Look West: Public lands and energy news from the Center for Western Priorities
** Burgum to lead Interior
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Friday, November 15, 2024
Doug Burgum by Gage Skidmore ([link removed]) , CC BY-SA 2.0 ([link removed])
President-elect Donald Trump announced he would nominate North Dakota Governor Doug Burgum ([link removed]) to be his Secretary of the Interior. Burgum is a former software executive who organized a dinner ([link removed]) at Mar-a-Lago earlier this year where Trump suggested oil and gas executives raise $1 billion for his campaign.
"We're going to do things with energy and with land interior that is going to be incredible," Trump said ([link removed]) Thursday night.
At Interior, Burgum will oversee 20 percent of America's lands, despite coming from a state with very little national public land ([link removed]) . The federal government owns less than 4 percent of North Dakota's land, and the majority of that is managed by the Department of Agriculture, not Interior.
Trump made his announcement at the America First Policy Institute Gala ([link removed]) , hosted by the organization that is effectively running Trump's transition. The New York Times reported that former Interior secretary and fossil fuel lobbyist David Bernhardt is preparing a slate of day-one executive orders ([link removed]) to boost the oil industry. Bernhardt praised Trump's choice of Burgum ([link removed]) Thursday night.
Jennifer Rokala, executive director at the Center for Western Priorities, was skeptical of the nomination.
“Running the Interior department requires someone who can find balance between recreation, conservation, hunting, ranching, mining, and—yes—oil drilling,” Rokala said ([link removed]) . “If Doug Burgum tries to turn America’s public lands into an even bigger cash cow for the oil and gas industry, or tries to shrink America’s parks and national monuments, he’ll quickly discover he’s on the wrong side of history.”
Choo choo! The NEPA case that's disguised as an oil train
In the latest episode ([link removed]) of CWP's podcast, The Landscape ([link removed]) , Kate and Aaron talk to Sanjay Narayan, managing attorney of the Sierra Club’s Environmental Law Program, about a lawsuit over the proposed Uinta Basin oil train ([link removed]) that could have major implications for the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA). The case is set to be heard by the U.S. Supreme Court in December.
** Quick hits
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Trump announces oil industry favorite Doug Burgum as Interior secretary nominee
NPR ([link removed]) | Washington Post ([link removed]) | Politico ([link removed]) | E&E News ([link removed]) | CNN ([link removed]) | USA Today ([link removed]) | Associated Press ([link removed]) | New York Times ([link removed])
Zombie scheme to pump water from under the Mojave Desert re-emerges with political firepower and a hydrogen pitch
Los Angeles Times ([link removed])
Sierra Nevada may hold key to California's 30x30 goal
Tahoe Daily Tribune ([link removed])
After failing to derail Teton land swap, Wyoming looks for other ways to acquire federal land for oil
WyoFile ([link removed])
Can a lame-duck Congress get anything done for parks?
National Parks Conservation Association ([link removed])
Murkowski praises Biden plan on Izembek road
E&E News ([link removed])
Utah politicians look to Trump to allow highway through national conservation area
Utah News Dispatch ([link removed])
Six Tribes sign historic preservation agreements with National Park Service
ABC 8 News ([link removed]) | National Park Service ([link removed]) (press release)
** Quote of the day
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” They keep coming up with different flavors of metaphorical Febreze to spray on this thing.”
—Conservationist Chris Clarke on the latest iteration of the Cadiz water pipeline proposal, Los Angeles Times ([link removed])
** Picture This
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@usinterior ([link removed])
There are so many incredible sights along the Green River in Dinosaur National Monument. As it flows from Colorado into Utah, the river passes through famous fossil finds, dramatic river canyons, intriguing petroglyphs and endless opportunities for adventure.
Whether you delight in the challenge of a strenuous hike, the thrill of rafting through a twisting canyon or watching the sunset, there are a variety of activities for you to enjoy.
Photo at @dinosaurnps ([link removed]) by Nancy Danna
#dinosaurnationalmonument ([link removed]) #colorado ([link removed]) #utah ([link removed]) #usinterior ([link removed])
Alt Text: Looking through a gap between two twisted tree trunks, a distant river flows through dramatic canyons on a partly cloudy afternoon.
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