** Oil and gas parcels deferred in Colorado
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Tuesday, February 4, 2020
Oil and gas drilling in Colorado | USGS ([link removed])

The Bureau of Land Management has withdrawn 14 square miles ([link removed]) of public lands in Colorado from an upcoming oil and gas lease sale scheduled for March. A 2019 injunction ([link removed]) , issued by a federal judge in Idaho, suspended the Trump administration's efforts to roll back protections for the sage-grouse, reinstating Obama-era protections in ten Western states and forcing the BLM's deferrals. Environmental groups had sued over the BLM's failure to account for the climate impacts of leasing and development, preventing the agency from offering disputed leases in numerous states.

More than 48 square miles of public lands will still be offered in the March lease sale, and the parcels that were deferred could be sold off at a later date.


** Carrying the conservation torch
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It’s fair to say that much of the Western United States as we know it today was shaped by the foresight and leadership ([link removed]) of former Interior Secretary Stewart Udall.
There will be a celebration ([link removed]) in Washington, D.C. this Friday to honor the life and legacy of Stewart Udall as one of our nation’s all-time champions for conservation, as well as emphasize the urgency of setting the course for the next 100 years of American conservation efforts.
Quick hits


** Electricity produced from nation's renewable energy sources could outpace coal by next year
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Casper Star-Tribune ([link removed])


** US Fish and Wildlife Service opposes dams along Little Colorado River
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KNAU ([link removed])


** Bellwether trial starts on Utah’s claims to 12,000 roads on public lands
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Salt Lake Tribune ([link removed])


** Carrying the torch for the next 50 years of conservation
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Westwise ([link removed])


** BLM withdraws land from Colorado oil and gas lease sale
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Associated Press ([link removed])


** New Mexico counties want say over hard-rock mining proposal on federal land
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New Mexico In Depth ([link removed])


** Environmental groups file new lawsuit against the feeding of elk on Wyoming wildlife refuge
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Associated Press ([link removed])


** Opinion: Now is the time to join together to invest in conserving New Mexico's lands
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Santa Fe New Mexican ([link removed])
Quote of the day
The future of New Mexico over the next 100 years will depend on actions taken today to ensure our natural resources continue to provide our most essential needs. We are fortunate to have our current system of national forests, parks and wildlife refuges, but these public lands alone are not enough to sustain our water supplies, wildlife populations, scenic open spaces, food security and the economic viability of our rural communities."
—Scott Wilber, New Mexico Land Conservancy & Dan Roper, New Mexico Chapter of Trout Unlimited ([link removed])
Picture this


** @YellostoneNPS ([link removed]) | The sun has set countless times on Specimen Ridge, where there is the largest concentration of petrified trees in the world. These petrified trees occur in volcanic rock and are found in the northern parts of Yellowstone. They are the result of rapid burial and silicification.
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