interior Secretary Deb Haaland said in a statement.” [E&E News, 12/20/24 (=)]

 

Idaho

 

Grant Brings Upgrades To Three Southwest Idaho Recreation Areas — “Three outdoor recreation sites in southwest Idaho are set to receive upgrades, thanks to a new grant program aimed at improving public lands. On Dec. 11, the Foundation for America’s Public Lands awarded $565,000 to Idaho projects through the Lands to Love Catalyst Fund. This inaugural grant program supports initiatives in areas managed by the Bureau of Land Management that enhance access, stewardship and awareness of public lands and waters. The funding will benefit the Morley Nelson Snake River Birds of Prey National Conservation Area, the Ridge to Rivers trail system and the Wilson Creek Travel Management Area.” [Eastern Progress, 12/23/24 (=)]

 

Indiana

 

Indiana Permanently Protects 4,000 Acres With New Southern Indiana Fish And Wildlife Area — “Nature has reclaimed an old coal mine in southern Indiana, and state environmentalists have collaborated to ensure the land will belong to all Hoosiers. Indiana’s Department of Natural Resources, working with the Southern Indiana Sentinel Landscape initiative and The Conservation Fund, have acquired nearly 4,000 acres of diverse habitat that will become the Busseron Creek Fish and Wildlife Area in Sullivan County. ‘I am really excited to have this property and can’t wait to see how it turns out,’ said Dan Eckstein, the southwest public lands supervisor with DNR’s Division of Fish and Wildlife. The newly acquired state land has an interesting variety of landscapes, Eckstein said. There is quite a large area of bottomland forest and marshlands year round. The site also boasts grasslands, dry forests and upland areas — just about every habitat southern Indiana has to offer.” [Indianapolis Star, 12/20/24 (+)]

 

New DNR Fish And Wildlife Area Highlights Success Of Partnership With Military, Conservation Groups — “Nearly 4,000 acres in Sullivan County will become the new Busseron Creek Fish and Wildlife Area. The Indiana Department of Natural Resources was able to acquire more land, faster with the help of partners like the Southern Indiana Sentinel Landscape, the Conservation Fund and the Nature Conservancy. Dan Eckstein is the southwest public lands supervisor for the DNR’s Division of Fish and Wildlife. He said Busseron Creek is 100 times the size of what the agency can usually acquire for a property like this on its own — at least in one go. ‘4,000 acres is basically the average size of what we would consider a major wildlife area. So we’re able to basically acquire a wildlife area at one time — which is pretty cool,’ Eckstein said. In addition to a place where Hoosiers can hunt, hike and watch birds — Busseron Creek will also be part of the Southern Indiana Sentinel Landscape. It’s a project that helps protect natural resources while also creating a buffer between the public and military operations. In this case, the Lake Glendora Test Facility.” [WBAA-Radio, 12/23/24 (=)]

 

Massachusetts

 

Biden Administration Approves Its 11th U.S. Offshore Wind Project — “The Interior Department on Friday approved its 11th commercial-scale offshore wind project approved under President Joe Biden. The approval for the SouthCoast Wind project means the department has greenlit 19 gigawatts from offshore wind projects, or enough to power more than 6 million homes, it said. The administration set a goal of deploying 30 gigawatts of offshore wind power by 2030, but the nascent U.S. industry has faced economic turbulence under Biden thanks to challenges with the supply chain and higher costs that have stymied plans. The incoming Trump administration could create further obstacles for the industry. President-elect Donald Trump has already pledged to sign an executive order ‘on Day One’ targeting the offshore wind industry.” [Politico, 12/20/24 (=)]

 

US Gives Green Light To Eleventh Offshore Wind Project — “The US Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) has approved the SouthCoast Wind Project, which could generate up to 2.4 GW of offshore wind energy for Massachusetts and Rhode Island. With the approval, the Department of Interior (DOI) and BOEM have approved over 19 GW of clean energy from offshore wind projects, enough to power more than six million homes. ‘When we walked in the door of this Administration, there were zero approved, commercial-scale offshore wind projects in federal waters. Today, I am proud to celebrate our 11th approval, a testament to the commitment and enduring progress made by the hardworking public servants at the Department of the Interior,’ said Deb Haaland, Secretary of the Interior. The SouthCoast Wind Project is expected to generate up to 2.4 GW of offshore wind energy for the two states, enough to power more than 840,000 homes. The project area covers approximately 127,388 acres, about 25 nautical miles south of Martha’s Vineyard and 20 nautical miles off Nantucket, Massachusetts.” [offshoreWIND.biz, 12/23/24 (=)]

