Look West: Public lands and energy news from the Center for Western Priorities
** Public land sell-off provision out of the budget reconciliation bill
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Thursday, May 22, 2025
Source: @CongMikeSimpson ([link removed])
After persistent bipartisan opposition ([link removed]) to language that would sell or swap hundreds of thousands of acres of public land in Utah and Nevada, House Republicans have scrapped public land sales ([link removed]) from the latest version of their tax cut, energy, and border security bill, according to text released Wednesday evening ([link removed]) .
The controversial amendment ([link removed]) to sell hundreds of thousands of acres of national public land in Nevada and Utah to generate revenue for the tax and spending bill was backed by Nevada Rep. Mark Amodei and Utah Rep. Celeste Maloy. House Republicans unveiled the manager's amendment ([link removed](002)250521201648156.pdf?_gl=1*1d1ivw5*_ga*MTUzOTg1ODUwMi4xNjgzNzY3MzQx*_ga_N4RTJ5D08B*czE3NDc4NzcwMjckbzEkZzEkdDE3NDc4NzcwMzMkajAkbDAkaDA.) to the latest text ([link removed]) of their budget reconciliation package Wednesday evening with the land sale language stripped out of the legislation after a marathon 20-hour Rules Committee meeting ([link removed]) .
Former Interior secretary and Congressman from Montana Ryan Zinke advocated for the removal of the land sell-off language, arguing that large-scale divestment of public lands was a “red line ([link removed]) ” for him. Zinke said in a press release ([link removed]) , “I do not support the widespread sale or transfer of public lands. Once the land is sold, we will never get it back. God isn’t creating more land. Public access, sportsmanship, grazing, tourism…our entire Montanan way of life is connected to our public lands.”
“Clearly, selling off public lands is still a third rail for members of Congress on both sides of the aisle,” said ([link removed]) Center for Western Priorities deputy director Aaron Weiss. “While there is a housing affordability crisis in the West, looking to our public lands to solve the problem is disingenuous and will only hurt Westerners by increasing sprawl and cutting off access to the trails and public lands we all love.”
** Quick hits
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Column: The great hijacking of 'multiple use'
More Than Just Parks ([link removed])
Public land sell-off provision out of the budget reconciliation bill
Salt Lake Tribune ([link removed]) | Las Vegas Review-Journal ([link removed]) | Nevada Independent ([link removed]) | Outdoor Life ([link removed]) | Field & Stream ([link removed]) | E&E News ([link removed])
Grizzlies likely to be delisted if Nesvik confirmed for USFWS, former official says
Cowboy State Daily ([link removed])
Energy emergency? Trump cuts to efficiency, aid programs could create one
Arizona Republic ([link removed])
Wyoming gas producer sees promise in data centers' insatiable energy needs
WyoFile ([link removed])
Whitewater river runners need to act fast as Colorado streamflow forecasts shrink
Colorado Sun ([link removed])
Poll: Oregonians oppose Trump's plans for public lands and the environment
Oregon Wild ([link removed])
Five state parks that feel like national parks
New York Times ([link removed])
** Quote of the day
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” The public has never asked for this. Nobody voted to turn campgrounds into corporate portals or open wildlands to foreign mining companies. Nobody demanded that rangers be replaced with kiosks or that entire forests be sacrificed for a theory of wildfire prevention that doesn’t match the science.”
—Will Pattiz, More Than Just Parks ([link removed])
** Picture This
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@usgs ([link removed])
Sometimes you don’t go out looking for frogs, but they find you anyway! It’s a hoppy surprise! 🐸
Our water scientists don’t typically study amphibians but they spend a lot of time near the water while they are collecting data and servicing our network of over 10,000 streamgages across the country. Since amphibians also like to hang out in and near the water, our scientists often have the company of these cuties.
Here are a few of the frogs our water scientists have spotted:
1) Hydrologic technician Michelle Klim discovered this Pacific Tree frog in the lock box of a USGS gage house on Redwood Creek, near the town of Orick, on California's north coast.
2) Hydrologic Technician Laura Lapolice photographed this American green tree frog during a site visit to calibrate a raingage at Fire Station 28, Charlotte, NC.
3&4) These canyon tree frogs were spotted by water scientists in Arizona while collecting data for research related to water flows and chemistry trends.
🗨️Have you ever found a frog clinging to your car keys, or somewhere else unexpected? Tell us about it in the comments!
Learn more about USGS water science at the link in today's story.
#AmphibianWeek ([link removed]) #WaterScience ([link removed]) #HoppySurprises ([link removed])
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