** June, in brief
------------------------------------------------------------
[link removed]
The Owyhee River, BLM Oregon ([link removed])


** Key news from June:
------------------------------------------------------------
* The Biden administration issued an executive order ([link removed]) establishing a 20-year mineral withdrawal around New Mexico’s Chaco Canyon. The withdrawal will protect a 10-mile buffer surrounding Chaco Culture National Historical Park, a UNESCO world heritage site, removing the threat of oil and gas drilling in one of America’s most archaeologically-rich areas. It follows a two-year period in which the Interior Department studied the consequences of the withdrawal on energy production and held listening sessions ([link removed]) to solicit feedback from Tribal leaders and members of the public. Almost 60 percent of New Mexicans say they support the creation of the 10-mile buffer zone, according to CWP’s 2022 Winning the West survey ([link removed]) .
* Oregon Senators Ron Wyden and Jeff Merkley reintroduced a bill to protect more than 1 million acres of rugged wilderness in the Owyhee Canyonlands ([link removed]) , while also giving ranchers more flexibility on grazing permits and transferring land in trust to the Burns Paiute Tribe. At the same time, the Bureau of Land Management is preparing to finalize its management plan for more than 4 million acres ([link removed]) across southeastern Oregon. The BLM plans include protections for more than 400,000 acres of lands with wilderness characteristics, while still allowing off-road vehicles on more than 40,000 acres near the town of Vale. Ranchers ([link removed]) , hunters
([link removed]) , and conservation groups ([link removed]) have all praised the bill and the BLM plans.
* The Biden administration announced plans ([link removed]) to direct $161 million into ecosystem restoration projects on public lands as part of President Joe Biden’s Investing in America ([link removed]) agenda, which funds job creation in industries that boost U.S. competitiveness, rebuild infrastructure, strengthen supply chains, and help build a clean energy economy. The Bureau of Land Management will use the funds on 21 “restoration landscapes” across 11 Western states ([link removed]) , for ecosystem restoration in the sagebrush-steppe, wetland meadows, and watersheds on former industrial timberlands. These landscapes were chosen based on ecological need as well as importance to local
communities.
* 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
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.
* California Representative Judy Chu and Senator Alex Padilla are asking President Joe Biden to use his authority under the Antiquities Act to add 109,167 acres to the San Gabriel Mountains National Monument ([link removed]) , an area rich in historical and ecological significance that is within an hour’s drive of 18 million people. Expanding the monument ([link removed]) would increase its size by roughly a third ([link removed]) and would also give the U.S. Forest Service greater ability to protect natural resources and manage crowds in areas left out of the 2014 monument ([link removed]) designation
by then-President Barack Obama. “Our request would establish better protection for more areas of the San Gabriel Mountains for conservation and improve public access to a range that has served as a glorious backdrop to the downtown L.A. skyline in countless advertising campaigns and postcards,” said ([link removed]) Senator Padilla.


** What to watch for in July:
------------------------------------------------------------
* The public comment period ([link removed]) for the proposed BLM conservation rule ([link removed]) closes July 5.
* The Bureau of Reclamation is hosting public meetings and accepting comments ([link removed]) about a long-term operating plan for the Colorado River.
* Will the Interior Department publish a draft rule to lock in reforms to the oil and gas leasing system?
* Will the Interagency Working Group report on hardrock mining be released?

[link removed]


** Rhetoric vs. reality: House hearing on the Bureau of Land Management’s proposed Public Lands Rule ([link removed])
------------------------------------------------------------

Highlights and lowlights from a four-hour long conspiracy-fest.

[link removed]


** On its 117th anniversary, the Antiquities Act continues to shape America’s conservation story ([link removed])
------------------------------------------------------------

June 8 marked the 117th anniversary of one of America’s bedrock conservation laws, the Antiquities Act.

