President Biden has a lot to brag about, and opportunities to do more.
Look West: Public lands and energy news from the Center for Western Priorities
** The state of America's public lands in 2024, by the numbers
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Wednesday, March 6, 2024
President Joe Biden designating Baaj Nwaavjo I'tah Kukveni-Ancestral Footprints of the Grand Canyon National Monument in August 2023, Department of the Interior ([link removed])
On Thursday, President Joe Biden will deliver the final State of the Union address of his first term. America's public lands are in far better shape now than when President Biden took office, and the president has a lot to brag about. So far, President Biden has designated five new national monuments using his authority under the Antiquities Act, protecting 1.5 million acres of national public lands. However, it's been over 200 days since the last national monument designation. With just over 10 months left in his first term, President Biden has the opportunity to protect one or more new national monuments each month. Recent polling from Colorado College ([link removed]) shows that 85 percent of Western voters support national monument designations and other conservation actions.
Now that oil and gas companies have to pay $5 per acre to nominate public lands for oil and gas leasing following the passage of the Inflation Reduction Act, companies nominated 95,029 acres in 2023, a 98 percent decrease compared to 2019 when nominations could be made anonymously and for free. And yet the oil and gas industry seems to be doing just fine—1.3 billion barrels of oil have been produced on public lands during President Biden's term so far, nearly double what was produced during a comparable period during President Donald Trump's administration. This record production shows that industry claims of “Biden’s war on oil and gas” are a myth. Oil and gas companies are still sitting on years of leased but unused acres and already-approved drilling permits.
For more on what to watch for in tomorrow's State of the Union address, dive into the numbers in a new blog post ([link removed]) by Center for Western Priorities Deputy Director Aaron Weiss, and read CWP's progress report ([link removed]) on President Biden's third year in office.
** Quick hits
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BLM ramps up conservation focus on public lands
E&E News ([link removed])
There's a reason Exxon Mobil's CEO says its emissions are your fault
Grist ([link removed])
Lawsuit claims oil well sales were designed to avoid environmental clean-up
Westword ([link removed])
Exploratory drilling for uranium begins across the road from Bears Ears National Monument
Salt Lake Tribune ([link removed]) | KTVX ([link removed])
Fast-tracked Arizona mining project sparks concerns for air and water
The Guardian ([link removed])
A new law seeks to tame mineral extraction at the Great Salt Lake
High Country News ([link removed])
Colorado River states prepare competing proposals ahead of approaching deadline, as feds release emergency plan
KUNC ([link removed]) | E&E News ([link removed]) | KSL ([link removed]) | Arizona Republic ([link removed])
A new satellite will track methane pollution from the oil and gas industry
NPR ([link removed]) | Washington Post ([link removed]) | New York Times ([link removed])
** Quote of the day
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” We need to rethink this dynamic—we can’t just keep sacrificing local communities in the name of energy security or decarbonization.”
—Alida Cantor, Portland State University, The Guardian ([link removed])
** Picture This
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@usinterior ([link removed])
Growing over 40 feet tall and as old as 200 years, the stunning saguaro cactus found at @saguaronationalpark ([link removed]) is an iconic symbol of the American West. The tallest saguaro cactus ever measured towered over 78 feet into the air.
Photo by David Olsen
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