Look West: Public lands and energy news from the Center for Western Priorities


** Trump weakens one of the nation's oldest environmental laws
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Wednesday, March 12, 2025
Northern pintails fly over Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge, UT. J. Kelly, USFWS ([link removed])

As part of a sweeping suspension of Biden-era legal opinions, the Trump administration weakened protections ([link removed]) for migratory birds under the Migratory Bird Treaty Act, an environmental law that has been in place since 1918. The administration suspended ([link removed]) a legal opinion that held companies responsible for birds accidentally killed due to their actions, for example in oil spills or waste pits. While industrial activities are not a leading factor in the decline of North American bird populations ([link removed]) , which is largely due to habitat loss and climate change, conservationists say the law’s protections help keep it that way.

Accidental bird killings—referred to as “incidental take”—have long been considered unlawful, but enforcement has been inconsistent and the Interior Department's interpretation has fluctuated wildly over the last decade. During the Obama administration, an Interior Department solicitor general found that accidental killings were prohibited ([link removed]) , but the first Trump administration found that accidental killings were not prohibited. President Joe Biden’s administration withdrew the Trump-era opinion. Now, President Trump is suspending the Biden withdrawal.

“I don’t know of any new administration that has ever done this— that is, simply advised decision-makers not to follow existing solicitor’s opinions done in the previous administration without checking with us first,” said John Leshy ([link removed]) , general counsel for the Interior Department during the Clinton administration. “I believe they are emboldened by the Supreme Court’s view of sweeping presidential power.”

The Interior Department also suspended ([link removed]) Biden-era legal opinions related to mining waste, wildlife refuges, and Alaska Native villages.


** Quick hits
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Colorado River states press Interior to restart process on cuts

KUNC ([link removed]) | E&E News ([link removed])

Missoulians rally in support of public lands

Missoula Current ([link removed]) | Montana Public Radio ([link removed])

FLASH Act could damage national parks along Mexico border

National Parks Traveler ([link removed])

Trump seeks minerals refining on Pentagon bases

Reuters ([link removed])

Opinion: The muddy boots and calloused hands of public servants

Utah Public Radio ([link removed])

Workforce cuts raise concerns over national park upkeep

Roll Call ([link removed])

'There is literally no one': The fallout coming to Lake Tahoe after forest service gutted

SF Gate ([link removed])

Colorado residents now have a way to ‘see’ the toxic emissions they live with

Capital & Main ([link removed])


** Quote of the day
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” This is not about government efficiency so let’s unpack what it’s about. As they gut our land management agencies, they’re going to say, ‘Oh my gosh, we can’t manage these public lands. We have to sell them off.’ My friends, this is what this is about: This is about them trying to sell your public lands.”

—Tracy Stone-Manning, former BLM director and president of the Wilderness Society, Missoula Current ([link removed])


** Picture This
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[link removed]

@usinterior ([link removed])
A total lunar eclipse will turn the Moon a reddish-brown hue and be visible across most of the U.S. from Thursday night into early Friday morning. America’s public lands are perfect for experiencing celestial wonders like this Worm Moon!

Photo by Julianne Koza / @joshuatreenps ([link removed])

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