** Interior moves to restart coal leasing on public lands
------------------------------------------------------------
Thursday, February 27, 2020
Coal mining on public lands in Wyoming | Bureau of Land Management ([link removed])

Coal companies are going bankrupt, demand to mine coal on public lands is decreasing, but that isn't stopping the Interior Department from promoting coal mining. On Wednesday, the Bureau of Land Management moved forward with plans ([link removed]) to resume coal leasing on public lands, releasing a narrow review of just four leases, saying the move would have no significant environmental impact. “The suggestion that mining more fossil fuels from our nation’s public lands is not significant would be a joke if it weren’t so sad,” said ([link removed]) Jenny Harbine with Earthjustice.

The announcement ends a temporary pause on coal leasing that was instituted by the Obama administration while studying how to modernize the outdated federal coal program. Instead of updating coal leasing regulations to increase benefits to taxpayers and decrease environmental impacts, the Trump administration has simply turned back the clock—and faced legal defeats along the way.

Former Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke tried to resume coal leasing on public lands in 2017, only to have a judge demand ([link removed]) the department consider environmental impacts and try again. Similarly, a federal court struck down ([link removed]) the administration's effort to reopen a loophole allowing coal companies to skirt royalty payments owed to taxpayers.


** Listen: 10 years of the Conservation in the West poll
------------------------------------------------------------
Last week, Colorado College's State of the Rockies Project released its 10th annual Conservation in the West Poll ([link removed]) , finding that Westerners are increasingly demanding strong conservation and climate policies. To celebrate, the College hosted New Mexico Senator Tom Udall, Montana Governor Steve Bullock, and an expert panel for an on-campus symposium. Listen to highlights from the poll and inspiring keynote addresses in the latest episode of Go West, Young Podcast ([link removed]) .
Quick hits


** Bears Ears advisory committee, stacked with monument opponents, convenes without tribal voices
------------------------------------------------------------

KUER ([link removed])


** Tribal nation condemns "desecration" to build border wall
------------------------------------------------------------

New York Times ([link removed])


** Senators grill Forest Service chief over Trump proposal to slash Land and Water Conservation Fund budget
------------------------------------------------------------

Durango Herald ([link removed])


** Amid shrinking market, Interior Department moves to restart federal coal leases
------------------------------------------------------------

Associated Press ([link removed]) | The Hill ([link removed]) | E&E News ([link removed])


** Federal Trade Commission moves to block joint mining project by nation's two largest coal companies
------------------------------------------------------------

Casper Star-Tribune ([link removed]) | Wall Street Journal ([link removed])


** Navajo Nation-based coal company waves sovereign immunity in bid to secure Wyoming mining permits
------------------------------------------------------------

Casper Star-Tribune ([link removed]) | Associated Press ([link removed])


** Western states sue California to force coal exports
------------------------------------------------------------

Los Angeles Times ([link removed])


** It's illegal to destroy saguaro cacti. So why are they being removed for the border wall?
------------------------------------------------------------

Los Angeles Times ([link removed])
Quote of the day
Am I the only Indigenous person in the room right now? That’s unacceptable.”
—Angelo Baca, Navajo and Hopi resident of San Jaun County, attending the Bears Ears advisory committee meeting as an observer, KUER ([link removed])
Picture this

Upper Missouri River Breaks National Monument in Montana
Photo by Bob Wick | Bureau of Land Management ([link removed])

============================================================
** Twitter ([link removed])
** Facebook ([link removed])
** Medium ([link removed])
Copyright © 2020 Center for Western Priorities, All rights reserved.
You've signed up to receive Look West updates.

Center for Western Priorities
820 16th Street
Suite 450
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])