Look West: Public lands and energy news from the Center for Western Priorities
** Alaskans reject renaming of Denali
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Monday, January 27, 2025
Denali National Park and Preserve; NPS/Flickr ([link removed])
President Donald Trump issued an executive order on his first day in office to change the name ([link removed]) of North America's highest peak, Denali, back to Mt. McKinley. On Friday, the Interior department confirmed the name change ([link removed]) . Then-president Barack Obama changed the mountain's name to Denali at the request of Alaskans ([link removed]) in 2015. According to polling cited by Alaska's News Source ([link removed]) , two out of three Alaskans are against changing the name back to McKinley.
The state's two U.S. senators were quick to denounce the change ([link removed]) .
“You can’t improve upon the name that Alaska’s Koyukon Athabascans bestowed on North America’s tallest peak, Denali – the Great One,” Senator Lisa Murkowski said in a statement ([link removed]) . “For years, I advocated in Congress to restore the rightful name for this majestic mountain to respect Alaska’s first people who have lived on these lands for thousands of years. This is an issue that should not be relitigated.”
Guides and climbers also pushed back ([link removed]) . Mark Westman, a former ranger on the mountain, said ([link removed]) , “The name Denali reflects a local cultural heritage here that predates the United States... The name McKinley was an arbitrary name given for someone who had never even set foot here. He was from Ohio.”
The federal name change will not officially go into effect for 30 days ([link removed]) . At that point, it is possible it could be litigated ([link removed]) . It is unclear whether the State of Alaska will continue using the name Denali. The state officially changed the peak's name to Denali in 1975 ([link removed]) , well before the federal government did so. Denali National Park and Preserve will maintain its current name ([link removed]) .
** Quick hits
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National Park Service yanks job offers after Trump hiring freeze
Washington Post ([link removed])
Big Oil in no rush to drill, despite Trump agenda
Reuters ([link removed])
Trump pauses renewable energy approvals on public lands, waters
The Hill ([link removed]) | Heatmap ([link removed])
Trump fires inspectors general at over a dozen agencies, including USDA
PBS ([link removed]) | Washington Post ([link removed]) | Associated Press ([link removed]) | E&E News ([link removed])
Trump wants to unleash energy, as long as it’s not wind or solar
New York Times ([link removed]) | Washington Post ([link removed]) | E&E News ([link removed])
From showers to tiny fish to windmills, Trump’s climate policies are driven by fixations
The ([link removed]) Guardian ([link removed])
North Dakota sued Interior at least 5 times under Burgum
ProPublica ([link removed])
Nevada’s lithium could help save the earth. But what happens to Nevada?
New York Times ([link removed])
** Quote of the day
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” Located on the traditional homelands of the Dene peoples, [Denali] reflects a profound spiritual and cultural relationship with the land... Keeping this name honors that connection and recognizes the enduring contributions of Alaska Native peoples."
—Emily Edenshaw ([link removed]) , president and CEO of the Alaska Native Heritage Center
** Picture This
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@usinterior ([link removed])
During the cold winter season, bison develop thick, woolly coats that help protect them from freezing temperatures and harsh winds. This gives them the fortitude to use their large head and massive neck and shoulder muscles as snowplows to forage in snow as deep as four feet!
Photo by Jacob W. Frank / @nationalparkservice ([link removed])
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