** Direct line between occupation of wildlife refuge and takeover of nation's Capitol
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Friday, January 8, 2021
On January 6th, Trump incited pro-Trump insurrectionists to violently take over the nation's Capitol | Blink O'fanaye, Flickr ([link removed])

On Wednesday, a mob incited by President Trump attempted to overturn the 2020 election by taking over the U.S. Capitol. Although many were shocked by the violent insurrectionists, the extremist ideologies and tactics that President Trump has stoked among his supporters are the same ideologies that led to a violent occupation of public lands in Oregon five years ago ([link removed]) . Many of the groups that participated in the armed occupation of the Capitol are the same ones that have threatened American public lands for years.

In 2016, armed public lands extremists occupied Oregon's Malheur National Wildlife Refuge for 41 days. The extremists were led by Ammon Bundy in an effort to violently protest the imprisonment of Oregon ranchers convicted of arson on public land. Groups visible at the Capitol insurrection, such as the Oath Keepers and III Percenters, were present at the 2016 occupation.

Center for Western Priorities' Executive Director Jennifer Rokala said in a statement ([link removed]) , “You can draw a straight line from the Bundy Ranch standoff and Malheur takeover to the Trump insurrection in Washington. President-elect Biden, the new Congress, and all Americans must take this threat seriously. After Trump leaves office, the threats to our public lands will be greater than ever. Law enforcement must stop appeasing the criminals who take over America’s public land, whether in Washington or the West, and start sending them to prison.”

After Wednesday’s failed coup at the Capitol, anti-public lands extremist Cliven Bundy (Ammon Bundy's father) praised the rioters ([link removed]) and took to Facebook ([link removed]) to call for another insurrection, saying that “100,000 should have spent the night in the halls and another 100,000 should have protected them.” Cliven Bundy rose to prominence when his refusal to pay federal grazing fees to the Bureau of Land Management escalated to an armed standoff with federal agents near his Nevada ranch in 2014.


** Biden's climate agenda in a flipped Senate
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Since 2014, Mitch McConnell has effectively prevented major climate legislation from coming to the Senate floor. However, with wins in Georgia creating a split Senate combined with a tie-breaking vote from Vice President-elect Kamala Harris, climate legislation may now have a chance to move forward ([link removed]) . Biden's agenda to confront the climate crisis includes support for renewable energy, electric vehicles, and low-emissions infrastructure, in addition to public lands solutions such as oil and gas reform and natural carbon dioxide sequestration.
Quick hits


** Hope grows that Biden will restore US national monuments shrunk by Trump
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The Guardian ([link removed])


** Trump moves to loosen mining regulations, approve projects as he exits
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Reuters ([link removed])


** As the planet warms, 2020 ties for hottest year on record
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E&E News ([link removed])


** Colorado's dire drought will take more than this winter's snowfall to get out of
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Colorado Sun ([link removed])


** Oil and gas industry expected to continue to struggle in 2021, could increase number of abandoned wells
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E&E News ([link removed])


** Direct line between occupation of wildlife refuge and takeover of nation's Capitol
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The Oregonian ([link removed]) | E&E News ([link removed]) | KATU ([link removed])


** Push to build solar on public land creates a dilemma: where should the projects be put?
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Nevada Independent ([link removed])


** How the Zoom boom is changing the West
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High Country News ([link removed])
Quote of the day
The armed takeover of the Malheur refuge five years ago this week was a dress rehearsal for what we saw at the Capitol. The extremist ideologies and tactics that led to the violent occupation of public lands in Oregon are the same ideologies that President Trump has stoked among his supporters."
—Jennifer Rokala, Center for Western Priorities ([link removed]) ' Executive Director
Picture this


** @I ([link removed]) nterior ([link removed])
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Snow in the Chihuahuan desert of @BigBendNPS ([link removed]) is a rare sight, and usually only occurs at higher elevations in the park. Last week, a winter storm hit the area and dropped over a foot of snow, temporarily closing the roads. A spectacular sight to bring in the new year! #Texas ([link removed])

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