“This is an opportunity to think 100 years ahead for our children”
Look West: Public lands and energy news from the Center for Western Priorities
** Tribes push Congress to approve water rights settlement
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Tuesday, May 28, 2024
A windmill and water storage tank near Round Rock, Navajo Nation. Photo by arbyreed ([link removed]) , CC BY-NC-SA 2.0 ([link removed])
Tribal nations in the Colorado River basin are preparing to ask Congress ([link removed]) to approve a $5 billion settlement that would guarantee water rights for decades to come. Last week, Navajo Nation delegates voted unanimously ([link removed]) to approve the settlement, joining the San Juan Southern Paiute and Hopi Tribes.
Around $1.75 billion of the settlement would fund a pipeline from Lake Powell to provide water to dozens of remote Tribal communities. Today, nearly a third of homes on the Navajo Nation don't have running water.
“This is an opportunity to think 100 years ahead for our children,” said Navajo Council Speaker Crystalyne Curley ([link removed]) . “The time is now and we have to make our footing for the future.”
The three Tribal nations hope to finalize the settlement this year. Final passage will require an act of Congress.
Podcast: How the Biden administration is protecting Alaska
In the latest episode ([link removed]) of CWP's podcast, The Landscape ([link removed]) , Aaron and Kate are joined by Kristen Miller, Executive Director of the Alaska Wilderness League ([link removed]) , to talk about some big steps to protect public lands in Alaska made by the Biden administration this spring. They include increased protections for 13 million acres inside the National Petroleum Reserve-Alaska, as well as the cancellation of a proposed 200-mile road that would have stretched across part of Alaska called the Ambler Road. Listen now ([link removed]) and subscribe on Apple Podcasts ([link removed]) .
** Quick hits
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Biden administration sends $60 million of Inflation Reduction Act funds to water projects along the Rio Grande
Associated Press ([link removed])
What's the difference between Indigenous co-management and co-stewardship? A lot
Grist ([link removed])
The world found the Owyhees—advocates say it's time to protect it
Idaho Statesman ([link removed])
Editorial: Now is your chance to weigh in on the proposed highway through Red Cliffs National Conservation Area
Salt Lake Tribune ([link removed])
Colorado counties stall solar projects, slowing progress toward climate goals
Denver Post ([link removed])
Wyoming sees increase in drilling-related spills in 2023. Is it a problem?
Casper Star-Tribune ([link removed])
National Park Service quickly reverses ban on employees in uniform for Pride
Advocate ([link removed])
The tunnels, trails, and bridges built especially for bears in the West
BBC News ([link removed])
** Quote of the day
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The argument that blocking the highway is solely the act of far-away federal bureaucrats or ‘fringe’ environmental groups is simply not true. There are many real people in Washington County ([link removed]) who also oppose the project, as well as environmental advocates from elsewhere in the nation who fear the precedent that might be set if any National Conservation Area loses its special status.”
—Salt Lake Tribune Editorial Board ([link removed])
** Picture This
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@usinterior ([link removed])
Even the elusive Canada lynx appreciates the beauty of wildflowers this time of year. These magnificent hunters with snowshoe like paws and long dark tufts prefer dense northern forests where they can find plenty of their favorite meal, the snowshoe hare.
Photo by Emily Mesner / NPS
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