Look West: Public lands and energy news from the Center for Western Priorities
** BLM approves four-lane highway through critical habitat in Utah
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Thursday, January 22, 2026
Three proposed routes for the Northern Corridor Highway through Red Cliffs National Conservation Area. Bureau of Land Management ([link removed])
On Wednesday, the Bureau of Land Management announced that it approved construction ([link removed]) of the Northern Corridor Highway, a four-lane highway that will cut across the Red Cliffs National Conservation Area near St. George, Utah. The conservation area is critical habitat for the Mojave desert tortoise and other endangered species.
The approval overturns a previously endorsed alternative to upgrade Red Hills Parkway, an existing road along the southern border of the conservation area, in a way that would pose less environmental risk and promote better traffic flows.
The Northern Corridor was initially approved in 2021, but after a lawsuit and a supplemental environmental s ([link removed]) t ([link removed]) udy ([link removed]) , federal officials revoked the approval in 2024, citing the proposed road's threats to critical habitat and increased risk of wildfires. The Trump administration reopened the review last September, and the BLM decided the expansion of Red Hills Parkway was “not technically or economically feasible.”
“Continuing the crusade to build a highway in a congressionally-designated conservation area is not only illegal, it is—after more than a decade of failed attempts—downright foolish,” said ([link removed]) Kya Marienfeld, wildlands attorney at the Southern Utah Wilderness Alliance.
House votes to repeal ban on mining near Boundary Waters in Minnesota
The U.S. House of Representatives voted on Wednesday ([link removed]) to repeal a Biden-era 20-year mining ban near the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness in Minnesota. The vote reinvigorates plans by Twin Metals, a Chilean-owned company that intends to mine the Superior National Forest for copper and nickel, threatening the headwaters of the Boundary Waters.
** Quick hits
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House votes to lift 20-year ban on mining near pristine Boundary Waters Canoe Area
Associated Press ([link removed]) | Washington Post ([link removed]) | MPR News ([link removed]) | E&E News ([link removed])
‘Far from over’: Southern Utah Residents, organizations express concerns after BLM approves Northern Corridor project
Salt Lake Tribune ([link removed]) | Utah Public Radio ([link removed]) | St George News ([link removed]) | ABC4 ([link removed]) | FOX13 ([link removed]) | KUTV ([link removed]) | KSL ([link removed])
| KUER ([link removed])
Interior official connects national parks to God, children, and cartels at business summit
The Times-Independent ([link removed]) | Salt Lake Tribune ([link removed])
Idaho constitutional amendment proposed by state senator to protect public lands
Idaho Capital Sun ([link removed]) | Lewiston Tribune ([link removed])
Patagonia sues drag queen Pattie Gonia for trademark infringement
Reuters ([link removed])
Opinion: Idaho deserves a BLM chief who won’t sell public lands, access to lakes and waterways
The Reader ([link removed])
Trump is keeping coal on life support. How long can it last?
Grist ([link removed])
Colorado wildlife officials say no wolf releases planned this winter after federal interference
Colorado Newsline ([link removed])
** Quote of the day
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” Some places are just too precious to mine.”
—Betty McCollum, U.S. representative for Minnesota's 4th congressional district, Associated Press ([link removed])
** Picture This
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@yosemitenps ([link removed])
Can you guess which tree these cones belong to?
Conifers (including pine trees) don’t have flowers; instead, they have female cones that hold their seeds. These cones keep their scales closed to protect their seeds from cold temperatures and hungry animals and only open them under safe conditions. Each conifer species has its own special cone. See if you can identify which one belongs to what tree!
1🌲Sequoia (Sequoiadendron giganteum)
For a tree that grows over 200 feet tall, this cone is only one to three inches, and the seed is roughly the size of an oat flake! Many cones can stay sealed on the tree for years until they dry out. The most effective way to dry out a cone is via the heat of a natural forest fire, which also creates open, sunny patches for the seed to take root.
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