Look West: Public lands and energy news from the Center for Western Priorities


** New report identifies importance of proposed conservation rule
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Thursday, June 15, 2023
The United States Capitol | house.gov ([link removed])

To steward America's public lands for future generations, the Biden administration needs to finalize strong, durable conservation regulations, according to a new report ([link removed]) by the Center for American Progress.

The report, which analyzes the importance of conservation for the benefit of wildlife habitat, outdoor recreation, economic health, and cultural preservation, highlights the opportunity for the Biden administration to provide necessary conservation for unprotected public lands by bolstering and implementing the Public Lands Rule ([link removed]) —a Bureau of Land Management proposal to put conservation on equal footing with other uses on public lands, including drilling, grazing, and mining.

This morning, the House Natural Resources Committee is holding a hearing ([link removed]) on a bill that would preemptively block the proposed rule.

"The pearl-clutching opposition to a draft proposal is perplexing," Center for Western Priorities Deputy Director Aaron Weiss said in a statement ([link removed]) leading up to the hearing. "The entire point of a public comment period is to refine a new rule so that it can best achieve its goals. Instead of holding bombastic hearings to decry a work-in-progress, members of Congress should sit down with the authors of the proposed rule, understand how and why it’s written the way it is, and provide constructive feedback to help make it even better."


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BLM Restoration Landscapes: Southeast Oregon Sagebrush
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In celebration of the Bureau of Land Management’s $161 million investment in Western landscape restoration projects ([link removed]) , Look West is highlighting a different " ([link removed]) Restoration Landscape ([link removed]) " ([link removed]) each day for 21 days. Today’s landscape is the Southeast Oregon Sagebrush. An investment of $5 million will go toward planting sagebrush, treating invasive vegetation, promoting growth of native vegetation, and creating fuel breaks in uplands, resultantly restoring habitat for hundreds of species, including the greater sage-grouse.
Quick hits


** Audit finds Colorado failed to properly regulate gas pipelines, penalize providers after explosions
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Denver Post ([link removed])


** How Apache opposition to Oak Flat copper mine became a religious liberty test
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Los Angeles Times ([link removed])


** Climate-smart cowboys hope regenerative cattle ranching can heal the land, sequester carbon
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Inside Climate News ([link removed])


** How Arizona squeezes Tribes for water
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High Country News ([link removed])


** Charles Wilkinson, professor who advocated for key land and water rights for Native American Tribes, has died
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Colorado Sun ([link removed])


** Prescribed burns could slash wildfires' toll on air quality
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E&E News ([link removed])


** Mountain West to receive millions for wildfire and flood relief
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Wyoming Public Media ([link removed])


** In New Mexico, groups defend lesser prairie chicken's federal protections
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Carlsbad Current-Argus ([link removed])
Quote of the day
” It’s not just an Apache fight. It’s become so much bigger. It’s become a fight for humanity, a fight for ethics, about the freedom of religion. It’s about the fundamental morals of this country.”
—Naelyn Pike, Member of the San Carlos Apache Tribe, on the Resolution Copper Mine at Oak Flat, Los Angeles Times ([link removed])
Picture this


** @Interior ([link removed])
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Our public lands provide millions of visitors some of the greatest wildlife viewing opportunities in the world. The safety of these animals, as well as your safety, depends on everyone using good judgment and following the rules.

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