 

US Greenlights 11th Project With Ocean Winds' Southcoast To Massachusetts ROD — “US federal regulators approved the eleventh offshore wind array today, Ocean Winds’ 2.4GW SouthCoast project off Massachusetts, raising construction-ready capacity to nearly 20GW, enough to sustain development through the four years of President-elect Donald Trump’s upcoming term. Trump is loud in his disdain for the sector and is widely expected to slow project approvals. ‘When we walked in the door of this Administration, there were zero approved, commercial-scale offshore wind projects in federal waters. Today, I am proud to celebrate our 11th approval, a testament to the commitment and enduring progress made by the hardworking public servants at the Department of the Interior (DoI),’ said Secretary of the Interior Deb Haaland.” [Recharge, 12/20/24 (+)]

 

Biden Administration Approves Southcoast As 11th Offshore Wind Project — “With exactly one month left on its watch, the Biden administration Friday announced approval for the SouthCoast Wind project, the 11th permitting since making offshore wind a top priority in January 2021. Formerly named Mayflower Wind, the projected 2.4-gigawatt turbine would be an addition to Vineyard Wind and other projects in the offshore wind energy area the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management planned off southern New England. ‘When we walked in the door of this administration, there were zero approved, commercial-scale offshore wind projects in federal waters,’ Interior Secretary Deb Haaland said in announcing the decision. ‘Today, I am proud to celebrate our 11th approval, a testament to the commitment and enduring progress made by the hardworking public servants at the Department of the Interior.’ How long that progress endures is very much in question with the impending return of Donald Trump to the White House. During his campaign Trump repeatedly committed to ending offshore wind projects immediately.” [WorkBoat, 12/20/24 (=)]

 

Nantucket Would Take $286M Blow From Whale-Strike Rule, Analysis Says — “A NOAA whale-strike reduction rule awaiting final White House approval would render a $286 million blow to Nantucket’s economy by slowing essential ferry traffic between the island community and mainland Massachusetts from November to May, according to an economic analysis from the University of Massachusetts Amherst. The study by the university’s Donahue Institute for Economic and Public Policy Research found that the popular tourist island south of Cape Cod could lose up to 1,500 jobs due to the rule’s implementation by effectively eliminating fast-ferry services that ‘are the primary mode of passenger travel to Nantucket.’ The study was commissioned by the island’s government. A current ferry commute of between 45 and 60 minutes would extend as much as 2 ½ hours, the study found, effectively reducing the number of daily round trips available to visitors and workers traveling between Nantucket and Hyannis on the mainland. The analysis further estimates that approximately $94.5 million of inbound trade could be compromised by slower vessel speed limits between November and May.” [E&E News, 12/23/24 (=)]

 

Montana

 

Montana Schools See $92 Million Investment From Public Lands — “The schools will see facility improvements and tech upgrades, Gianforte said.” [KULR-TV, 12/23/24 (=)]

 

Nevada

 

AP | Biden Moves To Bar Oil, Gas And Geothermal Development In A Nevada Mountain Range For 20 Years — “President Joe Biden’s administration said Monday it is taking steps to bar oil, gas and geothermal development for 20 years in northeastern Nevada’s Ruby Mountains. The administration said it has submitted an application to withdraw about 264,000 acres of federal lands in the area from such leasing. That starts a 90-day public comment period on the 20-year prohibition and prevents oil, gas and geothermal development for two years during the process. The lands would remain open to mining. Patrick Donnelly, Great Basin director at the Center for Biological Diversity, said in a statement that the move will stop speculative oil leasing in the area, but he still believes the protection of the Ruby Mountains is incomplete as long as mining is allowed. ‘The Ruby Mountains have no known oil reserves, and this withdrawal does nothing to ward off the truly urgent threat of gold mining,’ Donnelly said.” [NBC Philadelphia, 12/30/24 (=)]

 