[link removed]

Kate and Aaron are joined by ([link removed]) Dr. Dominick DellaSala, Chief Scientist at Wild Heritage, a project of the Earth Island Institute, to talk about the Biden administration’s efforts to protect old growth and mature forests. They also touch on reducing wildfire risk through forest management. Dr. DellaSala is the author of over 300 science papers on forest and fire ecology, conservation biology, endangered species management, and landscape ecology.
[link removed]

Kate and Aaron are joined by ([link removed]) James Kenna, a 40-year Interior Department veteran who wore a number of hats over his decades of public service, including a stint as the California state director at Bureau of Land Management. That gave him a front row seat to land management decisions that would shape America’s energy future. Now he’s weighing in on one of the most important proposals to come from the Biden administration: the public lands rule that would put conservation on equal footing with mining, drilling, grazing, and other uses of federal lands.
[link removed]

Kate and Aaron are joined by ([link removed]) filmmaker John De Graaf to talk about his new documentary Stewart Udall and the Politics of Beauty ([link removed]) . De Graaf has been producing and directing PBS documentaries for 45 years, 32 of which he spent at KCTS, the Seattle PBS affiliate. His new film recounts former Interior Secretary Stewart Udall’s life and illustrates the impact he had on conservation in the West.
Best Reads of the Month


** Report: What Biden’s proposed conservation rule would mean for America’s most vulnerable public lands
------------------------------------------------------------

Center for American Progress ([link removed])


** Arizona limits construction around Phoenix as its water supply dwindles
------------------------------------------------------------

New York Times ([link removed])


** How the Supreme Court made it easier to destroy wetlands and streams
------------------------------------------------------------

High Country News ([link removed])


** Colorado Supreme Court deals setback to stream access
------------------------------------------------------------

Colorado Sun ([link removed])


** Editorial: BLM rule puts conservation on equal footing with oil and gas on public lands
------------------------------------------------------------

Denver Post ([link removed])


** Lawmaker claims state authority in private-to-fed land sale, but legal experts disagree
------------------------------------------------------------

WyoFile ([link removed])


** Lithium companies trying to work around 150-year-old mining law
------------------------------------------------------------

Nevada Current ([link removed])


** Report: How high-amenity communities can avoid being loved to death
------------------------------------------------------------

Headwaters Economics ([link removed])


** The key to reducing wildfire smoke? More fire.
------------------------------------------------------------

Missoulian ([link removed])


** As national parks get crowded, more Americans look to monuments and wildlife refuges
------------------------------------------------------------

The Conversation ([link removed])

Quote of the month


** “Until now, if people in the green and leafy Northeast looked at arid Western cities covered in smoke from wildfires, they could say, that can’t happen here, thank god. On Tuesday, it did...Americans elsewhere in the country who have experienced that threat mainly by scrolling in horror through amber Instagrams and dashcam footage of drives through walls of flame are beginning to realize how much farther the threat can travel.”
------------------------------------------------------------


** —David Wallace-Wells, New York Times ([link removed])
------------------------------------------------------------
Picture this
[link removed]


** @u ([link removed]) sinterior ([link removed])
------------------------------------------------------------
With rock formations that resemble something out of a science fiction movie, Ah-Shi-Sle-Pah Wilderness Study Area calls upon the imaginative spirit. The area is known for its stunning badlands and geological formations that have been sculpted by erosion over millions of years.

Ah-Shi-Sle-Pah Wilderness in northwestern New Mexico is a designated wilderness area, which means it is protected and preserved for its natural value. Visitors are encouraged to practice responsible outdoor ethics, such as staying on designated trails, leaving no trace and respecting the fragile desert ecosystem.

Photo by Jessica Fridrich

============================================================
** Twitter ([link removed])
** Facebook ([link removed])
** Medium ([link removed])
** Instagram ([link removed])
Copyright © 2023 Center for Western Priorities, All rights reserved.
You've signed up to receive Look West updates.

Center for Western Priorities
1999 Broadway
Suite 520
Denver, CO 80202
USA
** View this on the web ([link removed])

Want to change how you receive these emails?
You can ** update your preferences ([link removed])
or ** unsubscribe from this list ([link removed])