Look West: Public lands and energy news from the Center for Western Priorities
** Border wall through Big Bend gets $1.7 billion contract
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Monday, May 18, 2026
Santa Elena Canyon in Big Bend National Park, Texas. Michael Janke, Flickr ([link removed])
Last week, U.S. Customs and Border Protection awarded ([link removed]) a $1.7 billion federal contract for border wall construction through Big Bend National Park in Texas.
The contract fuels public confusion over the project. Just one week prior, CBP Commissioner Rodney Scott announced there would be no border wall built through Big Bend. His announcement came in response to widespread public backlash over an interactive map posted to the CBP website, showing plans to install roads and "virtual wall" technology in the national park. The map was taken down in late April, but CBP added it again ([link removed]) in May.
Last Thursday, the Trump administration waived environmental protections in the Big Bend region in preparation for construction, according to a federal notice first reported by Marfa Public Radio ([link removed]) .
“They have made it a mission to obfuscate and make this as confusing of a process as possible,” said ([link removed]) Laiken Jordahl, National Public Lands Advocate at the Center for Biological Diversity. “From constantly changing the online smart wall map—I mean, they’ve made dozens and dozens of changes to that thing without announcing any of them—to taking it down entirely.”
A huge data center could be built on Alaska’s North Slope
A data center has been proposed ([link removed]) on Alaska's Arctic North Slope. The project ([link removed]) would cost $500 million and would occupy an entire square mile of state land. A newly built pipeline would carry natural gas to fuel the data center’s power plant, which could use more than twice as much natural gas as urban Alaska consumes for electrical generation and home and commercial heating. A public comment period ([link removed]) on the proposed lease is open through June 15.
** Quick hits
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Doug Burgum's $22 million ski condo puts him at the center of a fight over the future of public lands
Floodlight News [article ([link removed]) , video ([link removed]) ]
Senate to vote on controversial BLM director nominee Steve Pearce
E&E News ([link removed])
Scientists raise alarms over push to scrap Utah national monument plan
Salt Lake Tribune ([link removed])
Montana governor's office says corner crossing is trespassing
Field & Stream ([link removed])
Huffman: Burgum misled Congress on triumphal arch
E&E News ([link removed])
O'odham leaders seek answers about damage to 1,000-year-old geoglyph
Arizona Republic ([link removed])
Trump administration readying a plan to impose Colorado River water cuts on western states
Los Angeles Times ([link removed]) | Reuters ([link removed]) | Wall Street Journal ([link removed])
As costs rise, some Utah ranchers are leasing fields out for solar projects ‘rather than alfalfa’
Salt Lake Tribune ([link removed])
** Quote of the day
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” Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument is one of the greatest windows into Earth’s past anywhere on the planet.”
—Rowan Lockwood, president of the Paleontological Society, Salt Lake Tribune ([link removed])
** Picture This
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@ ([link removed]) ncascadesnps ([link removed])
Seeing a bear is a memorable experience, but your safety greatly depends on your actions. Bears are wild animals, and public lands are their home. Remember the following while recreating in bear country:
Bears are active now. Spring and early summer bring increased bear movement as bears search for food, move through habitat and, in some areas, protect cubs.
Bear safety protects people and bears. Unattended human food, waste, and scented items can attract bears. Never leave food, garbage, or anything used to prepare, consume, store, or transport food unattended.
Report when you see bears. Help us keep people and wildlife safe by reporting sightings and encounters at visitor contact station
For more information on wildlife safety, visit link in bio.
NPS Photo
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