Biden Moves To Lock Up Miles Of Nevada Land Under Environmental Rules — “The Biden administration is moving to lock up hundreds of thousands of acres of land weeks before he is set to leave office. The Department of the Interior (DOI) announced on Monday a slate of environmental rules for Nevada’s Ruby Mountains, including banning energy development along a large portion of the range for the next 20 years. ‘The Ruby Mountains are cherished by local communities for their scenic value, cultural heritage, numerous wildlife and benefit to the local economy through a thriving outdoor recreation industry,’ Interior Secretary Deb Haaland said in a statement. ‘Today, we are taking an important and sensible step to pause new oil and gas leasing to ensure that we have the science and public input necessary to inform proposed protections of the Ruby Mountains area for future generations.’” [Daily Wire, 12/31/24 (-)]

 

Outgoing Biden Interior Department Announces Flurry Of New Wilderness Protections — “The Biden administration proposed two rounds of new environmental protections for sites in the Western U.S. on Monday, beginning a process that would extend into the forthcoming Trump administration. The first protections announced apply to Nevada’s Ruby Mountains and would protect the range from mining for 20 years, beginning with a two-year segregation period during which no new mining claims would be allowed on an area spanning about 264,000 acres. ‘The Ruby Mountains are cherished by local communities for their scenic value, cultural heritage, numerous wildlife and benefit to the local economy through a thriving outdoor recreation industry,’ Interior Secretary Deb Haaland said in a statement Monday. ‘Today, we are taking an important and sensible step to pause new mining claims to ensure that we have the science and public input necessary to inform proposed protections of the Ruby Mountains area for future generations.’” [The Hill, 12/29/24 (+)]

 

Biden WH Trying To Stop Trump's Drilling Plans In Nevada — “The Biden administration has announced steps to protect federal lands in Nevada’s Ruby Mountains from President-elect Donald Trump’s ‘Drill, baby, drill’ agenda by petitioning to remove roughly 264,000 acres from energy development leasing. The plan for the region, referred to as ‘Nevada’s Swiss Alps,’ will stop any oil, gas, or geothermal development on the federal lands for about 20 years, the Washington Examiner reported Tuesday. The Ruby Mountains range is known for its scenic landscape and wildlife that includes mountain goats and mule deer. Mining will still be prevented in the area, and the land will remain open for recreational activities. The area is also the ancestral homeland of the Te-Moak Tribe of the Western Shoshone Indians of Nevada, and the move to withdraw it from energy development has been welcomed by environmentalists and activists.” [Newsmax, 12/31/24 (=)]

 

US Agency Takes Steps To Protect Nevada Mountains From Energy Development — “The Biden administration on Monday took steps to protect the Ruby Mountains in northeast Nevada from oil, gas and geothermal development for 20 years. The Interior Department said it had approved an application by the U.S. Forest Service to withdraw 264,442 acres of federal lands in the Ruby Mountains from mineral and geothermal leasing. The application’s approval removes the lands from development for up to two years and kicks off a 90-day period for the public to comment on the proposed 20-year withdrawal. The proposal comes three weeks before President-elect Donald Trump, who has vowed to step up domestic oil and gas production, succeeds President Joe Biden, a Democrat who has sought to conserve large amounts of public land. The lands would remain open to mining claims, the Interior Department said.” [Reuters, 12/30/24 (=)]

 

Could Nevada’s National Monuments Shrink Under Trump? — “For less than a year, the desert landscape and sacred mountains of Avi Kwa Ame have been spared from the sprawl of developers and the wandering eye of the mining industry. South of Las Vegas, the more than 500,000-acre site is holy to Yuman-speaking Native American tribes, which credit the region with being their source of life and creation. Last year — thanks to President Joe Biden’s use of a 118-year-old law — Avi Kwa Ame joined the ranks of Tule Springs, Gold Butte, and Basin and Range as a national monument in Nevada. That law, the Antiquities Act of 1906, allows the sitting president wide latitude to set aside from development swaths of public land that are considered to be of historical and scientific value. Congress has the power to establish national monuments, too. ‘It can elicit a strong response because it seems like unilateral action at the whim of the president,’ said Bret Birdsong, a UNLV law professor who served in the Obama administration’s Interior Department. ‘But it’s after a careful process.’ As President-elect Donald Trump takes office in January, conservation efforts such as the more than 25-year push to protect Avi Kwa Ame could see some friction.” [Las Vegas Review-Journal, 12/26/24 (=)]

 

