Look West: Public lands and energy news from the Center for Western Priorities
** Trump touts critical minerals, oil, and layoffs in speech to Congress
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Wednesday, March 5, 2025
President Donald Trump addresses Congress on March 4, 2025; Source: CBS News screenshot ([link removed])
In his address to Congress last night, President Donald Trump called for increasing mining, building a methane pipeline across Alaska, and defended Elon Musk’s firing of thousands of civil servants. He also bragged about renaming Alaska's highest peak, Denali, Mt. McKinley, despite opposition from the state's lawmakers ([link removed]) .
Trump touted his "national energy emergency" declaration and "drill, baby, drill" agenda, saying he has authorized "the most talented team" to "go and get" the country's reserves of "liquid gold." He also bragged about the potential construction of a liquified national gas pipeline in Alaska ([link removed]) , despite the project's $44 billion price tag ([link removed]) . Finally, he said he will take action "later this week" to "dramatically expand production of critical minerals and rare earths here in the U.S.A."
Trump also bragged about creating the Department of Government Efficiency, or DOGE, which is led by Musk and recently laid off thousands of federal workers, including many National Park Service and U.S. Forest Service rangers. "President Trump can’t balance the budget by firing the park rangers, veterans, scientists, and foresters who maintain our public lands," Center for Western Priorities Executive Director Jennifer Rokala said in a statement ([link removed]) .
Some Western lawmakers, including Senator Martin Heinrich of New Mexico ([link removed]) and Representative Diana DeGette of Colorado ([link removed]) , did not attend the speech in protest of Trump's policies, while others, including Senator Michael Bennet of Colorado ([link removed]) and Representative Janelle Bynum of Oregon ([link removed]) , brought recently-fired Forest Service rangers as guests.
** Quick hits
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"Drill, baby, drill" belied by firing federal permit approvers
Bloomberg ([link removed])
Protestors rally at national parks against firing of federal employees
KUNC ([link removed])
Spotted owls are disappearing fast, and federal cuts could mean no one's left to count them
Los Angeles Times ([link removed])
Long-stalled NM uranium mines now ‘priority projects’ at Cibola Forest
Source New Mexico ([link removed])
Mexican gray wolf population increases for the ninth year
Albuquerque Journal ([link removed])
Coloradans rally against NOAA, National Weather Service mass firings
Denver Post ([link removed]) | Colorado Sun ([link removed]) | KUNC ([link removed])
Officials seek answers as layoff rumors swirl at southwest Wyoming coal mine
WyoFile ([link removed])
Opinion: Call him ‘Green New Donald’
Heatmap ([link removed])
** Quote of the day
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” Members of Congress are cowering at home in their districts, afraid to face the constituents who are the victims of Elon Musk’s rampage, as a government shutdown looms in ten days. That’s the state of the union today, just six weeks into Donald Trump’s second term.”
—Center for Western Priorities Executive Director Jennifer Rokala ([link removed])
** Picture This
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@grandtetonnps ([link removed])
🌿 Women of the Tetons: A Legacy of Strength & Stewardship
🏔️ For centuries, women from diverse cultures have shaped the lands we now call Grand Teton National Park.
Indigenous women nurtured the land and passed down knowledge of the region’s ecosystems.
Later, Mormon settler women built homesteads, persevering through the harsh landscape to create a future for their families.
Today, female rangers, scientists, and conservationists continue their legacy, protecting and preserving this iconic wilderness.
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