** Forest Service hits the gas on oil drilling
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THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 3, 2020
US Forest Service ([link removed])

A new proposed rule ([link removed]) from the U.S. Forest Service would eliminate some environmental reviews and limit public participation ([link removed]) when oil companies want to drill inside America's national forests. According to the Forest Service, the rule is designed to make policies at the Department of Agriculture, which houses the Forest Service, align with the Interior Department, which houses the Bureau of Land Management and controls federal mineral rights.

During the Trump administration, the Bureau of Land Management, which has operated without a Senate-confirmed director, replaced its conservation-focused mission statement ([link removed]) with one focused exclusively on extraction and economic development.

Under the proposed Forest Service rule, forest managers would no longer be allowed to consider climate impacts or protect specific wild places, such as Montana's Badger-Two Medicine ([link removed]) or Colorado's Thompson Divide ([link removed]) , which both saw years-long fights to protect fragile ecosystems and ensure public access.


** Storymap: How 30x30 helps wildlife corridors
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An extensive new storymap from the Center for Western Priorities ([link removed]) highlights the ways that the "30x30" proposal to protect 30 percent of America's land and water by 2030 is crucial to restoring wildlife migration corridors for big game species, including mule deer and elk. Learn more here ([link removed]) .

Look West will return after Labor Day.
Quick hits


** Court confirms legal expiration of Thompson Divide oil leases
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Grand Junction Daily Sentinel ([link removed])


** New Mexico sues 2 oil companies for polluting the Permian Basin
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E&E News ([link removed])


** Forest Service rule would “streamline” oil and gas drilling, limit environmental reviews
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Colorado Newsline ([link removed]) | Missoula Current ([link removed]) | Boulder Weekly ([link removed]) | The Hill ([link removed]) (opinion)


** EPA announces Western mine office without details, jobs, costs
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E&E News ([link removed]) | Cronkite News ([link removed]) | Bloomberg ([link removed]) | Deseret News ([link removed])


** Opinion: Trump admin brags about ethics, forgets 3 years of scandal
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House Natural Resources Committee ([link removed])


** Sen. Jon Tester: Blackfoot Clearwater Stewardship Act made by, for Montanans
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Missoulian ([link removed])


** How do you get 3 bison from Yellowstone to an Alaskan island? FedEx, of course
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Billings Gazette ([link removed])


** Pics: 13 mountain lion kittens born in Santa Monica Mountains this summer
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CBS Los Angeles ([link removed])
Quote of the day
This misguided rule is an affront to hunters and anglers, as well as the world class outdoor recreation values we share in Montana. While we should be working to improve our National Forests for fish and wildlife, the Trump Administration continues to prioritize special interests, wants to reduce public participation in the leasing process and open more precious public land to oil and gas development.”
—Frank Szollosi, Montana Wildlife Federation
Missoula Current ([link removed])
Picture this


** @nationalparkservice ([link removed])
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Dude! Marmots are large squirrels in the genus Marmota.⁣
⁣
They are a bit chubby with very short legs and bulky bodies.⁣

Marmot with a mouthful of food at Rocky Mountain National Park. Dawn Wilson/(www.sharetheexperience.org)⁣

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