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


** Federal agency withdraws land for oil and gas leasing
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Friday, June 16, 2023
Oil pump jack near Oilmont, Montana | Jason Woodhead via Flickr ([link removed])

The Bureau of Land Management removed ([link removed]) a slate of Montana parcels proposed for a federal oil and gas lease sale following public concern that lease laws outlined in the 2022 Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) were being ignored.

The removal of parcels for leasing signifies long-overdue ([link removed]) cooperation with internal guidance to reform the oil and gas leasing system. Following the passage of the IRA, the Bureau of Land Management issued Instructional Memoranda laying out how it would lease public lands for oil and gas drilling under the new law. Since issuing the Instructional Memoranda, the BLM has not consistently followed its own guidance ([link removed]) as it offered offered parcels that had been nominated anonymously more than three years ago and proposed lease sales covering an order of magnitude more acreage than is required under law.

Historically, Montana has leased public lands for cheap ([link removed]) and generated relatively little oil. In 2020, the BLM awarded ([link removed]) 11,713 lease acres to a perfume magnate from Myanmar for about $1.50 an acre. The perfume magnate then sold the parcels, sometimes to Myanmar natives, at prices as high as 13 times what she paid.


**
BLM Restoration Landscapes: Southwest Oregon
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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 Southwest Oregon. An investment of $5 million will go toward restoring the threatened Oregon Coast coho salmon by using aquatic and upland restoration projects that also support the recovery of other fish, amphibians, birds and plants.
Quick hits


** Biden administration proposes rule to cut fees for renewable development on public lands
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The Hill ([link removed]) | E&E News ([link removed])


** Don’t be fooled by rain and snow, the Colorado River is still in serious trouble
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Denver Post ([link removed])


** Case history makes it clear: Locking out the public is illegal
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WyoFile ([link removed])


** Biden administration launches process to develop long-term Colorado River guidelines
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The Hill ([link removed]) | 8 News Now ([link removed])


** Opinion: Proposed federal rule could improve public lands management
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Salt Lake Tribune ([link removed])


** Arizona Tribes, lawmakers want new Grand Canyon national monument
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St. George News ([link removed])


** How sensors could help catch wildfires before they spread
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Washington Post ([link removed])


** Wolves that nearly died out from inbreeding recovered, now helping a remote island’s ecosystem
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Los Angeles Times ([link removed])
Quote of the day
” This is a great year but it’s not enough to get us out of this situation.”
—Jennifer Gimbel, senior water policy scholar at Colorado State University, Denver Post ([link removed])
Picture this


** @Interior ([link removed])
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Talk about eye candy!

A great way to celebrate the Earth's moon is to hike and explore America's public lands during a full moon — the next one is on July 3rd.

Photo at @ArchesNPS ([link removed]) courtesy of Zach Cooley

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