** Utah community officials urge feds to cancel oil lease sale
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Friday, July 10, 2020
Visitors to Arches National Park enjoy a guided walk | Andrew Kuhn, National Park Service ([link removed])

Local governments in Utah have come together ([link removed]) to urge the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) to stop its proposed lease sale ([link removed]) of 85,000 acres ([link removed]) between Arches and Canyonlands national parks to oil and gas development. Local communities are concerned ([link removed]) that the sale would undermine the outdoor recreation economy that drives the vast majority of local industry.

The Grand County Council wrote ([link removed]) , "[The leasing proposal] threatens the core of our tourism economy by locking in long-term oil and gas leases on and around popular recreation areas that are vital to our local economy. While these leases could create some temporary jobs to local contractors to clear well site pads and haul in water, the many long-term threats to Grand County’s economy far outweigh any short-term benefits."

Public comment on the upcoming lease sale ends today, marking the end of a process that local leaders say was rushed and inadequate, during which the BLM refused to engage with communities while conducting environmental reviews ([link removed]) . The actions continue a pattern of Interior Department efforts to minimize transparency ([link removed]) and public input ([link removed]) .
Quick hits


** Pendley's own words disqualify him from leading BLM
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Outside Magazine ([link removed]) | Public News Service ([link removed]) | E&E News ([link removed])


** Nevada governor backs House delegation in refuge robbery
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E&E News ([link removed]) | The Hill ([link removed]) | Las Vegas Review-Journal ([link removed])


** Court rules nearly half of Oklahoma under tribal criminal law control, may throw oil and gas into chaos
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New York Times ([link removed]) | E&E News ([link removed]) | E&E News ([link removed])


** Opinion: Public lands come under widespread attack even as people begin to realize their importance
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Counter Punch ([link removed])


** Energy company bankruptcies surge as rig counts continue to fall
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Houston Chronicle ([link removed]) | S&P Global ([link removed])


** Proposal to shrink Colorado's Holy Cross Wilderness, increase water storage draws hundreds of comments
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Colorado Sun ([link removed])


** Understanding the future of the Colorado River through a frowny, eel-faced fish: the humpback chub
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Inside Climate News ([link removed])


** Feeling the Friday urge to visit a national park? Try these instead of the big ones (and skip Joshua Tree's wave of aggressive bees)
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Eater ([link removed]) | Buzzfeed ([link removed]) | Los Angeles Times ([link removed])
Quote of the day
These sites are not only sacred to the Nation; they are a part of our shared cultural heritage as United States citizens. For us, this is no different from building a 30-foot wall along Arlington Cemetery or through the grounds of the National Cathedral.”

—Tohono O’odham Chairman Ned Norris Jr., on border wall destruction in the Sonoran desert | Daily Yonder ([link removed])
Picture this


** @U ([link removed]) SFWSRefuges ([link removed])
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Be like a frosted elfin and EXPLORE LOCALLY. National #WildlifeRefuges ([link removed]) make that easy. Except don’t feed on the flowers. That would be weird. #RecreateResponsibly ([link removed]) [link removed] ([link removed])

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