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


** Dangerous heat and wildfire smoke impacting millions
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Friday, June 30, 2023
Fire and smoke map developed by EPA and U.S. Forest Service. Source: @forestservice ([link removed])

Much of the country is currently experiencing dangerous levels of extreme heat or wildfire smoke ([link removed]) . At least 15 people ([link removed]) in the United States have died in recent days. The air quality in Toronto was the worst in the world this week as wildfire smoke from other parts of Canada blanketed the city. The smoke made its way south, shrouding the Eastern United States in toxic air. The National Gallery In Washington, D.C. closed its outdoor sculpture garden “due to air quality. ([link removed]) ”

Meanwhile, a heat dome that stretches from Texas to Florida and up to Missouri ([link removed]) is ratcheting up the heat index (a combination of temperature and humidity) to above 110 degrees Fahrenheit in some places. With no relief in sight, temperatures are projected to climb 15 to 20 degrees above normal in much of the region through the weekend. The abundance of solar and wind power generation and storage is what's keeping Texas' power grid from experiencing disruptions ([link removed]) and allowing residents to stay cool despite the punishing heat wave.

On the West Coast, a heat dome is expected to form over California ([link removed]) , covering Sacramento and the San Joaquin Valley with excessive heat warnings in a region where thousands of farm workers labor outdoors.

Both extreme heat and wildfires are aggravated by the greenhouse gas emissions ([link removed]) that come from the burning of fossil fuels. Kim Cobb, a climate scientist and director of the Institute at Brown for Environment and Society, said the week’s events embodied the “multiple stressors linked to man-made climate change” that the United Nations has warned about through its scientific panel on global warming ([link removed]) . “If ever there was a moment to stop and re-evaluate our fossil fuel emissions trajectory, that moment is now,” she said ([link removed]) .


** Happy 4th of July!
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Look West is taking a break next week. We'll be back in your inbox with more public lands news on Monday, July 10. Until then, have a safe and fun July 4th holiday!
Quick hits


** Anti-public lands rule rhetoric gets wacky
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High Country News ([link removed])


** The last ditch effort to stall a massive lithium mine in Nevada
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NPR ([link removed]) | E&E News ([link removed])


** Dangerous heat and wildfire smoke impacting millions
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New York Times ([link removed])


** Utility blamed for helping spark Marshall Fire surveys 1,300 miles of power lines to assess fire risk
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Colorado Sun ([link removed])


** Farmers push for stronger safeguards after leaking gas line destroyed their home
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Denver Post ([link removed])


** New Mexico regulators fine Texas oil company $40 million for burning off vast amount of natural gas
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Associated Press ([link removed]) | Albuquerque Journal ([link removed]) | NM Political Report ([link removed])


** Aerial sensing systems help find underground water from 100 feet in the air
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Colorado Public Radio ([link removed])


** Alaska regulators propose $914,000 fine against ConocoPhillips for gas blowout and leak
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Anchorage Daily News ([link removed])
Quote of the day
” What I see with tribes, especially with the Ute Mountain Ute tribe, is that they are continuously requesting that they be present and incorporated and included in the discussions for the future of water management, and not be treated as an afterthought or excluded from those conversations—as they have historically.”
—Amorina Lee-Martinez, PhD, speaking about water management around the Dolores River, CPR ([link removed])
Picture this


** @NatlParkService ([link removed])
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It’s not the heat that gets you, it’s the dinosaurs. 🦖 🦕

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