Also receiving a brief mention: Biden's commitment to conserving 30 percent of America's lands and waters by 2030.

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


** Biden touts climate investments in State of the Union
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Friday, March 8, 2024
President Joe Biden delivers the State of the Union address, @POTUS on X ([link removed])

In the State of the Union address, President Joe Biden highlighted investments in efforts to confront climate change and transition to clean energy. Though he did not mention the law by name, Biden focused in particular ([link removed]) on funding from the Inflation Reduction Act for renewable energy and the jobs created by that spending. Biden chided lawmakers who voted against those investments but now claim credit for them, saying ([link removed]) , "If any of you don't want the money in your districts, just let me know."

Biden also pointed to ([link removed]) the administration's environmental justice efforts for "fence-line communities smothered by the legacy of pollution." Also receiving a brief mention ([link removed]) : Biden's commitment to conserving 30 percent of America's lands and waters by 2030. Biden has designated five new national monuments, protecting over 1.5 million acres, but it has now been well over 200 days ([link removed]) since he last designated a new national monument.

For more on the state of America's public lands, 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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Kelly parcel still tied to Rock Springs plan, but that won't kill sale to Grand Teton

Jackson Hole News & Guide ([link removed])

Could building on public land address the housing crisis? It depends.

High Country News ([link removed])

Voters reject housing development in wildfire country in rural California

E&E News ([link removed])

Permian Basin oil companies reported growth in 2023

Carlsbad Current-Argus ([link removed])

Wyoming governor signs outdoor recreation funding bill into law

WyoFile ([link removed])

Changes coming this year for northwestern forests

OPB ([link removed])

California is betting on Utah's geothermal energy. Will Utah keep up?

KUER ([link removed])

Rocky Mountain National Park adds skip-the-line lane for some passholders

Denver Post ([link removed])


** Quote of the day
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” We are also making history by confronting the climate crisis, not denying it.”

—President Joe Biden, State of the Union address ([link removed])


** Picture This
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@mypubliclands ([link removed])
Just southeast of Joshua Tree National Park in California, the Chuckwalla Mountains rise like an island in a sea of sand and stone, a fascinating rock fortress of landforms, geologic textures, and delightful colors.

The wildlife and plant life are as diverse as the topography. Bighorn sheep, deer, wild burros, birds of prey, snakes, foxes, and coyotes make the area their home, and the bajada region in the southwest corner of the Wilderness provides a crucial habitat for the desert tortoise. Several sensitive plant species also grow here, including the California snakeweed, Alverson's foxtail cactus, and the barrel cactus.

In 1994, the Chuckwalla Mountains Wilderness became part of the now over 109-million-acre National Wilderness Preservation System - protecting the area in its natural state for generations to come.

📷 Jagged and sloping rock formation covering the landscape at Chuckwalla Mountains Wilderness, Bureau of Land Management - California; Bob Wick.

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