Look West: Public lands and energy news from the Center for Western Priorities
** AI boom threatens Nevada's public lands, sage-grouse habitat
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Wednesday, November 12, 2025
Steptoe Valley, U.S. Route 50 near Ely, Nevada. Ken Lund ([link removed]) , CC BY-SA 2.0 ([link removed])
Nevada's remote Basin and Range region is facing new challenges as plans for AI infrastructure move into the region, as reported by the Financial Times ([link removed]) . A proposed 235-mile high-voltage transmission line called Greenlink North is planned to follow the path of U.S. 50, often called the “loneliest road in America.” This project, alongside numerous planned solar farms, would triple the energy capacity of NV Energy, primarily to meet the massive power demands of new data centers and AI engine rooms.
A broad coalition of hunters, wildlife advocates, environmental groups, academics, and Tribes opposes the project. The key to their legal argument centers on the potential catastrophic impact to the greater sage-grouse, an umbrella species that represents the health of the entire sagebrush ecosystem. While the bird is protected under Nevada's Greater Sage-grouse Conservation Plan ([link removed]) , it is not a federally endangered species.
The AI infrastructure also threatens the livelihoods of ranchers who rely on BLM lands for grazing for their sheep and cattle, and are concerned about how planned solar projects will destroy vegetation and restrict grazing access. “It’s gonna be the end of us if they allow it,” one rancher told the Financial Times ([link removed]) .
The AI boom is the latest in a series of resource extraction “gold rushes" in Nevada's history, and opponents argue that there must be a balanced way to pursue energy development without destroying fragile public lands. “Everybody looks at it as a place to dip their pick in the mountains and draw something out of it, even if it’s sunshine or wind,” said Kyle Horvath, the Eureka County tourism director ([link removed]) . “There’s a way to do it, and it’s not having another gold rush.”
** Quick hits
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American public opinion backs Public Lands Rule
Missoula Current ([link removed]) | Capital Press ([link removed]) | Aspen Times ([link removed]) | Sierra Sun Times ([link removed]) | Bend Bulletin ([link removed]) [opinion]
Report: Outdoor recreation on federal public lands and waters is a valuable asset on America’s ‘balance sheet’
Outdoor Recreation Roundtable ([link removed])
Colorado National Monument Association discusses hardships during government shutdown
Western Slope Now ([link removed])
Colorado public lands deal faces unexpected scrutiny after years of planning — and reason is unclear
Denver Post ([link removed]) | Denver Post ([link removed]) [opinion]
Trump considers opening California coast to oil drilling
New York Times ([link removed]) | Washington Post ([link removed]) | Straight Arrow News ([link removed])
New dam rule could put Grand Canyon at risk
Grand Canyon Trust ([link removed]) | E&E News ([link removed])
Colorado River negotiations blow past deadline
Las Vegas Review-Journal ([link removed]) | High Country News ([link removed]) | E ([link removed]) &E News ([link removed]) | Arizona Capital Times ([link removed]) | ABC15 ([link removed]) | Arizona Republic ([link removed]) | Salt Lake Tribune
([link removed]) | New York Times ([link removed]) | Arizona Daily Star ([link removed])
California Tribes form an intertribal commission to co-manage Chuckwalla National Monument
Los Angeles Times ([link removed]) | Coachella Valley Independent ([link removed]) | San Bernardino Sun ([link removed]) [opinion]
** Quote of the day
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” [Tribes are] going to use their sovereignty and their power to continue to care for the land, whether it’s this administration or the next. That’s what the Tribes have always done historically. We just want an administration that’s going to work with us.”
—Bennae Calac, director of Tribal engagement for the Chuckwalla National Monument campaign, Los Angeles Times ([link removed])
** Picture This
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@utstateparks ([link removed])
The sky understood the assignment!!💅🏼😍
Utah State Parks are filled with incredible views on their own, but when you throw in a sunset, they are even more breathtaking. 🌅
Which Utah State Park is your favorite place to watch the sunset? 😊
#UtahStateParks #ExploreUtah #VisitUtah #Sunsets #SunsetSkies
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