February, in brief

Key news from February:

• The Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee held a two day confirmation hearing for New Mexico Congresswoman Deb Haaland. If confirmed, she will become the first Native American Interior Secretary and the first Native American presidential cabinet member, making her nomination a historic choice. During the hearing, Deb Haaland focused on her bipartisan record. Haaland has the support of hundreds of national and regional organizations. Prior to her hearing, a groundswell of grassroots support called on senators to confirm her, even as fossil fuel senators who backed an extremist at Interior indicated that they would reject her nomination. Senators opposing her cite her “extreme” or “radical” views on public lands and energy policy—a level of criticism they seem to reserve for women of color. Despite opposition, Haaland appears headed for approval after ranking member Joe Manchin announced he would vote to confirm her.
• This month, the Colorado College State of the Rockies project released the latest results from its annual Conservation in the West poll. The poll found that Westerners are overwhelmingly in favor of bold proposals to protect public lands, conserve nature, and tackle climate change. The majority of Westerners are concerned about the future of nature, and support strict limitations on oil and gas development on public lands.
• The Biden administration was occupied by preventing some of the Trump administration's last anti-conservation efforts from going into effect. They prevented rollbacks in protections included in California's Desert Renewable Energy Conservation Plan (DRECP). The Interior Department also reversed course on devastating changes to the Land and Water Conservation Fund (LWCF) that were pushed through at the very end of the Trump administration. The new order prevents the program from being undermined while returning money to a grant program that benefits urban areas.
• A federal court threw out a rule instituted by Trump's EPA that would have prevented the use of public health data in agency decision-making. 
• In late January, President Biden issued an executive order temporarily pausing oil and gas leasing on public lands. He directed the Interior Department to evaluate the program for “fair return to taxpayers for the use of their resources.” As a result, the Biden administration's pause on new oil and gas leases will include a review of oil and gas royalty rates charged for the extraction of public minerals.
• Colorado lawmakers reintroduced the Colorado Outdoor Recreation and Economy (CORE) Act, a sweeping public land package that would protect 400,000 acres of new wilderness and recreation areas within the state. The bill is coming to the House floor as part of a large package of public lands bills.
• The coal industry continued its downward spiral. A new report found that the U.S. is on track to cut out coal completely in a little over a decade as renewables become the cheaper option and pressure for action on climate grows. At the same time, declines continued to hit the Powder River Basin coal region.
• The West continued to struggle with the new reality of a world in climate crisis. Following a devastating year of wildfires, heatwaves, and drought in 2020, all reports seem to suggest that 2021 could bring more of the same climate extremes, whether dry or wet. Snowpack is low across the West, with drought expected to persist into spring. At the same time, extreme precipitation events will likely drive continued catastrophes, as they did in California earlier this month.
• Idaho Congressman Mike Simpson unveiled an energy and infrastructure proposal that would end litigation over endangered salmon in the Northwest, authorizing the removal of four dams on the Snake River in Washington beginning in 2030. The ambitious $33 billion plan serves as a new vision for the Northwest, providing the chance for a fresh start.
• Documents filed in federal court showed evidence of political meddling by the Trump administration in the development of a rewritten plan for how California allocates its scarce water supplies among agricultural and municipal users as well as endangered species and ecosystems. 

What to watch for in March:

• After two days of testimony in front of the Senate Energy and Natural Resources committee, Interior Secretary nominee Deb Haaland will likely be voted out of committee and move to the full Senate for a final confirmation vote in March.
• A package of public lands bills, including the Colorado Outdoor Recreation and Economy (CORE) Act will be voted on by the House.
• Expect the Biden administration to announce additional nominees to round out the new leadership team at Interior and other agencies.

This month, the Colorado College State of the Rockies project released the latest results from its annual Conservation in the West poll. Westerners are overwhelmingly in favor of bold proposals to protect public lands, conserve nature, and tackle climate change. See a summary of the poll, or view the full results.