Look West: Public lands and energy news from the Center for Western Priorities
** How to jump-start rural economies
------------------------------------------------------------
Friday, February 4, 2022
Sen. Michael Bennet by Gage Skidmore ([link removed]) , CC-BY-SA 2.0 ([link removed])
A new bill from Colorado Senator Michael Bennet and Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer aims to jump-start rural economies by investing in outdoor recreation ([link removed]) . The Rural Outdoor Investment (ROI) Act ([link removed]) would provide $50 million a year for small towns to create outdoor infrastructure like trails, campgrounds, and boat ramps, and help communities develop economic development plans to revitalize town centers.
The bill has support from the Outdoor Recreation Roundtable, a coalition of industry trade groups. “Rural communities across the country are dealing with economic and infrastructure challenges stemming from COVID-19, climate change, and transitioning economies, all while trying to seize opportunities from massive shifts in workforce and the influx of Americans seeking the outdoors,” said ORR President Jessica Turner ([link removed]) .
Bennet and Schumer hope to attach their bill ([link removed]) to a larger package reauthorizing the Economic Development Administration, which is currently being considered by the Environment and Public Works Committee.
** How journalists can get climate coverage right
------------------------------------------------------------
Los Angeles Times climate reporter Sammy Roth got personal ([link removed]) in his Boiling Point newsletter this week. Roth wrote about the obligation journalists have to not just report the facts on climate and energy, but also demand solutions to the crisis.
“It’s great that so many reporters have ditched the damaging ‘both sides’ approach to climate coverage — quote a denier on one side and a scientist on the other,” Roth wrote. “But acknowledging that carbon emissions are heating the planet isn’t enough anymore, if it ever was. We have a responsibility to tell stories that prompt businesses and government to reduce emissions, quickly and dramatically.”
Quick hits
** Barrasso, Manchin facing pushback over unnecessary hearing for Interior nominee
------------------------------------------------------------
The Hill ([link removed])
** Frackers brace for the end of the U.S. shale boom
------------------------------------------------------------
Wall Street Journal ([link removed])
** Cracking down on methane ‘ultra emitters’ a quick way to combat climate change
------------------------------------------------------------
Washington Post ([link removed])
** Op-ed: Biden’s climate promises require oil and gas leasing reform
------------------------------------------------------------
The Hill ([link removed])
** The Bureau of Land Management needs money—its new foundation is here to help
------------------------------------------------------------
High Country News ([link removed])
** Biden, Western governors launch conservation collaboration task force
------------------------------------------------------------
E&E News ([link removed])
** Extremist “constitutional” sheriff says he’ll deputize citizens against 30x30 land protections
------------------------------------------------------------
Grand Forks Herald ([link removed])
** County officials look for solutions to an explosion of dispersed camping in Colorado
------------------------------------------------------------
Colorado Sun ([link removed])
Quote of the day
” …none of us is going to look back in 20 years and wonder if our climate stories were a little too radical. If we’re lucky, we’ll be living in a world where out-of-control fires, floods and heat storms haven’t completely upended human life, and where journalism is still an economically viable pillar of democratic society. Fearless climate coverage can help bring that future to pass.”
—Sammy Roth, Los Angeles Times ([link removed])
Picture this
** @usfws ([link removed])
------------------------------------------------------------
Snowy owl eruption = Not real. Doesn't exist.
Snowy owl irruption = Totally real. Occurs every few years.
We’re seeing many snowies visiting the northern U.S. this winter. Historically these plump white birds of prey travel southward (outside their normal range) every few years. The reasons for these irruptions are complex, but research points to an increase in owl population, food availability, and weather as possible causes.
Volcano photo by USGS. Art by USFWS. #snowyowl ([link removed]) #eruption ([link removed])
============================================================
** Twitter ([link removed])
** Facebook ([link removed])
** Medium ([link removed])
** Instagram ([link removed])
Copyright © 2022 Center for Western Priorities, All rights reserved.
You've signed up to receive Look West updates.
Center for Western Priorities
1999 Broadway
Suite 520
Denver, CO 80202
USA
** View this on the web ([link removed])
Want to change how you receive these emails?
You can ** update your preferences ([link removed])
or ** unsubscribe from this list ([link removed])
