** July, in brief
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Supporters of the proposed national monument outside a public meeting in Flagstaff, Arizona. Photo: Kate Groetzinger, Center for Western Priorities


** Key news from July:
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* The Bureau of Land Management ([link removed]) 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 ([link removed]) 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. The Center for Western Priorities' latest blog post ([link removed]) tracks the Biden administration's proposed reforms to federal oil and gas leasing.
* President Joe Biden used his authority under the Antiquities Act to designate the Emmett Till and Mamie Till-Mobley National Monument ([link removed]) . The gruesome murder of 14-year-old Emmett Till in Mississippi in 1955 shocked the nation and helped catalyze the modern civil rights movement—in part due to the insistence of Mamie Till-Mobley, Emmett Till’s mother, that the injustice and violence of her son’s death be publicized. The monument will be managed by the National Park Service and includes three locations: Roberts Temple Church of God in Christ in Chicago where Emmett Till’s funeral was held; Graball Landing in Mississippi, believed to be where Till’s mutilated body was pulled from the Tallahatchie River; and the Tallahatchie County Second District Courthouse in Sumner, Mississippi, where Till’s murderers were tried and acquitted by an all-white jury.
* A statistical analysis ([link removed]) of more than 150,000 public comments finds nearly universal support ([link removed]) for the Bureau of Land Management’s proposed Conservation and Landscape Health Rule, colloquially known as the Public Lands Rule ([link removed]) . The Center for Western Priorities performed a sentiment analysis on a random sample of 10,000 public comments submitted to regulations.gov ([link removed]) , which found 92 percent of the comments encouraged the Interior Department to adopt the Public Lands Rule as written or strengthen its conservation measures. 4.5 percent of
comments encouraged the department to withdraw or significantly weaken the rule. Another 3.5 percent of comments did not express a clear opinion in support or opposition to the rule.
* The Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee's subcommittee on public lands, forests, and mining heard a slate of pro-conservation legislation ([link removed]) . The bills considered include protections for the Dolores River ([link removed]) , the Thompson Divide ([link removed]) and additional areas of Colorado ([link removed]) , Oregon’s Owyhee Canyonlands ([link removed]) , and the Olympic National Forest in Washington
([link removed]) . The subcommittee also heard testimony on a bill that would ([link removed]) discourage speculative leasing of public lands ([link removed]) that are unlikely to ever produce oil and gas. While these bills are moving in the Senate, they face an uphill battle in the House. The House Natural Resources Committee, which will hear these bills or their House companions, is focused on eroding protections for public lands rather than creating them.
* Over 500 people attended a public meeting in Flagstaff, Arizona to comment on the proposed Baaj Nwaavjo I'tah Kukveni Grand Canyon National Monument. The meeting, hosted by the Bureau of Land Management and the U.S. Forest Service, was held to hear from Tribes and communities ([link removed]) about a proposal from the Grand Canyon Tribal Coalition to protect approximately 1.1 million acres of land that is near the Grand Canyon but not part of the existing national park. Comments offered were overwhelmingly in support ([link removed]) of the proposal. Supporters also demonstrated ([link removed]) outside the meeting. Congressmen Raúl Grijalva and Ruben Gallego, both of Arizona, have also introduced
legislation ([link removed]) to create a monument; a companion bill ([link removed]) has been introduced by Arizona Senators Mark Kelly and Kyrsten Sinema. Legislation to protect this area has been introduced in every Congress since 2008 but has languished along with other popular conservation proposals ([link removed]) in recent years. Tribal and community members encouraged ([link removed]) President Biden to consider exercising his authority under the Antiquities Act to designate a national monument.


** What to watch for in August:
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* The Bureau of Land Management will host ([link removed]) a series of public meetings ([link removed]) about the proposed oil and gas rule ([link removed]) .
* Will the Bureau of Land Management issue new rules on public lands grazing?
* Will the Interagency Working Group report on hardrock mining be released?
* As members of Congress spend time in their home states during the August recess, will they recognize the importance of public lands to outdoor voters in their states?


** From the Center for Western Priorities:
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[link removed]


** Winning the West: More Monuments
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A new ad campaign from the Center for Western Priorities is urging President Joe Biden to designate new national monuments in order to protect several American landscapes and inspire voters.

The ad, “More Monuments ([link removed]) ,” reminds President Biden that outdoor voters place an emphasis on protecting public lands, making the designation of new national monuments important to the administration’s conservation record. The ad is part of a six-figure ad buy that will air on CNN and MSNBC in the Denver, Phoenix, Tucson, and Reno markets, on Hulu in Washington, DC and online over the next six weeks.

“Our latest ad sends a clear message to President Biden that the designation of new national monuments is good for his conservation legacy and for inspiring Westerners with real progress,” Center for Western Priorities executive director Jennifer Rokala said. “The Winning the West project demonstrates time and again that conservation is both a winning and a unifying issue in the West. We hope President Biden will take this opportunity to inspire millions by continuing to safeguard our cherished landscapes for generations to come.”
[link removed]


** Road to 30 Postcards: Pacific Remote Islands
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In the Pacific Ocean, about 1,200 miles east of the Marianas, 900 miles southwest of the Hawaiian islands, and 1,000 miles north of Samoa, sits a collection of seven islands and atolls ([link removed]) known as Pacific Remote Islands ([link removed]) (PRI) Marine National Monument.

