Look West: Public lands and energy news from the Center for Western Priorities


** Forest Service announces aggressive wildfire strategy
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Wednesday, January 19, 2022
@forestservice ([link removed]) . Artwork by Caitlin Garas/USDA Forest Service.

The Biden administration announced it will tap $3 billion in funding ([link removed]) from the recently passed infrastructure bill to support wildfire mitigation efforts over the next ten years. The funding will allow the U.S. Forest Service to treat up to an additional 20 million acres of national forest land through thinning, prescribed fire, and other practices meant to reduce wildfire risk, and support the treatment of as much as 30 million additional acres of federal, state, tribal, or privately held land.

The wildfire mitigation plan announced yesterday is an update to the National Cohesive Wildland Fire Management Strategy ([link removed]) , a plan developed during the Obama administration. The revised strategy will rely on new research that will help the Forest Service determine which areas are at highest wildfire risk, and it will enable the agency to massively expand its current treatment of about 2 million acres a year to roughly 5 million acres a year.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture, which houses the Forest Service, said it would focus on "firesheds ([link removed]) ," areas of about 250,000 acres that are deemed a higher risk to populated areas. Some of the highest-risk areas based on community exposure include the Pacific Northwest, the Sierra Nevada in California, the Front Range in Colorado, and the Southwest, the agencies said. The strategy arrives as the threat of catastrophic wildfire driven by climate change becomes more menacing to Western communities, as evidenced by the recent Marshall fire ([link removed]) that tore across Colorado's suburbs.

Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack and Forest Service Chief Randy Moore announced the strategy ([link removed]) at an event in Arizona yesterday. In a statement, Secretary Vilsack said ([link removed]) , "The negative impacts of today's largest wildfires far outpace the scale of efforts to protect homes, communities and natural resources. Our experts expect the trend will only worsen with the effects of a changing climate, so working together toward common goals across boundaries and jurisdictions is essential to the future of these landscapes and the people who live there."
Quick hits


** New data shows massive leaks from New Mexico oil and gas operators
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Capital & Main ([link removed])


** EPA tackles coal-to-crypto industry trend
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E&E News ([link removed])


** Opinion: Biden must pick up the mantle after the loss of three conservation giants
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The Hill ([link removed])


** Interior inks interagency agreement to clean up oil and gas wells
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E&E News ([link removed])


** Forest Service announces aggressive wildfire mitigation strategy
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Arizona Republic ([link removed]) | E&E News ([link removed])


** Saving a single 500-year old tree from logging may not be possible, but experts share other ideas for protection
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Washington Post ([link removed])


** Climate change makes the future of nordic skiing uncertain
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Associated Press ([link removed])


** The environmental case for buying a coal mine
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BBC ([link removed])
Quote of the day
” Modeling speaks louder than words—I can't just preach if no one has seen me take action. Generations to come will follow our lead on how we care for and appreciate Castner Range, and we can model the change we want to see by making this treasured place a National Monument."
—Moses Borjas ([link removed]) , Senior Pastor of Living Covenant Church in El Paso, Texas
Picture this


** @Interior ([link removed])
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It's the list of @NatlParkService ([link removed]) fee-free days for 2022! [link removed]… ([link removed])

Pic of @DeathValleyNPS ([link removed]) by Kevin Shi

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