** May, in brief
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Photo of @DinosaurNPS ([link removed]) in Utah courtesy of Ranger Tif. Source: @Interior ([link removed])


** Key news from May:
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* President Biden pulled off a rare feat unveiling his ten-year “America the Beautiful” conservation plan ([link removed]) —it was greeted by near-universal praise across political and geographic lines. The report from four agencies, which is a 24-page road map for increasing environmental equity and protecting 30% of America’s land and ocean by 2030, was welcomed by farmers and ranchers ([link removed]) , conservation groups ([link removed]) , Republicans ([link removed]) , and Democrats ([link removed]) .
* The White House released President Biden’s fiscal year 2022 budget proposal ([link removed]) . While the Trump administration consistently proposed slashing funding for public land conservation and clean energy, President Biden is calling for a 16.7% budget increase for the Department of the Interior, which is tasked with managing our nation’s parks and public lands. Proposals within the Biden administration’s budget include expanding funding for renewable energy development, devoting resources to reclaim abandoned wells and mines, eliminating tax preferences for fossil fuels, and a commitment to maximize the resilience of land and water resources to protect communities and the environment from the impacts of climate change.
* A coalition of five tribes ([link removed]) has launched an ad campaign ([link removed]) that is visible in Utah and Washington, D.C. with an abundantly clear message for President Biden: “Our Tribes speak with one voice. The time to act is now. Restore and expand Bears Ears National Monument.” The leadership of the Bears Ears Intertribal Coalition ([link removed]) includes representatives from the sovereign indigenous nations of the Hopi Tribe, Navajo Nation, Ute Mountain Ute Tribe, Ute Indian Tribe, and Zuni Tribe, all of whom share cultural ties ([link removed]) to the area.
* The Interior Department reversed ([link removed]) the Trump administration's last minute attempt to remove safety regulations for offshore drilling in the Arctic. In December, President Trump's Interior Department tried to revise a slate of safety measures instated during the Obama administration. However, the rule was not finalized before the Biden administration took office and is now withdrawn. This is the latest action in the Biden administration's moves to undo Trump-era rollbacks of environmental protections, including restoring protections for migratory birds ([link removed]) and temporarily blocking oil and gas activity in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge
([link removed]) .
* Nevada became the first state in the nation to pass a resolution ([link removed]) urging the conservation of 30% of the state’s lands and waters by the year 2030. This action is in line with the Biden administration's executive order ([link removed]) on climate urging a national goal of protecting 30% of America's lands and waters by 2030. The resolution also calls for the establishment of the Avi Kwa Ame National Monument and the permanent protection of the Desert National Wildlife Refuge ([link removed]) from the expansion of military activities.
* The House Natural Resources Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations held a hearing ([link removed]) to examine the contributions of the oil and gas sector to jobs and the economy, but the CEOs of three oil companies and two leaders from the Western Energy Alliance all declined to attend the hearing, refusing to be held accountable ([link removed]) for their actions to taxpayers who supply major subsidies to the industry.
* The Interior Department is moving quickly to reverse the damage of the Trump years and restore necessary protections for the imperiled greater sage-grouse ([link removed]) . The Bureau of Land Management agreed in a court filing ([link removed]) to restart the land use planning process in order to ensure the grouse is properly protected, laying the groundwork to revoke plans implemented by the Trump administration. The process will likely include new environmental reviews and the use of compensatory mitigation to offset the effects of oil and gas drilling in grouse habitat.
* The Western United States is entering its 22nd year of a megadrought, with some Western leaders declaring states of emergency. The continued drought has driven depleted water resources across the West. Creeks and rivers in Colorado ([link removed]) are running low, while a new report in Arizona has found that groundwater systems are seriously over-allocated ([link removed]) , allowing for unsustainable pumping. The massive holding pools of Lake Mead
([link removed]) and Lake Powell ([link removed]) , which allowed human life to thrive in the desert for many years ([link removed]) , are already at critically low levels. Even this year's higher-than-average snowpack in some parts of Colorado won't be enough to help: exceptionally dry soils from last year will absorb much of the melting snowpack, preventing runoff from entering river systems
([link removed]) . The drought is also tied to the West's devastating wildfire seasons. As climate change causes snow to melt earlier in the spring ([link removed]) , the landscape becomes drier and drier by late summer and early fall.


