Arizona Senate President Warren Petersen and House Speaker Ben Toma filed a lawsuit Monday against President Joe Biden
Look West: Public lands and energy news from the Center for Western Priorities
** Arizona lawmakers file lawsuit over designation of Baaj Nwaavjo I'tah Kukveni National Monument
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Tuesday, February 13, 2024
President Biden signs the declaration establishing Baaj Nwaavjo I'tah Kukveni – Ancestral Footprints of the Grand Canyon National Monument. Source: ([link removed]) DOI ([link removed])
Arizona Senate President Warren Petersen and House Speaker Ben Toma filed a lawsuit Monday ([link removed]) against President Joe Biden over his decision to designate Baaj Nwaavjo I'tah Kukveni – Ancestral Footprints of the Grand Canyon National Monument. The lawmakers claim the designation is an unlawful "land grab" that exceeds the authority granted to the President by the Antiquities Act ([link removed]) .
Since President Theodore Roosevelt first invoked the Antiquities Act to establish Grand Canyon National Monument in 1908, every single challenge to a president’s authority under the Antiquities Act has failed ([link removed]) at the Supreme Court and in lower courts. Last year, a federal judge dismissed a lawsuit ([link removed]) filed by the state of Utah and several counties aiming to reverse Biden's expansions of the Bears Ears and Grand Staircase-Escalante national monuments in that state. In November, Petersen and Toma attempted to persuade the 10th Circuit Court of Appeals to overturn this decision ([link removed]) in an attempt to lay the groundwork for their case against Baaj Nwaavjo I'tah Kukveni
National Monument.
“The designation of Baaj Nwaavjo I'tah Kukveni will safeguard one of Arizona's most important water supplies, continue to support strong economic activity in communities across the state, and preserve a cultural and natural treasure for future generations,” said ([link removed]) Christian Slater, a spokesperson for Arizona Governor Katie Hobbs ([link removed]) . “Opposition to this designation goes against the best interests of all Arizonans and ignores the shared benefits of recognizing this land.”
American the Beautiful for All Coalition releases 2024 policy agenda
The America the Beautiful for All coalition ([link removed]) announced its 2024 national policy agenda ([link removed]) yesterday. In 2024 ([link removed]) , the coalition will prioritize advocating for significant conservation and equity legislation, including the Environmental Justice for All Act, the National Outdoor Opportunity Act, and the Recovering America’s Wildlife Act, among other public lands legislation. The coalition ([link removed]) , established in 2022, is led by a committee of representatives from wildlife and ocean groups, health networks, Indigenous communities, communities of color, and others. The coalition focuses on advancing the 30x30 initiative and emphasizing diversity in conservation efforts.
** Quick hits
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Arizona lawmakers sue Biden over monument near Grand Canyon
Capitol Media Services ([link removed]) | AZ Mirror ([link removed]) | Associated Press ([link removed]) | Courthouse News Service ([link removed]) | 12News ([link removed])
Two big Texas oil producers announce $26 billion merger
New York Times ([link removed]) | Reuters ([link removed]) | E&E News ([link removed])
Rare earths discovery in Wyoming could be world leader
Cowboy State Daily ([link removed])
Defense Department awards additional $34M for Idaho mine
E&E News ([link removed])
Love them or loathe them, pinyon-juniper woodlands are a growing biofuel battleground
Los Angeles Times ([link removed])
Tribe making play to end oil development at Big Cypress National Preserve
National Parks Traveler ([link removed])
What happened to the Great American Outdoors Act?
High Country News ([link removed])
Wyoming gambles on carbon sequestration and hydrogen schemes to keep fossil fuels flowing
Inside Climate News ([link removed])
** Quote of the day
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” Public lands are owned by all of us, and it’s important that we all have a chance to use them.”
—Myke Bybee, legislative director at the Trust for Public Land, High Country News ([link removed])
** Picture This
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@usinterior ([link removed])
✨ Glamour shots, by American marten ✨
The American marten – also called the pine marten – is an adorable member of the weasel family. But don’t let this sweet face fool you – these cuties can be aggressive and territorial.
These carnivorous mammals have short legs and curved claws that help them climb trees and chase prey, like squirrels, chipmunks and rabbits.
They live in forests with a mixture of coniferous and deciduous trees, like those found in the Olympic Mountains, Cascade Range, Rocky Mountains and Blue Mountains. Solitary and shy, they spend much of their time in trees but will descend at dawn or dusk to hunt small animals.
Photos by Jacob W. Frank / NPS
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