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


** Researchers identify "double-hazard" wildfire zones in the West
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Tuesday, February 8, 2022
Bureau of Land Management firefighter conducts a prescribed burn in California | Bureau of Land Management ([link removed])

Last month wildfires ripped through ([link removed]) densely populated suburbs in Colorado, destroying roughly 1,000 homes in the most destructive fire in the state's history. Notably, the fire spread across grassy plains, not wooded areas we think of as the most fire prone. Now, researchers at Stanford University have found ([link removed]) that the fastest population growth in the West's wildland urban interface has occurred in ecosystems most vulnerable to fire.

A new study ([link removed]) published in the journal Nature has identified broad swaths of forest and shrublands that face increasing fire risks. Specifically, the study found that climate change is not increasing wildfire threat uniformly ([link removed]) . Rather, certain ecosystems contain plants that are more prone to drying out. The combination of tinder-dry plants and a faster-than-average increase in atmospheric dryness creates what the authors call "double-hazard" zones.

Going forward, researchers hope the findings can help local, state, and federal officials reduce wildfire impacts and mitigate the increasing impacts of climate change.
Quick hits


** Interior rolls out $725 million from Bipartisan Infrastructure Law to aid abandoned mine cleanup
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Reuters ([link removed]) | E&E News ([link removed])


** What states stand to gain if Biden hikes oil and gas royalty rates
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Grist ([link removed])


** Opinion: Wyoming's proposed fossil fuel royalty rebate bill is a bad deal
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WyoFile ([link removed])


** Projects to capture carbon emissions get boost despite dismal record
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Wall Street Journal ([link removed])


** ‘No better troops.’ The 1896 ride of the Buffalo Soldiers through Yellowstone National Park
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Idaho Capital Sun ([link removed])


** Beaver dams help wildfire-ravaged ecosystems recover long after flames subside
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Scientific American ([link removed])


** The fastest population growth in the West’s wildland fringes is in ecosystems most vulnerable to wildfires
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The Conversation ([link removed]) | Phys.org ([link removed])


** Opinion: Orphaned oil wells are costing taxpayers a bundle
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The Hill ([link removed])
Quote of the day
” As a retired oil and gas attorney, who negotiated plenty of leases and sales of leases in Wyoming, it’s clear to me that the royalty rebate bill advanced last week ([link removed]) is a bad idea, based on a myth, created by someone who is unaware of the relevant facts.”
—RT Cox, WyoFile ([link removed])
Picture this
Craters of the Moon National Monument in Idaho
Photo by Bob Wick | Bureau of Land Management ([link removed])

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