Key news from December:
- President Joe Biden invoked the Antiquities Act to designate Carlisle Federal Indian Boarding School National Monument in Pennsylvania. The monument recognizes one of the darkest chapters in American history—the forced separation of Indigenous children from their families and government oppression of Native American languages and cultures. "Thank you, President Biden, for designating this national monument and acknowledging the harm caused by Indian boarding schools for more than 150 years. Respecting Tribal sovereignty means listening to Tribal nations," Center for Western Priorities Executive Director Jennifer Rokala said in a statement. "In the final weeks of his administration, President Biden has the opportunity to leave a legacy as one of the great conservation presidents in American history. Tribally-led proposals to protect public lands across the West are awaiting his signature."
- President Biden also used the Antiquities Act to designate Frances Perkins National Monument, honoring the nation’s first female Cabinet secretary and an architect of the New Deal. The monument, which protects 57 acres along the Damariscotta River in Newcastle, Maine, comes a decade after the site was first recognized as a national historic landmark.
- In the final weeks of President Biden's term, Tribes and many organizations are calling for him to designate more new national monuments before he leaves office. Biden has already used his authority under the Antiquities Act to designate six new national monuments, including Camp Hale-Continental Divide in Colorado, Avi Kwa Ame in Nevada, and Baaj Nwaavjo I'tah Kukveni-Ancestral Footprints of the Grand Canyon in Arizona. There are a multitude of proposals for new national monuments that would accomplish this goal, including the proposed Chuckwalla National Monument and Sáttítla National Monument in California, and the million-acre Owyhee Canyonlands proposal in eastern Oregon.
- The U.S. House passed bipartisan 'Good Samaritan' abandoned mine cleanup legislation by voice vote. The bill passed the U.S. Senate unanimously in July, and President Joe Biden is expected to sign it into law. The bill's approval by Congress is the culmination of decades of effort by advocates and lawmakers. The legislation will create a 15-project pilot program that will allow a nonprofit, state agency, or industry group to take on a cleanup project with liability protections from the Clean Water Act and the Superfund law. A Good Samaritan must have no previous connection to the cleanup site.
- The Bureau of Land Management issued its final approval of the Rock Springs Resource Management Plan, covering 3.6 million acres of national public land in southwest Wyoming. The plan represents a compromise that ensures oil and gas development, trona mining, ranching, and conservation will coexist in the years to come. By issuing the Record of Decision on the Rock Springs RMP, the Interior department clears the way for the purchase of the Kelly Parcel, 640 pristine acres on the doorstep of Grand Teton National Park. Wyoming legislators had considered selling the parcel to private developers, and made a sale to the Interior Department contingent on BLM issuing a final management plan for Rock Springs that did not adopt the agency’s most conservation-heavy alternative for the region.
- In a unanimous vote, the U.S. Senate passed the Expanding Public Lands Outdoor Recreation Experiences (EXPLORE) Act, a sweeping outdoor recreation package that will significantly expand and improve recreation opportunities on public lands. The EXPLORE Act ;includes a collection of bills that outdoor recreation groups have sought for decades. In total, the EXPLORE Act includes over a dozen policy measures to support recreation on public lands.
What to watch for in January:
Happy holidays from the Center for Western Priorities!
Look West will be back in your inbox on Monday, January 6.
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From the Center for Western Priorities:
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2024 Western State Conservation Scorecard
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The Center for Western Priorities has released a new report assessing state-level conservation policies in the West. The 2024 Western State Conservation Scorecard evaluates eight Western states—Arizona, Colorado, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, New Mexico, Utah, and Wyoming—on benchmarks in three categories: land protection and access; responsible energy development; and land use and planning for growth. The 2024 scorecard updates and builds upon CWP’s previous state conservation scorecard, released in 2017.
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While no state achieved a perfect score, Colorado, Nevada, and New Mexico emerged as clear conservation leaders, with well-funded conservation programs and a demonstrated commitment to public land protections. Montana and Wyoming show that Western states can make progress on conservation in ways that work for them, though both states have room to improve in regulating oil and gas development. Arizona, Idaho, and Utah have the opportunity to significantly improve their scores in multiple categories. These states generally score well on protecting public land access for outdoor recreation, but need to back that up with support for public land conservation and better stewardship of natural resources in the face of accelerating growth.
"Public lands are central to what makes the West such an attractive place to live and visit, and states have an important role to play in conserving the West’s iconic landscapes, outdoor recreation opportunities, and the high quality of life that comes with living near protected public lands," Center for Western Priorities Policy Director Rachael Hamby said in a statement. "Western states clearly demonstrate that it is possible to prioritize conservation while growing a state’s economy and developing its natural resources responsibly."
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In this special episode of The Landscape, Kate visits the Dolores River Canyon Country in southwest Colorado, along with CWP’s Lauren Bogard and Sterling Homard, to meet with folks who support protecting this special region. The Dolores River’s riparian zone contains the largest and most biodiverse stretch of unprotected public lands in Colorado. Advocates are currently working to protect this area through a national monument proposal and legislation to establish a national conservation area. Come with us on this audio journey to learn more about the future of the Dolores River Canyons.
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Montana Supreme Court upholds landmark ruling in youth climate case
New York Times
Three reasons Utah’s public lands lawsuit should be rejected by the Supreme Court, according to the Biden administration
Salt Lake Tribune
Oregon governor makes final plea to Biden to protect Owyhee Canyonlands
Idaho Capital Sun
As conservationists brace for border wall expansion, study looks at how wildlife has fared so far
KJZZ
Here’s what happened the last time Trump moved federal jobs out of D.C.
Washington Post
Property owners tied to Colorado group that fenced off public land failed to pay taxes on the acreage they do own
Denver Post
Supreme Court hears oral arguments in Utah oil train case
Associated Press
Opinion: Protecting the Owyhee Canyonlands is up to Biden
Oregon Capital Chronicle
Why Utah is at the epicenter of America's land use fights
Heatmap
New wildlife refuge in Southern Maryland is the Chesapeake Bay’s first in over 25 years
Baltimore Banner
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“There’s a word for when the state tries to convince the public of a political position—propaganda. There is no doubt in my mind that that is the proper word to apply to this PR campaign... Some of it, of course, is aimed at convincing Utah voters that their money is not being tossed into a dumpster and set on fire, which is, in fact, what’s happening.”
—Aaron Weiss, deputy director of the Center for Western Priorities, Utah News Dispatch
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This big guy must have been triple-dog dared to lick it.
‘Stuck! Stuck! Stuuuuuck!’
Here’s hoping your weekend is full of fun, laughter and absolutely no sticky situations!
Photo by @theodorerooseveltnps
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