Disappointment Over Updated Western Solar Plan Hits Home For Nevada Conservationists — “An updated Western Solar Plan finalized on Friday sets the course for renewable energy development across 11 states, but ignores many of the conflicts that Nevada conservationists hoped it would address. The U.S. Department of the Interior trumpeted the plan as a document that would ensure the responsible development of solar energy. It identifies 31 million acres as potential sites for renewable energy development, but acknowledges only about 700,000 acres will actually be built by 2045. Such assurances are empty for advocates who argued — and eventually filed protests — as federal land managers pushed ahead with decisions to open land to development. A public meeting in Las Vegas on Feb. 13, 2024, showed alternatives considered by the Bureau of Land Management (BLM), the agency that controls more than 60% of all the land in Nevada.” [KLAS-TV, 12/20/24 (=)]

 

Trump Promised To Fix Nevada's Housing Crisis. Can More Federal Land Help? — “Democrats and Republicans in Nevada don’t agree on much, but they do agree that more housing is needed across the state — and that the state’s vast swaths of federal land should be a part of the solution. Republican Gov. Joe Lombardo and the state’s two Democratic senators — though their approaches can differ — both want more federal land freed up to increase supply and bring down home costs. President Joe Biden’s administration was engaged on the issue, but incoming president Donald Trump has pledged to go further. … Here’s the status quo. Under the 1970s-era organizing act that set BLM’s mission, public lands can only be sold or exchanged if the agency has decided that a tract is either isolated and difficult to manage, no longer serving the purpose for which it was federally acquired or if its disposal will facilitate a public objective, including growth and economic development that cannot be achieved on other lands and that outweighs other public objectives, such as recreation.  ‘It’s specific in a good way,’ said Kate Groetzinger, the communications director for the Center for Western Priorities, which advocates for protecting public lands. ‘It ensures that the land is only being used for housing if that’s the highest and best use of the land.’  Furthermore, the land must have been identified for sale or exchange in a region’s resource management plan (RMP), which are updated sporadically — Las Vegas’ current RMP, for example, is from 1998.” [The Daily Indy, 12/29/24 (=)]

 

Nevada Receives Nearly $1.8 Million To Reduce Wildfire Risk — “Nevada is receiving nearly $1.8 million in federal funding to help reduce the risk and impact of wildfires. The Bureau of Land Management announced it would distribute the $1.79 million in funds through community assistance agreements with several agencies and non-profits. ‘Every year we see the devastating impact of wildfires across the nation,’ Kelsey Griffee, the BLM’s acting state fire management officer, said in a statement. ‘Preparing and preventing is what matters most, especially in Nevada where public lands surround so many communities.’ The Nevada Fire Chiefs Association will receive funding to support several projects that help communities across the state remove hazardous fuels, create defensible spaces and increase public awareness.” [KSNV-TV, 12/23/24 (=)]

 

States Newsroom | BLM Aims To Prioritize Amargosa Valley Solar Project, Locals Call Foul — “Federal land managers will determine whether one of the largest potential power-producing solar plants in the world can be built just up the road from a wildlife refuge home to a trove of species found nowhere else on the planet. Two months ago, renewable energy developer NextEra Energy Resources submitted plans to construct a massive 10,000 acre solar project about 16 miles north of the Ash Meadows National Wildlife Refuge, a wetland habitat with the highest concentration of unique species in the U.S. Now the Bureau of Land Management has launched a last minute review of the proposed Rock Valley Solar Project in the Amargosa Valley in Nye County, which would produce and store enough renewable energy to power about 360,000 homes in Nevada and California.” [Missoula Current, 12/23/24 (=)]

 

Nevada's Wild Horses And Burros Still The Subject Of Awe, Inhumane Treatment — “Driving over the cattle guards that mark the boundaries of the Las Vegas Valley, Southern Nevadans are likely to come across an equine friend or two. Or a herd of them. Wild horses and burros, considered to be an emblem of the unconquerable American West, have been a permanent fixture of the Great Basin and the Mojave Desert for centuries. They roam Nevada’s sprawling public, federally owned lands, of which the state has the highest percentage in the nation. Another superlative that belongs to the Silver State is the highest number of wild horses and burros. It’s home to about half of them, with more than 40,000 on federally managed land, according to the most recent estimates from both the Bureau of Land Management and the U.S. Forest Service.” [Phys.org, 12/23/24 (=)]

 

New Jersey

 