A new post ([link removed]) as part of the Center for Western Priorities' Road to 30 Postcards ([link removed]) campaign explores the historic and cultural significance of Pacific Remote Islands Marine National Monument—one of the most biodiverse marine ecosystems in the world—and the opportunity for President Joe Biden to permanently protect the seascape.

Not only would the proposed PRI National Marine Sanctuary ensure permanent protections for a critical ocean enclave while honoring cultural traditions and history, it would fulfill the Biden administration’s promise to protect 30 percent of U.S. waters by 2030 ([link removed]) .

"In a world of climate change where we know things are being pushed away from the Western Pacific, this is the perfect place to set up what I call kind of a bank account," said Robert Richmond, research professor and Director of the Kewala Marine Laboratory at University of Hawaii Manoa, in a conversation ([link removed]) with the Center for Western Priorities. "The living resources are your principal and their reproductive output is the interest."

Learn more about the effort to protect the Pacific Remote Islands ([link removed]) in the Center for Western Priorities' latest Postcard in our Road to 30 series ([link removed]) , highlighting the opportunities and ways President Biden can put America on track to reach the goal of protecting 30 percent of America's lands and waters by the end of the decade.
[link removed]


** Taking stock of the Biden administration’s oil and gas reforms ([link removed])
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From ending sweetheart deals for oil and gas companies to protecting America’s environment and wildlife, changes are underway for oil and gas drilling on public lands.

[link removed]


** How the Farm Bill can supercharge conservation on private and public lands ([link removed])
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The Farm Bill provides an opportunity for policymakers to comprehensively address agricultural and food issues while providing incentives for voluntary private land conservation.

[link removed]


** Oil industry to Wyoming public lands: We’re just not that into you ([link removed])
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The Bureau of Land Management held one of the first lease sales held since the passage of the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) in August 2022, which made a number of important changes to the onshore oil and gas leasing program.

[link removed]

The Bureau of Land Management just proposed a rule that would essentially codify the oil and gas reforms in the Inflation Reduction Act as well as make a few other important changes to the federal leasing program. The proposed rule would fundamentally change the way oil and gas leasing occurs on public lands, putting the federal government in the driver’s seat instead of the oil and gas companies that have driven the process for far too long. Kate and Aaron are joined by ([link removed]) Taxpayers for Common Sense Vice President Autumn Hanna and Center for Western Priorities Policy Director Rachael Hamby to talk about it.
[link removed]

Kate and Aaron are joined by Lori Faeth ([link removed]) , senior director of government relations at the Land Trust Alliance, to discuss the Farm Bill and private land conservation. The Farm Bill conservation programs are the largest single federal source of funding for private land conservation. Farm Bill programs create significant opportunities for land trusts to protect high-priority farm and ranch lands, grasslands, wetlands and forests. The programs provide matching funds to conservation partners, helping local investments go further to protect America’s working lands
Best Reads of the Month


** Analysis: Most commenters favor BLM’s proposed public lands rule
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Boise State Public Radio ([link removed])


** Western states’ budgets, industries rely on federal lands. So does wildlife
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Idaho Capital Sun ([link removed])


** Tracing mining’s threat to U.S. waters
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New York Times ([link removed])


** Rockhounds fight for access to Mojave Trails National Monument
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Los Angeles Times ([link removed])


** Report: Outdoor recreation and oil and gas leasing reform
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Outdoor Alliance ([link removed])


** Appeals court upholds Thacker Pass approval
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Associated Press ([link removed])


** Secretary Haaland's charged mission of healing
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Washington Post ([link removed])


** Western governors want to expand geothermal development
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Wyoming Public Radio ([link removed])


** Opinion: Equitable access to the outdoors will improve health and conservation in Utah and other states
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Salt Lake Tribune ([link removed])


** Five national park destinations that aren’t parks
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New York Times ([link removed])
Quote of the month


** “My focus, and what I’m asking of my colleagues, is to manage for landscape health in everything we do. It is the narrative thread of all our work, even our partnership work. It is our obligation to the future to manage for landscape health today to leave as many options on the table as possible.”
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** —Bureau of Land Management Director Tracy Stone-Manning, Billings Gazette ([link removed])
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Picture this
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** @mypubliclands ([link removed])
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Coming out of my cave and I’ve been doing just fine.

Burrowing owls, sometimes called “howdy birds” for their tendency to nod in greeting, can be found in open areas like prairies, deserts, and grasslands. As their name suggests, they live in burrows (not caves but that rhymed 🤷) that they create or “borrow” from prairie dogs and other burrowing animals. The owlet pictured here was spotted between Steens Mountain and the Hart Mountain National Antelope Refuge in southeast Oregon. 🦉

Burrowing owl populations have been declining in recent years due to habitat loss from agriculture, construction and development activities.

📷Miranda Crowell. Burrowing owlet in southeast Oregon, Bureau of Land Management Oregon/ Washington

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