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


** $1 billion to clean up orphaned wells
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Tuesday, February 1, 2022
Bureau of Land Management ([link removed])

The Biden administration announced more than $1 billion in state funding ([link removed]) to clean up thousands of abandoned oil and gas wells across the country.

The $1.15 billion in funds announced Monday is the first portion of nearly $5 billion that Congress approved in the bipartisan infrastructure law passed last fall. The money will go to 26 states ([link removed]) , including $39 million for Colorado, $35.5 million for Wyoming, $26.3 million for Utah, and $26.3 million for Montana.

Earlier this month, the Interior Department said there are at least 130,000 documented abandoned wells ([link removed]) across the U.S., although the actual number could be higher than 2 million ([link removed]) , according to an EPA estimate from 2018.

While the cleanup funding is long overdue, Congress has not addressed the underlying problem—insufficient bonding rates that allow oil companies to go bankrupt or walk away from oil wells without cleaning them up.

“Who could argue that we shouldn’t be cleaning up orphaned wells? And it doesn’t cost the industry anything,” Cornell University professor Robert Howarth ([link removed]) told the Washington Post. “[But] it doesn’t go to the heart of what we really need to do if we’re going to solve the methane monster.”
Quick hits


** 112-million-year-old dinosaur tracks damaged by BLM contractor in Utah
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Salt Lake Tribune ([link removed]) | KSL ([link removed])


** Biden administration begins crackdown on power plant pollution
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Washington Post ([link removed]) | CNN ([link removed]) | Associated Press ([link removed])


** Interior unveils $1 billion for abandoned oil and gas well cleanup
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Reuters ([link removed]) | CNBC ([link removed]) | Washington Post ([link removed])


** Where to build in a state where everything can burn? California faces housing challenges
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The Guardian ([link removed])


** Corner crossing defendants move for dismissal of trespass charges
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WyoFile ([link removed])


** BLM seeks input on 29 miles of new trails near Fruita, Colorado
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KKCO ([link removed])


** Quiz: How well do you know Biden's environmental track record?
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Washington Post ([link removed])
Quote of the day
” There's damage and it is unnecessary. This should have been done with a real sense of excellence. ... Mill Canyon was a major discovery and a real jewel in Utah's crown.”
—Paleontologist Jim Kirkland, KSL ([link removed])
Picture this


** @mypubliclands ([link removed])
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#NewYearNewAdventure ([link removed]) : There’s always something cool about seeing snow in the desert. 🏜️❄️😍

New Mexico's Organ Mountains - Desert Peaks National Monument in New Mexico is a picturesque landscape of rocky peaks, narrow canyons, and open ranges from the Chihuahuan Desert to rugged mountains rising above 9,000 feet.

Established to protect significant prehistoric, geologic, cultural and biological resources, the monument provides excellent opportunities for photography, hiking, horseback riding, mountain biking, camping, and wildlife viewing.

📸 Justina Thorsen

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