Look West: Public lands and energy news from the Center for Western Priorities
** ExxonMobil says it's not interested in the Arctic
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Tuesday, April 18, 2023
Caribou inside the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge; Danielle Brigida, Wikimedia Commons ([link removed])
ExxonMobil told investors last week that it is no longer interested ([link removed]) in drilling new wells in the Arctic. A statement ([link removed]) sent to shareholders says ExxonMobil does not hold any active leases within the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge nor is it pursuing any development there. It also says that ExxonMobil is not planning any future exploration activity in the Arctic.
"ExxonMobil is recognizing what others have been saying for years: High-risk drilling for Arctic oil on land that is sacred to Indigenous people is bad business," Karlin Itchoak, Alaska regional director for The Wilderness Society, said in a statement ([link removed]) following the announcement.
The ExxonMobil announcement follows a trend of oil companies pulling out of Alaska for financial reasons. Three major oil companies relinquished drilling leases ([link removed]) in Alaska’s Arctic National Wildlife Refuge last year. Five major U.S. banks and many insurance companies have also stepped away from ([link removed]) Arctic oil financing.
Given the waning interest in Arctic drilling, the Sierra Club points out ([link removed]) that a 2024 Arctic Refuge lease sale, which is mandated by the 2017 Tax Cuts and Jobs Act, is likely to fail—just as the last Arctic Refuge lease sale failed under President Donald Trump ([link removed]) .
The Sierra Club is also using the news to call on ([link removed]) President Joe Biden to permanently protect the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. The federal government is already working on a rulemaking ([link removed]) to protect up to 13 million acres of land in the National Petroleum Reserve-Alaska, the largest contiguous area of public lands in the U.S.
Quick hits
** Native leaders work to protect sacred Little Colorado River waters
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Arizona Republic ([link removed])
** Interior OKs massive power line key for Western renewables
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E&E News ([link removed])
** Film production led by Kevin Costner damaged wildlife habitat in Utah
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Salt Lake Tribune ([link removed])
** Opinion: We must preserve vital public lands for future generations
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Vail Daily ([link removed])
** Mule deer death rates rise in western Wyoming
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WyoFile ([link removed])
** Biden's missing mine cleanup director
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Axios ([link removed])
** The 100-year-old-mistake that’s reshaping the American West
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Vox ([link removed])
** What makes California the most biodiverse state in the nation
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New York Times ([link removed])
Quote of the day
” It is indestructible. Water is alive, it is life... Mankind needs to embrace a new paradigm about the nature of water. A paradigm that mankind is not Master of Water, water is the master, so we must learn to work with and respect water.”
—Vernon Masayesva, chairman of Black Mesa Trust, Arizona Republic ([link removed])
Picture this
** @Interior ([link removed])
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It’s International Bat Appreciation Day! 🦇
From pollinating fruits to eating pesky insects, bats play an important role in our ecosystem. However, bats face significant threats, including a disease called white-nose syndrome that has killed millions of bats since its discovery.
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