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


** What oil mega-mergers mean for climate change
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Wednesday, October 25, 2023
A Bakken oil field in North Dakota, NOAA ([link removed])

Climate activists warn that two mega-mergers ([link removed]) among oil companies could slow the energy transition and make it even less likely the world hits targets necessary to limit climate catastrophes. First, ExxonMobil's merger ([link removed]) with Pioneer Natural Resources established ExxonMobil as a dominant player in the Permian Basin across New Mexico and Texas. This week, Chevron announced ([link removed]) it's purchasing Hess in a $53 billion deal, adding to its portfolio in North Dakota's Bakken shale and overseas.

E&E News reports ([link removed]) that both companies say the mergers will allow them to increase production into the 2030s. Energy analyst Bob McNally told Axios ([link removed]) that the mergers are a sound rejection of views that global climate policies are about to cause oil demand to peak.

"Since late 2021, industry investment and politics have shifted away from keep-it-in-the-ground and back to all-of-the-above," McNally said ([link removed]) . "These moves and the dial-back on decarbonization momentum generally deeply alarms climate groups."

The mergers also draw a bigger distinction between America and Europe, where major oil companies had been diversifying more quickly into wind and solar power. The Financial Times notes ([link removed]) that the mergers will increase pressure on BP, Shell, and TotalEnergies to demonstrate that their strategies are financially sound.


** Quick hits
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Uranium hype heats up across the West

The Land Desk ([link removed])

Opinion: Despite Pendley's crackpot notions, BLM's Wyoming plan is perfectly legal and wise

Cowboy State Daily ([link removed])

Western states opposed Tribal access to the Colorado River 70 years ago—now history is repeating itself

ProPublica ([link removed])

Forest Service sued over flooding deaths in wake of New Mexico's largest wildfire

Associated Press ([link removed])

Fish & Wildlife Service proposes massive conservation area in the Everglades

Inside Climate News ([link removed])

BLM fills new senior post with longtime public lands advocate

E&E News ([link removed]) | Grand Junction Daily Sentinel ([link removed])

Opinion: Updated Crazy Mountain land exchange proposal still inadequate

Bozeman Daily Chronicle ([link removed])

Oregon bat aims to defend title in annual BLM beauty contest

KCBY ([link removed])


** Quote of the day
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” Yes, things take time. It doesn’t happen overnight, doesn’t happen over a month, a year, it takes time…It takes time to educate people, people from the … Environmental Protection Agency, from the Nuclear Regulatory Commission, to hold this mill accountable. It’s not just about money, it’s about the lives, each one of the lives that crossed this road and traveled this road. And this mill here is not in the best interest of this community, and they need to move it, close it, put it someplace else where it has no effect to life, water, or the environment. That’s what we ask.”

—Ute Mountain Ute Tribal Chairman Manuel Heart, Navajo-Hopi Observer ([link removed])


** Picture This
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@mypubliclands ([link removed])
Happy #BatWeek ([link removed]) ! Bats are amazing creatures that are vital to the health of our natural world and economy. Although we may not always see them, bats are hard at work all around the world each night - eating tons of insects, pollinating flowers, and spreading seeds that grow new plants and trees. Over 300 species of fruit depend on bats for pollination.

Did you know....The Bureau of Land Management works collaboratively with partners to conduct research, monitor bat populations, protect roosting habitat and manage your public lands with bats in mind.

Join in on this week's celebration by voting for the cutest bats of 2023 in our #BatBeautyContest ([link removed]) .🦇✨👑

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