Look West: Public lands and energy news from the Center for Western Priorities
** White House chaos threatens Western water, Tribal funds
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Wednesday, January 29, 2025
White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt holds the first press briefing of 2025. PBS NewsHour ([link removed])
The Trump administration's attempt to impose a wide-ranging freeze on federal funds threw Western states and Tribal nations into chaos on Tuesday. The order from the Office of Management and Budget ([link removed]) was broadly written and short on specifics, and included a 51-page spreadsheet ([link removed]) that targeted thousands of federal grant programs for review.
In the hours between the freeze announcement Tuesday morning and a judge's order briefly halting the plan ([link removed]) in the afternoon, Tribal leaders began to prepare for the impact ([link removed]) to health care, agriculture, law enforcement and other programs. The Bureau of Indian Affairs has a $4.7 billion annual budget to fulfill the federal government's trust obligations.
“We prepaid for every penny we get with nearly 2 billion acres of land,” said Aaron A. Payment ([link removed]) , former first vice president of the National Congress of American Indians. "Treaties do not expire when we change presidents so we expect the federal government to be good to their word and not interrupt our funding. Our funding should be fully funded, mandatory, and multiples of what it is today."
In Colorado, the Trump administration's attempt to pull funding through the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law and Inflation Reduction Act threw drought mitigation, wildfire prevention, and environmental cleanup plans into doubt. The Denver Post reported that a sanitation district in northern Colorado was supposed to receive a $96 million loan from the EPA ([link removed]) to replace its wastewater infrastructure, which includes Rocky Mountain National Park. The district manager told the Post she made six calls on Tuesday to ask about the loan—and no one returned her calls.
Judge tosses Arizona monument challenge
A federal judge in Arizona threw out a lawsuit ([link removed]) by state legislators who sued to overturn former President Joe Biden's designation of Baaj Nwaavjo I'tah Kukveni — Ancestral Footprints of the Grand Canyon National Monument. Judge Stephen McNamee said the state Senate president and former state House speaker didn't even have standing ([link removed]) to bring a claim against the monument; the state's executive branch would have needed to file the lawsuit. “The Legislature is not authorized to bring claims on behalf of the state,” McNamee wrote. Arizona Governor Katie Hobbs had urged President Biden to create the monument.
** Quick hits
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Judge blocks Trump spending freeze after a day of chaos
Washington Post ([link removed]) | New York Times ([link removed]) | Politico ([link removed]) | NBC News ([link removed]) | NPR News ([link removed]) | E&E News ([link removed])
Threat of funding freeze sows confusion across the West, Indian Country
Arizona Mirror ([link removed]) | Denver Post ([link removed]) | Colorado Sun ([link removed]) | CPR News ([link removed]) | ICT News ([link removed]) | National Parks Traveler ([link removed])
Trump executive orders imperil Colorado infrastructure projects
CPR News ([link removed])
Trump tries to use wildfire response to avoid California water law
NBC News ([link removed])
107 oil and gas wells, mostly on federal land, are about to land on Colorado's orphan list
Colorado Sun ([link removed])
Bill would let Wyoming landowners sell big-game hunting tags for profit
Outdoor Life ([link removed]) | Cowboy State Daily ([link removed])
Opinion: Hunting and fishing on the Flathead Reservation is a privilege, not a right
Flathead Beacon ([link removed]'t%20required,opportunity%20is%20at%20great%20risk)
Saying farewell to the world's ugliest solar plant
Los Angeles Times ([link removed])
** Quote of the day
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” The Tribal Nations in the Grand Canyon region have had to fight incredibly hard for protections in the Baaj Nwaavjo I’tah Kukveni region. Again and again, Tribal cultural needs and even the health of Native American people in the region have been sidelined in order to maximize corporate profits. Today’s decision cannot undo the damage that already has been done, but it leaves in place some long-sought protections going forward.”
—Matthew Campbell ([link removed]) , deputy director of the Native American Rights Fund
** Picture This
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@mypubliclands ([link removed])
From the misty coastlines to the towering Cascade peaks, every corner of Washington is a reminder of nature’s beauty. Whether you’re hiking through dense forests, camping by crystal-clear lakes, or just soaking in the quiet serenity, exploring your public lands should be at the top of your bucket list!
📸 Chadwick Hill; One Hike a Week
@blmoregonwashington ([link removed])
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