Look West: Public lands and energy news from the Center for Western Priorities
** How Biden can protect the Arctic in the wake of Willow
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Wednesday, November 15, 2023
The Teshekpuk Caribou Herd is an important subsistence resource to the residents of Atqasuk, Barrow, Nuiqsut and Wainwright in the NPR-A; BLM/Flickr ([link removed])
The National Petroleum Reserve-Alaska (NPR-A), located on Alaska's North Slope, contains nearly 23 million acres ([link removed]) , making it ten times the size of Yellowstone National Park as well as the single largest plot of contiguous public land in the United States. It contains some of the best caribou habitat in the country, which helps sustain ([link removed]) nearby Native Alaskan communities.
In March, the Biden administration approved a massive, decades-long oil drilling plan ([link removed]) called the Willow Project in the NPR-A, drawing immediate and widespread criticism ([link removed]) due to the project's climate-warming implications. But the President still has an opportunity to protect millions of acres of wild, ecologically-fragile public land inside the NPR-A, according to a new report ([link removed]) by the Center for American Progress.
The day before approving the Willow Project, the Biden administration withdrew 2.8 million acres ([link removed]) in the Beaufort Sea from future oil and gas leasing, putting the Arctic Ocean entirely off-limits to new leasing. The administration also announced it intended to strengthen protections ([link removed]) for 13 million acres of public land within the NPR-A. On September 6, 2023, the administration published a proposed rule to instill these protections.
The rule includes increased protection ([link removed]) from new oil and gas leasing for some of the most special parts of the Reserve. But it should go further, according to the CAP report. In particular, the administration should ([link removed]) include environmental limits and mitigation on new and existing leases, improve Indigenous consultation, and assess the climate impacts of the NPR-A's management. It is also imperative that the administration fast-tracks this rule so that it cannot be overturned ([link removed]) by a future administration and Congress.
** Quick hits
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Wolves have returned to California after nearly 150 years
The Guardian ([link removed])
Wind and solar energy are booming in former fossil fuel communities
Washington Post ([link removed])
Historic die-off at Wyoming elk feeding ground prompts management changes
WyoFile ([link removed])
Gila River Indian Community moves forward with first solar canal project in country
Source NM ([link removed])
As Nevada farmers retire, number of farms continues to shrink
Nevada Independent ([link removed])
Public tells Wyoming ‘don’t auction Kelly Parcel’ as developers lurk
WyoFile ([link removed])
Glacier National Park announces a pilot vehicle reservation system in 2024
Daily Montanan ([link removed]) | Montana Free Press ([link removed])
Rocky Mountain Elk acquisition creates huge block of public land in Oregon
Outdoor Life ([link removed])
** Quote of the day
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” This is a priceless piece of property, and I just think it’s the wrong move for the people of the state of Wyoming for this to be sold.”
—Wyoming Secretary of State Chuck Gray referring to the Kelly Parcel, WyoFile ([link removed])
** Picture This
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@mypubliclands ([link removed])
"Look deep into nature and then you will understand everything better." - Albert Einstein
Happy belated birthday to Arizona's Vermilion Cliffs National Monument! 👏🎊🌻
On November 9, 2000, the Vermilion Cliffs National Monument was established by Presidential proclamation. In 23 years, thanks to the dedicated efforts of our employees working closely with the public, little of the Paria Canyon-Vermilion Cliffs Wilderness within the monument has changed. The area remains a monument to the beauty it contains and a place where visitors can continue to enjoy the experience of hiking 190-million-year-old petrified sand dunes and awe-inspiring canyons.
📸Hiker looks up towards surrounding vertical rocks at Coyote Buttes; Bob Wick
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