Look West: Public lands and energy news from the Center for Western Priorities
** This road through a Utah national monument could be renamed after Trump
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Thursday, January 23, 2025
Burr Trail runs through Long Canyon in Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument, Utah. Ken Lund ([link removed])
Utah's Garfield County board of commissioners will meet next week to consider naming ([link removed]) a scenic road after President Donald Trump. Burr Trail Scenic Backway ([link removed]) , one of the two roads up for consideration, is a 66-mile historic road through Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument, which Trump attempted to illegally shrink in his first term.
“It would just give us a way to tell the president that we really felt like he helped us,” said Commissioner Leland Pollock ([link removed]) , referring to when Trump tried to shrink the national monument by millions of acres, a move opposed by ([link removed]) majorities of voters in every Western state including Utah.
A change.org petition ([link removed]) has gathered nearly two thousand signatures in opposition to the name change. “Degrading the past by prioritizing the name of a man who fractured the monument during his first term makes no sense,” said one commenter ([link removed]) . “It is an appalling waste of time and local tax dollars that this is even a conversation being had.”
In 2018, there was an attempt to ([link removed]) rename ([link removed]) a different Utah highway after Trump following his attempted reduction of Grand Staircase-Escalante and Bears Ears national monuments. The proposal was dropped after the bill sponsor said he received overwhelming criticism.
** Quick hits
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Trump targets Alaska’s oil and other resources as environmentalists gear up for a fight
Associated Press ([link removed]) | Newsweek ([link removed])
Biden's public lands report card
Outside ([link removed])
County commissioners propose a scenic byway through Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument be renamed after Trump
Salt Lake Tribune ([link removed]) | The Land Desk ([link removed][…]&isFreemail=true&r=3vv6r&triedRedirect=true&utm_medium=email) | KSLTV ([link removed])
With a mining pause, what's next for this oasis in the Nevada desert?
Nevada Public Radio ([link removed])
The American Climate Corps fades away
High Country News ([link removed])
Executive orders on energy and climate have advocates across the nation on edge
Inside Climate News ([link removed])
Who should clean up 10 oil wells on the Wind River Reservation?
Wyoming Public Radio ([link removed])
Opinion: Drilling into our wildlife heritage
Grand Junction Daily Sentinel ([link removed])
** Quote of the day
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” As much as President Trump wants to take us back maybe 30 years, that’s not where America’s economy is and that’s certainly not where the law is.”
—Aaron Weiss, Center for Western Priorities Deputy Director, Inside Climate News ([link removed])
** Picture This
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[link removed]
@zionnps ([link removed])
Winter is a great time of year to stargaze in Zion National Park!
In winter, the Milky Way and some of the brightest stars in the night sky are visible, but how is that possible? This time of year, the Earth is actually looking across the edge of our galaxy and through one of its spiral arms. This arm is home to some of our sun’s closest neighbors, which is one of the reasons why these stars appear so bright.
Nights with a new or waning moon provide the darkest conditions. Before stargazing, make sure to check the weather and road conditions, bring lots of warm layers, and a red light to protect your night vision.
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