** What to watch for in June:
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* The Biden administration is expected to release an interim report ([link removed]) in early summer outlining next steps and recommendations on the future of the federal oil and gas program, including what can be done to reform how leases are managed, how much revenue should go to taxpayers, and address other critical issues.
* Expect a confirmation hearing for Tracy Stone-Manning ([link removed]) who President Biden nominated as the next Director of the Bureau of Land Management (BLM), as well as final confirmation votes for additional Interior department nominees, including Robert Anderson for Solicitor of the Department of the Interior, Shannon Estenoz for Assistant Secretary for Fish and Wildlife and Parks, and Tanya Trujillo for Assistant Secretary for Water and Science.

Best Reads of the Month


** Commentary: Moving BLM headquarters to Grand Junction was a bad idea, and everyone knows it
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Colorado Newsline ([link removed])


**
New projections show first-ever Colorado River water shortage is almost certain
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CNN ([link removed])


**
Editorial: Outside group tries to mislead Coloradans on 30x30
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Durango Herald ([link removed])


**
Utah BLM considering drilling exploratory oil wells on the doorstep of Dinosaur National Monument
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Salt Lake Tribune ([link removed])


**
Interior Secretary Deb Haaland says public lands should reflect America
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Outside ([link removed])


**
A turning point for Big Oil?
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HuffPost ([link removed])


**
Indigenous archaeologists say "petroglyph vandalism is not a victimless crime"
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High Country News ([link removed])


**
What to save? Climate change forces brutal choices at national parks
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New York Times ([link removed])
From the Center for Western Priorities:


** Report: Protecting America's iconic places
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The next national monuments that can help conserve 30% of America's lands and waters by 2030

The Center for Western Priorities released a new report ([link removed]) that examines the important role that new national monuments can play in the goal to conserve 30% of America’s lands and waters by 2030, while preserving our natural and cultural heritage ([link removed]) for current and future generations. The storymap ([link removed]) examines five locally-driven conservation proposals across Nevada, Texas, Oregon, and Arizona ([link removed]) , each with grassroots support. If Congress doesn't act to protect these iconic and culturally significant places they ought to be prime opportunities for
the Biden administration to designate as national monuments.

Despite the Trump administration’s 2017 national monuments review ([link removed]) that resulted in the shrinking of Bears Ears and Grand Staircase-Escalante, national monuments are widely popular across the West: 84% ([link removed]) of Westerners support creating new national parks, national monuments, national wildlife refuges, and tribal protected areas, and 77% ([link removed]) support restoring protections to lands in the West which contain archaeological and Native American sites, even if they also have oil, gas, and mineral deposits.
Read the storymap report ([link removed])
Read the blog ([link removed])


** Oil industry continues to cry wolf while racking up profits ([link removed])
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** While attacking temporary pause on public lands leases, companies tout significant 1st quarter gains
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We'll be back with more episodes of The Landscape ([link removed]) in June with more news focused on parks and public lands across the American West, and interviews with newsmakers and environmental advocates.
Quote of the month


** "Where this path leads over the next decade will be determined not by our agencies, but by the ideas and leadership of local communities. It is our job to listen, learn, and provide support along the way to help strengthen economies and pass on healthy lands, waters, and wildlife for generations to come."
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** —Interior Secretary Deb Haaland,
Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack,
Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo,
White House Council on Environmental Quality Chair Brenda Mallory,
in the America the Beautiful report ([link removed])
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Picture this
May is National Wildfire Awareness Month ([link removed]) , and a time when individuals, organizations, and communities are encouraged to consider their wildfire risks and take steps to prevent the effects of fires. Want to help? Share these @DOIWildlandFire ([link removed]) tips: [link removed]

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