New Jersey Wind Project Asks For Another Delay — “The company expected to build the largest offshore wind project ever approved in New Jersey wants another five months to figure out if it’s viable, punting a decision until after President-elect Donald Trump’s term has begun. Leading Light Wind, a partnership of Invenergy and co-developer energyRe, does not know how it will generate the power the company promised to deliver to New Jersey or how much it will cost. In September, the state Board of Public Utilities gave Leading Light Wind until Dec. 20 to come up with a plan, after the company asked the board this summer to pause its project while it shops for turbines, the engines that help turn wind into electricity. Details of that delay request were first reported by POLITICO. But the company still doesn’t have a plan. In a new letter obtained by POLITICO, the company asked for another delay, until May 20, because the ‘company simply needs additional time to work through the present challenges,’ but ‘Invenergy remains committed to the LLW Project.’” [Politico, 12/23/24 (=)]

 

New Mexico

 

Utah Lawsuit Could Have Big Implications For New Mexico BLM Lands — “A landmark Utah lawsuit challenging the federal government’s right to control millions of acres of public lands could have big consequences in New Mexico and across the West if the U.S. Supreme Court decides to take it up. Several Republican attorneys general in other Western states have signed on to support Utah’s argument that states could better manage public lands than the federal government when it comes to everything from preventing wildfires to allowing more uses that would increase economic activity, giving a shot in the arm to struggling rural communities. ‘When we look at the economics of it, we would be ... better served to have them under state management,’ said Howard Hutchinson, executive director of a coalition of rural Arizona and New Mexico counties that has filed a ‘friend of the court’ brief in support of Utah’s case, filed in August. ‘That does not mean that we would eliminate open lands and eliminate public access to lands.’” [Santa Fe New Mexican, 12/30/24 (=)]

 

North Carolina

 

DOT Offers $25M For Red Wolf Highway Crossings — “The Department of Transportation pledged millions in funding Friday toward projects to prevent vehicle crashes into wildlife, including the construction of highway underpasses for the highly endangered red wolf in North Carolina. DOT announced the $125 million in grants as part of the wildlife crossings pilot program. North Carolina’s Department of Transportation (NCDOT) will receive $25 million for its red wolf efforts — the second-largest grant to date from the program, which was authorized by the 2021 bipartisan infrastructure law. NCDOT’s highway underpass project is one of 16 state and tribal efforts funded by the latest round of grants A first round of funding was announced last year. ‘The projects moving forward in 16 states will reduce collisions between drivers and wildlife, create places for wildlife to safely move over and under highways, and help preserve American life and property,’ said Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg in a statement.” [E&E News, 12/20/24 (+)]

 

South Dakota

 

Federal Government Approves 20-Year Mining Ban In Part Of SD’s Black Hills — “The federal government approved a 20-year ban Thursday on new mining-related activity in a portion of South Dakota’s Black Hills. The ban covers 32 square miles of federally owned land located about 20 miles west of Rapid City. The boundaries encompass the Pactola Reservoir and areas upstream that drain into the reservoir via Rapid Creek. Lilias Jarding, executive director of the Black Hills Clean Water Alliance, hailed the action as ‘an expression of the will of the people.’ ‘It definitely shows that when people get active in their communities that we can influence what happens,’ Jarding said. Advocates for the ban rallied against a proposal from Minneapolis-based F3 Gold to conduct exploratory drilling. The project’s location is in the Jenney Gulch area of the Black Hills National Forest, within a mile of Pactola Reservoir. The man-made mountain lake is the largest and deepest reservoir in the Black Hills. It’s also a popular recreation destination and a drinking-water source for Rapid City and Ellsworth Air Force Base.” [South Dakota Searchlight, 12/26/24 (=)]

 

Biden Administration Signs Off On 20-Year Mining Ban In Swath Of Black Hills — “With less than a month remaining in his presidency, President Joe Biden’s administration has taken steps to prevent mining activity near a world renowned South Dakota landmark. The Department of the Interior announced Thursday that Secretary Deb Haaland had signed Public Land Order 7956, enacting a 20-year ban on mining for 20,510 acres in the Black Hills, roughly 20 miles west of Rapid City. The order specifically protects the Pactola Reservoir–Rapid Creek Watershed, a primary source of drinking water for Rapid City and Ellsworth Air Force Base. The action follows a request from the U.S. Forest Service and aims to address concerns raised by local communities and tribal nations in the region.” [The Dakota Scout, 12/27/24 (=)]

 

