December, in brief

Key news from December:

• In a historic move, President-elect Joe Biden has selected Representative Deb Haaland to serve as Secretary of the Interior. If confirmed, Haaland would be the first Native American to serve in a presidential cabinet and as head of the Interior Department—the department responsible for upholding trust and treaty obligations with federally recognized Native American tribes. Throughout her tenure in Congress, Haaland served on the House Natural Resources Committee, taking the lead on efforts to conserve 30% of America's lands and waters by 2030, protect national monuments, and increase renewable energy generation on public lands to combat climate change.
• Biden also announced nominations to other key environment and energy positions in his cabinet, including Jennifer Granholm for Secretary of Energy, Michael Regan for Environmental Protection Agency Administrator, Brenda Mallory for Chair of the Council on Environmental Quality, Gina McCarthy for National Climate Advisor, and Ali Zaidi for Deputy National Climate Advisor. Biden has emphasized that he chose a team that will make clean energy jobs and environmental protection a cornerstone of his economic plans.
• The Trump administration declined to help species in the face of extinction. It acknowledged that both the northern spotted owl and the monarch butterfly may soon go extinct and deserve additional federal protections. However, in both cases the administration said that protections will not be granted and that focus will remain on "higher priority listings." The Interior Department is currently trying to cut protections for more than 200,000 acres of the owl's critical habitat. At the same time, the agency announced it would restrict which habitat could be protected under the Endangered Species Act, making it even harder for imperiled species to recover.
• As the Trump presidency comes to a close Interior Secretary David Bernhardt is rushing to finish favors for the oil and gas industry—especially in the Arctic. This month the Interior Department officially scheduled an oil lease auction in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge for January 6th and moved ahead with plans to allow seismic testing that will disturb polar bears in their dens. The department also published a proposed rule that would eliminate numerous Obama-era safety requirements for offshore drilling in the Arctic.
• U.S. Senators Chuck Grassley and Tom Udall introduced legislation to increase royalty rates for oil and gas production on public lands by 50 percent. According to the Congressional Budget Office, the proposed increase would raise $200 million in federal revenue over the next 10 years as it is phased in, with an equivalent amount going to the states where the oil or gas is being extracted. New Mexico Senator Tom Udall, one of the Senate’s great conservation champions, also highlighted how environmental justice and social justice are intertwined in his Senate farewell speech. 
• A new report from the Government Accountability Office found that the Bureau of Land Management’s longstanding practice of noncompetitive leasing has let oil and gas companies lock up millions of acres of public land while taxpayers receive almost nothing in return. The GAO analysis found that nearly 99% of noncompetitive leases sold between 2003 and 2009 never produced oil during the 10-year primary term of the lease—blocking those public lands from other uses while bringing in just $1.50 an acre for taxpayers. 
• Provisions that would have protected more than 1.3 million acres of American wilderness were stripped from a must-pass defense spending bill this month. While those major public lands bills await the next Congress, another bill that would expand Saguaro and Rocky Mountain national parks passed the House.
• Utah's San Juan County Commission voted 2-1 in support of a resolution declaring the Trump administration's actions to shrink Bears Ears National Monument "illegal." The resolution further requests that President-elect Biden direct his administration to prioritize the restoration of the monument to its original size when it was designated by President Obama in 2016.
• Ranchers across the West expressed frustration with the new Bureau of Land Management's headquarters' out of the way location. As one rancher said, Grand Junction is "darn hard to get to," and ranchers who go to Grand Junction would be unable to speak with other decision makers or agency staff, limiting their ability to effect change.
• With climate change and drought threatening water supplies across the West, farmers and ranchers are working with scientists to avoid a "nightmare scenario" in which cities and suburbs lose access to water supplies. Ranchers have agreed to participate in a study on "demand management," in which farmers and ranchers would be paid to stop using their water allocations.

What to watch for in January, 2021:

• With one month left in the Trump administration, here are the environmental rollbacks it is trying to accomplish. Keep your eye out for a lease sale in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge as well as approval for seismic testing that could place polar bears at risk.
• President-elect Joe Biden's inauguration will take place on January 20, 2021. Biden has promised a number of day-one executive orders to combat the climate and nature crises, including: establishing a national goal of protecting 30 percent of America by 2030, requiring methane pollution limits for oil and gas operations, developing renewable energy, and protecting the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge.
• As the Trump administration comes to an end, officials from government agencies will head back through the revolving door to seek employment in the private sector. Many of these individuals, such as Interior Secretary David Bernhardt, bring with them shameful and wildly destructive legacies.

Happy Winter Solstice! 5:02 yesterday morning marked the beginning of winter in the Northern Hemisphere. Take a tip from these sandhill cranes flying over Montezuma National Wildlife Refuge - no day is too short to spread your wings.

Photo by Doug Racine/USFWS