Look West: Public lands and energy news from the Center for Western Priorities
** Science deniers near ‘total victory’ over climate reality
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Tuesday, February 10, 2026
President Donald Trump, Interior Secretary Doug Burgum, and Energy Secretary Chris Wright share a laugh in the Oval Office. White House photo ([link removed]) .
The Trump administration is preparing to repeal the Environmental Protection Agency’s 2009 “endangerment finding ([link removed]) ,” the scientific determination that greenhouse gases threaten public health and therefore must be regulated under the Clean Air Act. EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin has called the move ([link removed]) “the largest act of deregulation in the history of the United States,” saying the final rule, expected this week, will remove requirements to measure, report, certify and comply with federal greenhouse gas standards for motor vehicles.
Interior Secretary Doug Burgum framed the repeal as part of the Trump administration's effort to boost the failing coal industry. “More energy drives human flourishing,” Burgum told the Wall Street Journal ([link removed]) , arguing that “energy abundance is the thing that we have to focus on, not regulating certain forms of energy out.”
On Wednesday, President Trump is expected to sign an executive order instructing the Defense department to buy electricity from coal-fired power plants as the president is awarded a new “Undisputed Champion of Coal” award by a pro-coal lobbying group.
Myron Ebell, who has been leading attacks on climate science for decades, told the New York Times ([link removed]) , “We are pretty close to total victory.” Ebell credited four people in particular for executing the Trump administration's plan for erasing the endangerment finding, even though the fossil fuel industry has broadly accepted climate science and prefers regulatory certainty.
Documents obtained by Fieldnotes show a $2 million pitch in 2022 to fund a campaign to kill the endangerment finding, operating in secret ([link removed]) “to prevent media and other conflicted sources from shaming participants and undercutting the work before it is done.”
Freedom 250 in the spotlight
President Donald Trump's Freedom 250 project, which is selling access to the president for $1 million and up ([link removed]) , will be the focus of a House Natural Resources subcommittee hearing ([link removed]) this morning. The American Prospect reports that an events guide ([link removed]) produced by Freedom 250 encourages partners to elevate Christian nationalist talking points and hold prayer breakfasts where pastors pair biblical readings with quotes from the Founding Fathers. The hearing begins at 8:15 am Mountain Time ([link removed]) and will be streamed online
([link removed]) .
** Quick hits
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‘Affirmative Action for cattle:’ More than 50 Tribes challenge feds over bison grazing leases
Outdoor Life ([link removed]) | Bozeman Daily Chronicle ([link removed])
Tribes re-examine grazing policies in effort to boost sage-grouse
High Country News ([link removed])
Read the pitch deck for Trump's ‘Freedom 250’ group
The American Prospect ([link removed]) | Mediaite ([link removed]) | E&E News ([link removed])
Trump administration fires 134 people at former renewable energy lab in Denver
CPR News ([link removed]) | Denver Post ([link removed]) | Colorado Sun ([link removed])
How the GOP weaponized a Clinton rule-busting law
E&E News ([link removed])
Advocacy group: Lower royalty rates for oil and gas on public lands cost taxpayers millions
Deseret News ([link removed])
Steve Pearce's former constituents warn against BLM nomination
KRWG ([link removed])
Opinion: Steve Pearce is the wrong choice for BLM
Flathead Beacon ([link removed])
** Quote of the day
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” It’s not the corporate interests. It’s the pure ideological activists who believe that climate change is a hoax, who believe that this was about transferring wealth and driving socialism and destroying renewable energy and promoting left-wing ideology.”
—Former FERC Commissioner Neil Chatterjee, New York Times ([link removed])
** Picture This
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@mypubliclands ([link removed])
The countdown continues ... Just 31 days until the Iditarod Ceremonial Start across Alaska public lands!
🐾 Gee! Haw! WHOA! These aren’t just playful expressions. They’re vital tools for communication. Sled dogs show us the power of active listening, since understanding and following commands is key to their role on the team.
Mushers give spoken commands, and the lead dog responds, guiding the rest of the team. When the lead hears “GEE,” it turns right; “HAW” means left. Behind the leader are the swing dogs, helping steer and support the team, while the wheel dogs pull closest to the sled. Every dog plays a crucial part.
On the trail, there’s often a quiet connection with nature, but the lively dialogue between musher and dogs is a sound you won’t forget along the Iditarod National Historic Trail.
📸 A musher and his dog team running through Campbell Tract
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