Look West: Public lands and energy news from the Center for Western Priorities
** Biden's sweeping climate promise turns one
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Thursday, January 27, 2022
President Biden has rejoined important international climate agreements. C ([link removed]) OP26 ([link removed]) , Flickr ([link removed])
It has been one year since President Joe Biden signed a historic executive order related to the climate crisis. The Executive Order on Tackling the Climate Crisis at Home and Abroad ([link removed]) pledged to increase international cooperation, address greenhouse gases and environmental injustice, and put millions of Americans to work.
Over the past year, the president has taken significant steps to deliver on the promises he made, such as advancing environmental justice ([link removed]) , expanding renewable energy development ([link removed]) , and using the government's buying power to purchase thousands of electric vehicles ([link removed]) .
The Biden administration has also taken steps to improve and protect our public lands, including moving the Bureau of Land Management headquarters back to the nation's capital ([link removed]) , protecting Chaco Canyon from drilling ([link removed]) , developing a plan to protect 30% of U.S. land and waters by 2030 ([link removed]) , securing funding to clean up abandoned mines and oil wells ([link removed]) , and r ([link removed]) estoring Grand Staircase-Escalante and Bears
Ears National Monuments ([link removed]) . But he's also taken a few steps backward, like leasing million of acres in the Gulf of Mexico to oil and gas producers ([link removed]) . For a full accounting, see our progress report on Biden's first year on public lands ([link removed]) .
Of course, many of the promises Biden made last year have yet to be fulfilled, such as the creation of a Civilian Climate Corps, reformation of the broken oil and gas leasing system, and the designation of new national monuments to reach the 30x30 target. There's still time for Biden to get these things done, but he needs to start now.
** Boundary Waters safe for now
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The Biden administration announced yesterday that it has canceled two mining leases near Minnesota’s Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness ([link removed]) , a 1.1 million-acre wilderness area in northeastern Minnesota. The leases to extract copper, nickel and other hardrock minerals threatened to pollute the area, which is one of the nation’s most popular wilderness destinations.
The decision follows a political tug-of-war in which the Obama administration refused to renew mining leases near the Boundary Waters due to ecological concerns, and then the Trump administration eased the way for Twin Metals Minnesota to mine there by fast-tracking an environmental review. The federal government is also mulling a 20-year mineral leasing withdrawal ([link removed]) ([link removed]) near the wilderness. ([link removed])
Quick hits
** Outdoor Retailer opens in Denver, discusses plans to stay
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Axios ([link removed])
** Powerline rerouted in Colorado to avoid Native American massacre site
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Colorado Sun ([link removed])
** Opinion: Forest Service will need more funding to effectively reduce wildfire risk
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The Conversation ([link removed])
** Oil and gas drilling rebounds in Wyoming, prompting worry and hope
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Wyoming Public Radio ([link removed]) (rebounds) | KSUT ([link removed]) (worry and hope)
** Courts are blocking development in fire-prone areas of California
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Los Angeles Times ([link removed])
** Bureau of Land Management names new Wyoming director
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Bureau of Land Management ([link removed]) | Oil City News ([link removed])
** City of Los Angeles bans new drilling, approves phase out of old wells
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Associated Press ([link removed]) | Lo ([link removed]) s Angeles Times ([link removed])
** Biden action on oil and gas raises questions about his climate goals
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Washington Post ([link removed])
Quote of the day
” We came in with a charge, right? Build a clean energy future. Conserve and restore the lands in our country. Strengthen our nation-to-nation relationships with Indian tribes, advancing equity and justice. We are working hard on all those issues, and I feel really grateful, of course, to be the first Native American cabinet secretary in the history of our country. I have always said that representation matters. I’m proud of the work we’ve done with respect to many underrepresented communities, and we’ll just keep moving forward.”
—Interior Secretary Deb Haaland on her first year in office, E ([link removed]) lle ([link removed])
Picture this
** @ ([link removed]) RockyNPS ([link removed])
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Join us in celebrating #RMNP ([link removed]) 's Birthday! Rocky is 107 years old today! On January 26, 1915, President Woodrow Wilson signed the enabling legislation that established Rocky Mountain National Park as our nation's 10th national park. What do you love about Rocky? NPS Photo/Westfall
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