May, in brief

Key news from May:

• President Biden pulled off a rare feat unveiling his ten-year “America the Beautiful” conservation plan—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, conservation groups, Republicans, and Democrats.
• The White House released President Biden’s fiscal year 2022 budget proposal. 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 has launched an ad campaign 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 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 to the area.
• The Interior Department reversed 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 However, the rule was not finalized before the Biden administration took office and is now withdrawn.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 and temporarily blocking oil and gas activity in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge.
• Nevada became the first state in the nation to pass a resolution 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 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 from the expansion of military activities.
• The House Natural Resources Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations held a hearing 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 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. The Bureau of Land Management agreed in a court filing 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 are running low, while a new report in Arizona has found that groundwater systems are seriously over-allocated, allowing for unsustainable pumping. The massive holding pools of Lake Mead and Lake Powell, which allowed human life to thrive in the desert for many years, 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. The drought is also tied to the West's devastating wildfire seasons. As climate change causes snow to melt earlier in the spring, the landscape becomes drier and drier by late summer and early fall.

What to watch for in June:

• The Biden administration is expected to release an interim report 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 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.

May is National Wildfire Awareness Month, 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 tips: https://www.doi.gov/blog/10-tips-prevent-wildfires