Look West: Public lands and energy news from the Center for Western Priorities
** Wyoming blocks conservation groups from oil and gas auctions
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Wednesday, July 10, 2024
Pronghorn graze near an oil and gas field, BLM Wyoming ([link removed])
Wyoming Governor Mark Gordon signed an emergency order blocking conservation groups from participating in state oil and gas auctions ([link removed]) . The order came at the request of oil and gas companies that were upset after the Wyoming Outdoor Council (WOC) tried to buy a lease on a parcel in the "path of the pronghorn" migration corridor last year.
Under Wyoming's rules, WOC was a qualified bidder when it bid on tract 194 in an attempt to protect the pronghorn migration route. WOC bid $18 an acre for the parcel, but was outbid by oil developer Kirkwood Cos., which won the auction at $19 an acre.
When Kirkwood learned it was bidding against a conservation group rather than other oil companies, it complained to the legislature, which passed a bill making it harder for conservation groups to bid on state land without the intention of drilling on it. The Board of Land Commissioners put a new definition of a "qualified bidder" out for public comment, designed to prevent Wyoming Outdoor Council from using the free market to protect wildlife.
But with the new definition still incomplete, Governor Mark Gordon stepped in to make sure WOC couldn't enter this week's state oil and gas auction, and signed the emergency order blocking conservation groups from bidding against oil and gas companies.
Wyoming Outdoor Council is asking Kirkwood to give up its claim to tract 194 until the state game and fish department finishes its maps on pronghorn migration.
“Our involvement in the oil and gas lease sale was an effort to prevent development of one parcel (out of 197 parcels) that was located in critical wildlife habitat, while also respecting the revenue generating model of our state trust lands,” said WOC program director Alec Underwood ([link removed]) . “It was not to ‘play shenanigans’ or start a ‘bidding war’ or ‘drive up prices.’”
** Quick hits
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Wyoming proposes paying ranchers because elk are hungry
WyoFile ([link removed])
BLM upholds controversial Trump-era oil and gas leases in Utah wilderness
Salt Lake Tribune ([link removed])
What's inside the Pandora's Box of oil and gas waste
Inside Climate News ([link removed])
Interior IG dismisses ethics complaint against acting deputy secretary
E&E News ([link removed])
Interior Department announces $120 million for Tribal climate resilience
Native News Online ([link removed])
House committee jumps into oil collusion investigation
E&E News ([link removed])
Fuel reduction work protected Breckenridge neighborhood from wildfire disaster
Summit Daily ([link removed])
A third hiker has died in the Grand Canyon in less than a month
NPR News ([link removed]) | New York Times ([link removed]) | ABC News ([link removed])
** Quote of the day
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” It’s said we got lucky on this one. But that’s not actually true. It’s actually quite calculated. This fuel break was here for a reason.”
—Red, White & Blue Fire Protection District Captain Matt Benedict, Summit Daily ([link removed])
** Picture This
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@usinterior ([link removed])
Easy like Sunday morning!
This burrowing owl family is discussing the agenda for the day. These small and unusual owls aren’t like most other owls – burrowing owls are active during the day, nest in underground burrows and spend most of their time on the ground or on low perches.
To hunt food, they swoop down from a perch, hover over fields or walk and run along the ground, clutching their prey in their talons.
Photo at Sonny Bono Salton Sea National Wildlife Refuge by Paulette Donnellon
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