Popular Black Hills Destination To Be Protected From Mining And Drilling For 20 Years — “People who love to escape to Pactola Reservoir for its mesmerizing scenery and recreational activities won’t have to worry about bumping into miners anytime soon. Thursday, Secretary of the Interior Deb Haaland signed Public Land Order 7956, establishing protections for more than 20,000 acres of water and land in the Pactola Reservoir and Rapid Creek Watershed. ‘There was the Jenny Gulch project there, they wanted to drill. This stops drilling and mining for twenty years,’ Executive Director for Black Hills Clean Water Alliance Dr. Lilias Jarding said. The order comes after a U.S. Forest Service request in March 2023 in an effort to prevent mining on 20,510 acres of National Forest land. In addition, the order also prevents the land being leased for the next two decades. As part of the process, there was a 90-day period for public comment, two tribal meetings were also held.” [KOTA-TV, 12/26/24 (=)]

 

Yahoo! News | Biden-Harris Administration Finalizes Protections For The Pactola Reservoir—Rapid Creek Watershed — “U.S. Secretary of the Interior Deb Haaland (Laguna Pueblo) has signed Public Land Order 7956, solidifying protections for the Pactola Reservoir–Rapid Creek Watershed within the Black Hills National Forest. This decision aims to safeguard the area from potential impacts of mineral exploration and development. The order, requested by the U.S. Forest Service, withdraws 20,510 acres of National Forest System land in Pennington County, South Dakota, from sale, exchange, mineral entry, and leasing for a 20-year period, subject to valid existing rights. It does not apply to non-federal lands or minerals. This action reflects responses to concerns raised by Tribes and the local community to preserve the cultural and natural resources of the area, as well as to protect municipal water supplies serving Rapid City and Ellsworth Air Force Base. As the largest and deepest reservoir in the Black Hills National Forest, Pactola Reservoir boasts 14 miles of shoreline and depths of up to 150 feet, underscoring its vital role in the region’s ecosystem and water infrastructure.” [Native News Online, 12/27/24 (=)]

 

Utah

 

BLM Nixes Trump-Era Highway In Utah Tortoise Preserve — “The Biden administration has formally rejected the Trump-era approval of a highway corridor through Utah’s Red Cliffs National Conservation Area. The record of decision released Friday by the Bureau of Land Management authorizes an alternative plan that calls for making improvements to an existing roadway overseen by the city of St. George that runs south of the Red Cliffs NCA, and away from a preserve for the federally threatened Mojave Desert tortoise. The plan also removes thousands of acres that Washington County had placed into the federal preserve as mitigation for the corridor originally approved by former Interior Secretary David Bernhardt in January 2021. That land can now be developed. This alternative ‘best meets the BLM’s requirement to address all practicable means to promote the general welfare and avoid or minimize environmental harm and is, therefore, considered the agency’s environmentally preferable alternative,’ according to the record of decision, signed by Laura Daniel-Davis, Interior’s acting deputy secretary.” [E&E News, 12/20/24 (=)]

 

Wyoming

 

BLM Finalizes Rock Springs Resource Management Plan — “The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) has finalized a plan that will guide energy development and conservation on roughly 3.6 million acres of public land near Rock Springs. The Record of Decision marks the end of a years-long process that’s drawn outcry from Wyoming officials and some residents, who say their input was overlooked and that the plan will harm the state’s energy sector. That includes Gov. Mark Gordon’s recent appeal to the agency to reconsider some aspects of the plan that Gordon said don’t align with county land use plans. BLM Principal Deputy Director Nada Culver rejected Gordon’s recommendations. ‘While it is not surprising that Wyoming’s comments were figuratively dumped in the trash, it is disappointing that despite years of collaborative work between state agencies, impacted counties, concerned citizens, and interest groups, all Wyoming is left with is this parting shot from the Biden Administration,’ Gordon wrote in a press release. … A Center for Western Priorities analysis of 35,000 public comments found that 92 percent supported the conservation measures in BLM’s first proposed management plan for the area. The Rock Springs Resource Management Plan replaces the 1997 Green River RMP.” [Wyoming Public Radio, 12/20/24 (=)]

 

