The proposed rule would affect how fossil fuels are leased and produced on national public lands.

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


** BLM oil and gas rule seeks to implement long-overdue reforms
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Friday, July 21, 2023
Oil and gas development in Wyoming, BLM Wyoming ([link removed])

On Thursday, the Bureau of Land Management released ([link removed]) a proposed oil and gas rule that would affect how fossil fuels are leased and produced on national public lands. The rule would implement the Inflation Reduction Act’s ([link removed]) reforms of the oil and gas leasing system, providing taxpayers with a fair return when public lands are leased to private companies. The proposed rule would also cut down on rampant speculative leasing in the onshore program so that those lands can instead be managed for other uses like conservation and recreation. Finally, the rule would reform the bonding rates that oil and gas companies must post in order to ensure public lands are cleaned up when companies abandon wells—a provision that was removed from the Inflation Reduction Act by the Senate parliamentarian.

"Congress overhauled the oil and gas leasing system last year. Now it’s up to the Interior Department to make those reforms stick and prevent them from being undermined by future administrations," Center for Western Priorities Policy Director Rachael Hamby said in a statement ([link removed]) . "Today’s draft rule is a major step in that direction."
Quick hits


** Proposed oil and gas rule seeks to protect taxpayers, bring balance to public land management
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E&E News ([link removed]) | The Hill ([link removed]) | Associated Press ([link removed]) | New York Times ([link removed]) | Center for Western Priorities ([link removed]) [press release]


** BLM says it erred, rescinds approval of lithium mine near Ash Meadows wildlife refuge
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Las Vegas Review Journal ([link removed]) | E&E News ([link removed])


** Spill of uranium-tainted water confirms worries about Superfund site clean-up
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Colorado Sun ([link removed])


** New Mexico to investigate PFAS in oil and gas drilling
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Carlsbad Current-Argus ([link removed]) | Utah Public Radio ([link removed])


** NV Energy to convert final coal plant to natural gas
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Nevada Independent ([link removed])


** Lawmakers consider clarifying use of fixed anchors for climbing in wilderness
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CPR News ([link removed])


** Record heat after wet spring elevates wildfire risk
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Colorado Newsline ([link removed])


** NPS Director Chuck Sams on the future of America's iconic landscapes
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Washington Post ([link removed])
Quote of the day
” It's imperative that strong bonding reforms make it through the rulemaking process intact. The Interior Department just announced it will spend hundreds of millions of taxpayer dollars cleaning up oil and gas wells abandoned by irresponsible companies. This can never happen again.”
—Rachael Hamby, Center for Western Priorities Policy Director, E&E News ([link removed])
Picture this


** @grandtetonnps ([link removed])
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"The landscapes of water and reflection have become an obsession."
-Claude Monet

Us too, Monet. Us too.

Photo courtesy of M. Walker

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