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


** Interior Department announces $33 million to clean up orphaned oil and gas wells
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Thursday, May 26, 2022
Oil well in Wyoming, P ([link removed]) ixabay ([link removed]) CC0 ([link removed])

The Department of the Interior announced a $33 million investment ([link removed]) through the bipartisan infrastructure law to plug and clean 277 orphaned oil and gas wells on public lands. The money will address high-priority polluting wells in California, Kentucky, Louisiana, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Texas, Utah, and West Virginia.

“I have seen firsthand how the orphaned oil and gas wells left behind by extractive industries lead to hazardous pollution, water contamination, and safety hazards for our communities,” said Secretary of the Interior Deb Haaland ([link removed]) .

This funding is part of $250 million ([link removed]) allocated for cleaning up oil and gas sites in national parks, national wildlife refuges, national forests, and other public lands. In total, there are an estimated 130,000 orphan wells across the country which could require around $8 billion to clean up ([link removed]) .


** New podcast! Are we loving our lands to death?
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Former Center for Western Priorities’ policy and design associate Tyler McIntosh and Southern Utah Wilderness Alliance ([link removed]) wildlands attorney Judi Brawer join Kate and Aaron to discuss the increasing pressures outdoor recreation is putting on our public lands—just in time for Memorial Day Weekend and summer camping season!

In this episode ([link removed]) , they break down CWP’s Camping Crunch report ([link removed]) and SUWA’s Outdoor Recreation and Ecological Disturbance report ([link removed]) and talk about how we can balance visitation and conservation on our public lands. Listen now! ([link removed])
Quick hits


** Southern Colorado could become home to the world’s largest Dark Sky Reserve
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Colorado Public Radio ([link removed])


** Permian Basin at high risk of oil and gas health impact
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Carlsbad Current-Argus ([link removed])


** Forest Service ban on prescribed fires stalls work to protect Colorado residents and water supplies
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Denver Post ([link removed])


** Tougher water restrictions for California residents
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Los Angeles Times ([link removed])


** BLM to focus on unlocking inaccessible public land
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WyoFile ([link removed])


** Missed grizzly bear ESA deadlines could bite feds
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E&E News ([link removed])


** Unprecedented fire, wind and snowmelt in the Southwest
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High Country News ([link removed])


** Opinion: Why I’m fighting for a fish I’ve never seen
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High Country News ([link removed])
Quote of the day
” We have 245 million acres in our care on behalf of the American public, and our job is to make sure we pass these lands down to future generations in better shape than we found them.”
—Tracy Stone-Manning, BLM Director, W ([link removed]) yoFile ([link removed])
Picture this


** @ ([link removed]) GreatDunesNPS ([link removed])
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About 3 inches (7 cm) of snow fell last night in the main visitor area of Great Sand Dunes National Park. Check Medano Pass Road and Medano Creek conditions updates for details: nps.gov/grsa/planyourvisit/conditions.htm ([link removed])

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