** Bargain oil leasing on public lands
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FRIDAY, APRIL 17, 2020

An updated geospatial analysis ([link removed]) from The Wilderness Society and Center for Western Priorities found that since 1987, 30 percent of public lands and minerals leased to oil and gas companies were sold for $2.00 an acre or less.

The analysis found the oil and gas industry currently holds 22.1 million acres of leases on public lands in ten Western states, and that nearly half of those leases are sitting idle today, preventing those lands from being actively managed for conservation and recreation while generating as little as $1.50 per acre each year for taxpayers.

The analysis ([link removed]) highlights the fiscal irresponsibility of the Trump administration’s efforts to offer millions more acres to oil and gas companies despite the lack of competitive demand. 2.7 million acres that failed to sell at auction are currently available for purchase at $1.50 per acre, even as drillers begin to go bankrupt due to the collapsed oil market.


** Mustafa Santiago Ali on Earth Day at 50
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Environmental justice advocate and former EPA official Mustafa Santiago Ali joined CWP's “Go West, Young Podcast” ([link removed]) for a wide-ranging conversation about the Trump administration, what coronavirus has to do with environmental protection, and how Earth Day has evolved ahead of next week's 50th anniversary. Listen and subscribe on Apple Podcasts ([link removed]) , Spotifiy ([link removed]) , or Google Podcasts ([link removed]) .
Quick hits


** Interior official with stake in oil company attends meetings to send tribal coronavirus funds to her former employer
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Politico ([link removed]) | The Hill ([link removed])


** Coronavirus will have “drastic” impact on tribal economies
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Wyoming Public Media ([link removed])


** Interior ethics chief found a ‘bit of the wild West’ when it came to Bernhardt and Zinke conflicts
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E&E News ([link removed])


** Great Sand Dunes National Park closes due to crowding, coronavirus risk
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Out There Colorado ([link removed]) | Valley Courier ([link removed])


** Outdoor recreation businesses near Moab lay off staff as parks remain closed
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Utah Public Radio ([link removed])


** New court date set for Cliven Bundy and sons
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E&E News ([link removed])


** Storymap: America’s Public Lands Giveaway
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Center for Western Priorities ([link removed])


** Podcast: Mustafa Santiago Ali on Earth Day at 50
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Go West, Young Podcast ([link removed])
Quote of the day
Nobody in this office asked, ‘Well, why is the secretary going out to Nevada?’ And nobody bothered to ask that it wasn’t an official thing, right? It was for him to talk to a freaking hockey team about personal stuff.”
—Interior Department Ethics Official Scott De La Vega
to Office of Inspector General investigators
E&E News ([link removed])
Picture this


** @USFWSMtnPrairie ([link removed])
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Good morning! Are you doing some bird watching at home? If you want to learn how to identify the birds you’re seeing, check out these resources: [link removed] ([link removed]) Photo: @USFWS ([link removed])

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