** Biden halts dismantling of California renewable energy & conservation plan
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Thursday, February 18, 2021
Wind energy turbines in the California Desert, part of the Desert Renewable Energy Conservation Plan (DRECP). BLM Flickr ([link removed])
In its final days, the Trump administration sought to roll back ([link removed]) key protections included in California's Desert Renewable Energy Conservation Plan (DRECP) ([link removed]) , a regulatory framework for balancing conservation and renewable energy development across 22 million acres ([link removed]) of federal and state land in the California desert.
Yesterday, the new leadership at the Interior Department appointed by the Biden administration announced ([link removed]) they will not seek to dismantle the DRECP, leaving the original plan intact. The original plan ([link removed]) was completed in 2016 after 8 years of negotiations that included the collection and review of more than 16,000 public comments. Miraculously, when completed the DRECP faced zero lawsuits ([link removed]) , a rarity in environmental planning efforts.
Laura Daniel Davis, Interior's principal deputy assistant secretary for land and minerals management said in a statement ([link removed]) , "The Trump administration’s proposal in its final days to re-open the plan is unnecessary and at odds with balanced land management. The Department will not move forward with the proposed environmental review of potential amendments to the DRECP."
Quick hits
** Public lands package coming to the House floor next week would protect 1.3 million acres across the country
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Bloomberg Law ([link removed])
** How private landowners can play a critical and necessary role in reaching the ambitious 30x30 conservation goal
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E&E News ([link removed])
** Biden halts dismantling of California's Desert Renewable Energy Conservation Plan
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Desert Sun ([link removed]) | E&E News ([link removed]) | Sierra Sun Times ([link removed]) | MyNewsLA ([link removed])
** Interior begins comprehensive review of Trump's cuts to national monuments
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HuffPost ([link removed])
** Fact check: Frozen wind turbines are not the primary cause of Texas' power outages
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Texas Tribune ([link removed]) | Vox ([link removed]) | Outside ([link removed]) | E&E News ([link removed])
** EPA's Office of Environmental Justice resumes outreach calls to affected communities, advocates
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E&E News ([link removed])
** National Park Service launches a brand new free app for visitors with maps, trails, and food recommendations
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Outside ([link removed])
** Forest Service rethinking road through public lands en route to high-end Vail Valley housing development
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Colorado Sun ([link removed])
Quote of the day
Blaming the Texas power outages on things like the 'Green New Deal' is like... is like... is like... Sorry folks, I don't have a folksy analogy. It's just plain dishonest, stupid, and dangerous. We need solutions based on science not sophistry."
—Dan Rather ([link removed]) , former national evening news anchor
Picture this
** @USFWSMtnPrairie ([link removed])
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"There's so much room for activities!" - Will Ferrell
The pronghorn travels great distances during migration. To survive winter, it travels over 100 miles from Wyoming’s Jackson Hole to the Upper Green River Valley where there's less snow & a better chance of survival. Photo: @USFWS ([link removed])
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