Look West: Public lands and energy news from the Center for Western Priorities
** Oil industry wants more lease sales in Wyoming, but they probably won't bid
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Wednesday, January 17, 2024
Pump jack in Natrona County, Wyoming. Photo ([link removed]) by David Korzilius, BLM.
The first of four oil and gas lease sales in Wyoming this year will likely be held in March, and it will be smaller ([link removed]) than most recent auctions. The lease sale is set to offer 20 parcels that span about 11,000 acres—substantially fewer parcels and acres than previous auctions in the state.
The decrease in parcels and acres up for auction is in line with minimal interest ([link removed]) from oil and gas companies in leasing the land. Companies are nominating smaller numbers of acres, and the IRA requires the Bureau of Land Management to offer 50 percent of acres nominated. Despite wanting ([link removed]) more acres up for auction, oil and gas companies already have access to 3.8 million acres in the state that haven't been drilled as of 2022. Last year, almost 80 percent ([link removed]) of the acres BLM offered didn’t sell at all or sold for the minimum bid.
The Biden administration has taken steps ([link removed]) to modernize the outdated oil and gas leasing system on public lands by increasing royalty rates that companies have to pay, increasing the minimum bid from $2 per acre to $10 per acre, prioritizing the protection of cultural resources and wildlife, requiring companies to pay an expression of interest fee of $5 per acre, and proposing increased bonding rates so that companies may properly meet reclamation obligations after drilling.
** Quick hits
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BP bought a sacred place in Washington. Lummi Nation is preparing to fend off development, again
Seattle Times ([link removed])
“We don’t want to be activists”: The Colorado farmers pushing for stronger pipeline safety rules
Colorado Sun ([link removed])
3 things to know about the methane fee
E&E News ([link removed])
Colorado oil and gas company ramps up production while making false "carbon neutral" claims
Colorado Newsline ([link removed])
State considers bonding reforms as it makes progress plugging orphaned oil wells
Santa Fe New Mexican ([link removed])
BLM begins second look at Uncompahgre Field Office plan
Grand Junction Daily Sentinel ([link removed])
Opinion: Can the Sierra Nevada bighorn dodge extinction? It may mean reining in wolves
Los Angeles Times ([link removed])
US in deep freeze while much of the world is extra hot. Yet again, it’s climate change
Associated Press ([link removed])
** Quote of the day
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” We have been here since the beginning of time and when the newcomers arrived, your forefathers, they saw nothing. We had everything. It was a relationship based on living with the land and equality.”
—Jay Julius, Former Lummi Chairman, Seattle Times ([link removed])
** Picture This
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@nationalparkservice ([link removed])
Today’s forecast: I can’t feel my face.
During the winter, bison develop thick, woolly coats that help protect them from freezing temperatures and harsh winds. It’s said that a bison's winter coat is so thick and provides insulation so effective that when snow accumulates on its coat, it will not melt from the heat of the bison's skin. Their skin also thickens in response to cold temperatures and fatty deposits appear to insulate the animal. Same.
No furry coat? Find tips to stay warm and safe at [link removed]
Image: The cold never bothered this bison. A snow-covered bison sits in the snow at Yellowstone National Park. NPS/Jacob W. Frank
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