Look West: Public lands and energy news from the Center for Western Priorities
** Trump tries to hijack wildfire recovery while withholding funds
------------------------------------------------------------
Wednesday, January 28, 2026
The 2025 Palisades Fire as seen from downtown Los Angeles, Wikimedia Commons ([link removed])
President Donald Trump issued an executive order ([link removed]) on Tuesday claiming broad authority over California's wildfire recovery—and the move has massive implications for every Western state facing the threat of catastrophic wildfires.
Trump's order accuses California leaders of "catastrophic failures" and aims to let federal agencies bypass local safety permits in rebuilding neighborhoods burned in the 2025 Palisades and Eaton Canyon fires. The order also directs the Federal Emergency Management Agency and Small Business Administration to craft rules allowing builders that receive federal funds to preempt local building permits and "self-certify" that they meet safety standards.
California Gov. Gavin Newsom blasted the move as political theater and a cover for the president's refusal to release tens of billions of dollars in disaster aid for Californians. Newsom said Los Angeles has already issued more than 1,600 rebuilding permits, with timelines twice as fast as before the fires, and that the real bottleneck is the Trump administration sitting on nearly $34 billion in recovery funds.
“Instead of finally sending to Congress the federal relief Los Angeles needs to rebuild from last year’s firestorms, Donald Trump continues to live in fantasy land,” Newsom wrote on X ([link removed]) .
** Quick hits
------------------------------------------------------------
Tracy Stone-Manning: What I learned running the BLM
Compact ([link removed])
Interior watchdog warns of major risks in department reorganization
E&E News ([link removed])
Opinions: The cowardice of the Trump administration's attacks on American history
Philadelphia Inquirer ([link removed]) | MS Now ([link removed])
Researchers map carbon emissions as Trump administration ends data collection
KNAU ([link removed])
Utah to buy major polluter in $30M effort to save Great Salt Lake
Salt Lake Tribune ([link removed])
California lawmaker introduces 'backstop' bill to protect lands in case of federal sell-off
Sacramento Bee ([link removed])
Alaska's public lands are a political battleground
High Country News ([link removed])
Opinion: Why "Sell-Off Steve" Pearce is a threat to our national parks
National Parks Traveler ([link removed])
** Quote of the day
------------------------------------------------------------
” When the smoke clears, much of the architecture underpinning public-lands management will be in ruins. But in that clearing lies a once-in-a-generation opportunity to rethink and rebuild and design a system that is more nimble, coherent, and capable of meeting the challenges ahead.”
—Former Bureau of Land Management director Tracy Stone‑Manning, Compact ([link removed])
** Picture This
------------------------------------------------------------
@castateparks ([link removed])
In honor of International Day of Education 🎓, we want to celebrate and thank our incredible State Park Interpreters and PORTS Program educators! Our interpreters working at the parks and through the PORTS Program help create meaningful connections virtually and in-person. Through our PORTS Program nature, science, history, and culture are brought into classrooms digitally! 📚 🔬 📐 🔭
Their passion for nature and teaching bring students one step closer to becoming the next generation of park stewards, and we appreciate all their hard work!
Learn more about the program at [link removed].
============================================================
** Website ([link removed])
** Instagram ([link removed])
** Facebook ([link removed])
** TikTok ([link removed])
** Medium ([link removed])
Copyright © 2026 Center for Western Priorities, All rights reserved.
You've signed up to receive Look West updates.
Center for Western Priorities
1999 Broadway
Suite 520
Denver, CO 80202
USA
** View this on the web ([link removed])
Want to change how you receive these emails?
You can ** update your preferences ([link removed])
or ** unsubscribe from this list ([link removed])
