** Coal's decline continues in Montana
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Thursday, July 22, 2021
Spring Creek Mine, Montana, Bureau of Land Management ([link removed])

Coal production across the West declined sharply in 2020, as demand and exports fell during the pandemic. But coal companies do not appear to expect a major recovery this year.

In Montana, production dropped by 23% last year ([link removed]) , as the state's largest coal mine, Spring Creek, furloughed 73 workers. The nearby Decker mine struggled throughout the year and finally shut down in January 2021.

Despite the economic recovery nationwide, coal production in Montana is flat year-to-year, suggesting that the industry's long-term decline will continue across the region.


** Senate committee voting on Tracy Stone-Manning
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After a weeks-long smear campaign against President Biden's pick to lead the Bureau of Land Management, the Senate Energy and Natural Resources is about to vote on Tracy Stone-Manning's nomination ([link removed]) this morning. Senator Martin Heinrich of New Mexico referred to the effort to derail the nomination as "the worst example of character assassination I have seen on this committee." A tie vote in the committee would pave the way for the full Senate to take up the nomination. If the full Senate vote also ends in a tie, Vice President Kamala Harris would cast the deciding vote.
Quick hits


** Interior secretary to visit Alaska amid fight over Izembek road
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Alaska Daily News ([link removed]) | Associated Press ([link removed]) | E&E News ([link removed])


** Montana coal production falls 23% in 2020
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Billings Gazette ([link removed]) | Associated Press ([link removed])


** Opinion: Congress needs to fix broken bonding rates for oil and gas drilling
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Los Alamos Daily Post ([link removed])


** IG: Trump Interior appointee violated ethics pledge
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E&E News ([link removed])


** Hikers struck by lightning at Grand Canyon trailhead
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ABC 15 ([link removed]) | SF Gate ([link removed]) | KOLD ([link removed]) | Fox 10 ([link removed])


** Opinion: Public/private partnerships key to reaching 30x30 in Colorado
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Colorado Politics ([link removed])


** New Mexico seeks restoration ideas after 2015 mine spill
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Associated Press ([link removed])


** Why indigenous activists are driving a 25-foot totem pole across the country
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Smithsonian ([link removed])
Quote of the day
People across the spectrum — from ranchers to oil and gas producers to sportsmen and women — see Tracy Stone-Manning as a person they can work with. BLM’s 'multiple-use' mandate requires exactly the type of collaborative approach that Stone-Manning has brought to her career. She understands that regardless of political party, the agency works to serve ALL Americans.”
—Utah's Legislative Quad Caucus, Deseret News ([link removed])
Picture this


** @mypubliclands ([link removed])
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Our nation's public lands offer plenty of opportunities for scenic vistas and adventuring on this "National Father-Daughter Take a Walk Day!" When you're out and about, please don't forget to #RecreateResponsibly ([link removed]) and #DoYourPart ([link removed]) to prevent wildfire! 📸 Utah's Indian Creek; Bob Wick, BLM.

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