Public Lands Near Rock Springs Now Off Limits — “There was no Christmas card to Wyoming from the Bureau of Land Management on Friday. Instead, a Record of Decision over land use rules in Sweetwater County arrived. The public lands are now off limits. Governor Mark Gordon reacted quickly, saying Wyoming will continue to fight over how public lands in the state should be used. The BLM signed, released and delivered their Record of Decision (ROD) for the Rock Springs Field Office Resource Management Plan (RMP). Before the ROD was issued, BLM Principal Deputy Director Nada Culver formally rejected the Governor’s appeal to his Governor’s Consistency Review response.” [Bigfoot 99, 12/23/24 (-)]

 

BLM OKs Wyoming Land-Use Plan In Republican Crosshairs — “The Biden administration approved Friday a Wyoming land-use plan that’s been criticized by Republican state leaders — opposition that could doom the National Park Service’s purchase of a coveted parcel within Grand Teton National Park. The record of decision issued Friday by the Bureau of Land Management accomplishes a BLM goal to finalize the Rock Springs Field Office resource management plan update before the Trump administration takes over next month. The plan is a scaled-back version of an original proposal released last year that drew fierce opposition from congressional and state lawmakers for proposing conservation designations on more than half the 3.6 million-acre planning area in southwest Wyoming. The final plan cuts back the number of originally proposed ‘areas of critical environmental concern’ from 16 to 12, and it shrinks the territory covered by ACECs from 1.6 million acres to about 936,000 acres, while also maintaining BLM’s plan to protect a further 227,000 acres through other conservation designations.” [E&E News, 12/20/24 (=)]

 

Conservation Groups Praise Final RMP — “The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) released the final version of the Rock Springs Resource Management Plan (RMP). This plan replaces the existing, outdated plan for the 3.6 million-acre field office in southwest Wyoming which was issued in 1997, and incorporates many of the recommendations from Governor Gordon’s Rock Springs RMP Task Force. Joshua Coursey, President of Muley Fanatic Foundation and Member of the Governor’s Rock Springs Task Force released the following statement in response: ‘Today is the culmination of fourteen years of hard work by hunters, anglers, and so many others who use and enjoy Greater Little Mountain. I want to thank the Bureau of Land Management for honoring the wishes of our communities and adopting a plan that will help conserve Little Mountain’s mule deer for years to come. Now, we must move forward. It would be a great disservice to the hunting and angling community of southwestern Wyoming if we tried to undo this plan. I trust that Governor Gordon will embrace aspects of the plan that his task force specifically recommended, including the conservation of Little Mountain, and will collaborate with BLM – and anyone else who is interested in finding solutions that work for all of Wyoming’s stakeholders – on implementing the Rock Springs plan,’ said Joshua Coursey, President and CEO of Muley Fanatic Foundation.” [Green River Star, 12/26/24 (+)]

 

Governor Gordon Reacts To BLM’s Rock Springs RMP Decision — “On Friday, the Bureau of Land Management finalized the Record of Decision for the Resource Management Plan of the Rock Springs Field Office. This decision came after BLM Principal Deputy Director Nada Culver rejected Wyoming Governor Mark Gordon’s appeal regarding his Consistency Review response. Governor’s Statement: Governor Gordon expressed his disappointment with the BLM’s decision, stating that it felt like Wyoming’s input was disregarded. He criticized the timing of the Record of Decision’s release, suggesting it was rushed to coincide with the end of the Biden administration. He highlighted the extensive collaboration between various stakeholders, including state agencies and local counties, which he feels have been overlooked. Future Actions: Governor Gordon has vowed to explore all possible avenues to contest and potentially reverse this decision. He mentioned the upcoming change in administration with President Trump and former Governor Doug Burgum at the Department of the Interior, alongside a Republican-controlled Congress, as factors that could aid in altering the course set by the current Record of Decision.” [Jackson Hole Radio, 12/22/24 (=)]

 

Feds Finalize Plan To Expand Solar Energy In Wyoming — “The Interior Department on Friday finalized its updated Western Solar Plan, potentially opening 31.7 million acres of federal public lands in the West to industrial solar energy development, including some 3.8 million acres in Wyoming. The decision comes just weeks before President-elect Donald Trump takes office, and just hours before a potential federal government shutdown. The Wyoming acreage considered suitable for solar energy represents about 20% of land overseen by the Bureau of Land Management in the state, according to the BLM. Suitable areas in Wyoming exclude sage grouse core areas and avoid ungulate migration corridors and unindustrialized areas, according to federal officials. The plan updates an effort initiated in 2012, when the federal government under then-President Barack Obama envisioned industrial-scale solar would be concentrated in very high solar potential areas of the southwest. The updated version, however — part of President Joe Biden’s goals to expand renewable energy development to address climate change — expanded the study area to include several more western states, including Wyoming.” [WyoFile, 12/20/24 (=)]

 

Grand Teton National Park Closes On Kelly Parcel — “The Kelly parcel is now officially part of Grand Teton National Park. That’s according to officials with the National Park Service, who said Monday morning that the federal government had closed the long-sought $100 million deal with the State of Wyoming. The decision means that the pristine, 640-acre parcel will be preserved in perpetuity, protecting the beginning and end of one the most iconic ungulate migrations in the lower 48 states, and otherwise preventing development on a tract of land that sees little human use but is home to some of western Wyoming’s most valuable wildlife species. At the same time, Wyoming now will have the opportunity to invest $100 million in education, either through oil and gas development or traditional investments. Over time, Wyoming Treasurer Curt Meier previously estimated, the $100 million could net Wyoming’s schools more than a billion dollars. ‘Today marks an incredible milestone, decades in the making, to permanently protect an essential wildlife migration corridor and treasured landscape within Grand Teton,’ Interior Secretary Deb Haaland said in a statement. ‘This will benefit our public lands and Wyoming’s public school students for generations to come.’” [Jackson Hole News & Guide, 12/31/24 (=)]

 

BLM Approves Two Rivers Wind Energy Project — “The Bureau of Land Management Rawlins Field Office issued a decision record Thursday approving the Two Rivers Wind Energy Project on 4,507 acres of BLM-managed land near Medicine Bow and Rock River in Carbon and Albany counties. ‘BLM continues to ensure that our public lands deliver clean energy to the nation, while also protecting wildlife habitat and other natural treasures,’ BLM Director Tracy Stone-Manning said in a news release. ‘The company’s proposal and the jobs it will create was shaped by the work we did with the Tribes, the state and the public — and it was made better for it.’ The approved project will encompass up to 15,953 acres and include up to 38 wind turbines capable of generating up to 280 megawatts, a 34.5-kilovolt collection system, two 230-kilovolt transmission lines, and other project-related infrastructure. The project would contribute enough electricity to power 120,196 homes for one year, the release states.” [Laramie Boomerang, 12/20/24 (=)]

 

 

Jimmy Carter’s Conservation Legacy — “When Jimmy Carter became an honorary national park ranger in 2016, his supporters had little doubt that the former president deserved the highest civilian award from the National Park Service. Carter’s aggressive conservation push in the late 1970s resulted in the creation of 39 new park sites. And with the stroke of a pen on Dec. 1, 1978, he used his executive authority to designate 13 national monuments in Alaska alone, giving federal protection to 56 million acres of new land and more than doubling the amount of land managed by NPS. ‘That was incredibly, incredibly bold,’ said former NPS Director Jon Jarvis, who had gone to Carter’s hometown of Plains, Georgia, to present the former president with a plaque and a broad-brimmed ranger’s hat. Of all the American presidents, Carter arguably made the biggest impact on both the park service and the state of Alaska. The nation’s longest-living former president, Carter died Sunday at the age of 100. Perhaps no one knew that more than Carter himself. Often regarded as a humble man, the 39th president nevertheless was always quick to boast about his environmental record while serving just a single term in the White House from 1977 to 1981.” [E&E News, 12/29/24 (=)]

 

Op-Ed: Federal Lands Hold The Key To Unleashing A New American Energy Revolution — According to Christopher Koopman and Josh T. Smith, “Can America build big things anymore? Donald Trump can prove that the answer is still yes — by revolutionizing how America builds energy infrastructure. In the process, he’ll transform our economy and secure our global leadership. Trump’s opportunity centers on his excellent picks for three key federal agencies: Doug Burgum at the Interior Department, Lee Zeldin at the Environmental Protection Agency and Chris Wright at the Energy Department. He should charge them with circumventing the National Environmental Policy Act — the biggest barrier to US infrastructure and energy dominance — by creating hubs where energy projects are not only welcome but speedily built. Let’s call them ‘American Abundance Zones.’ The need to move past NEPA is clear: The well-intentioned 1970 law has morphed from a simple environmental-review process into a chokehold on infrastructure development, blocking everything from solar projects in Arizona to pipelines across the Midwest to liquefied natural gas terminals in Texas.” [New York Post, 12/26/24 (~)]

 

 

 

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