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


** Interior announces $279 million for recreation and conservation projects
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Thursday, June 2, 2022
LWCF funding can help improve and establish wildlife refuges, U.S. Interior Department, Flickr ([link removed])

The Interior Department will distribute $279 million this year from the Land and Water Conservation Fund ([link removed]) to states, territories, and the District of Columbia for outdoor recreation and public land conservation projects. California will receive $23 million ([link removed]) , the largest allotment of any state, while most Western states will receive between $2 and $5 million ([link removed]) .

The LWCF helps increase public access to and protection of federal public lands and waters—including national parks, forests, wildlife refuges, and recreation areas ([link removed]) —and provides grants to state governments for recreation planning, acquisition of lands and waters, and facility development ([link removed]) .

The LWCF was ([link removed]) established in 1965 ([link removed]) and is funded by royalties from offshore oil and gas development ([link removed]) . It was underfunded by Congress up until the 2020 passage of the Great American Outdoors Act, which automatically funds the program, bypassing Congress completely. The LWCF is authorized to receive and distribute up to $900 million each year ([link removed]) , but that number can go down if offshore royalties don't result in enough revenue to reach that limit.

A formula in the Land and Water Conservation Act calls for a portion of the funding to be divided equally among the states ([link removed]) , while the remaining funding is apportioned based on a number of factors ([link removed]) , including the population of the state and the number of out-of-state visitors using the state's public lands and facilities.


** BLM acquires 35,670 acres in Wyoming
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The BLM has purchased a private ranch near Casper ([link removed]) in the agency's largest land purchase in Wyoming to date. The property borders the North Platte River and will enable anglers and other outdoor enthusiasts to reach a new stretch of popular fly-fishing waters. The purchase also opens up access to 40,000 acres ([link removed]) of previously unreachable state and federal lands.

The Conservation Fund, a national environmental group, worked closely with the BLM to acquire the property, and the agency received $21 million from the Land and Water Conservation Fund ([link removed]) last year to purchase the ranch in its entirety. The purchase will "conserve crucial wildlife habitat at a landscape scale,” BLM High Plains district manager Kevin Christensen said in a statement. ([link removed]) The purchase also contributes to the Biden administration’s goal to conserve 30 percent of U.S. land and waters by 2030 ([link removed]) .
Quick hits


** Interior Secretary Deb Haaland tests positive for COVID
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Reuters ([link removed]) | Washington Post ([link removed])


** Study: Protecting 30% of global land by 2030 could benefit 1,000 species, help reduce emissions
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Yahoo News ([link removed])


** A ‘perfect recipe for extreme wildfire’: New Mexico’s record-breaking, early fire season
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New York Times ([link removed])


** Biden administration cuts fees for renewable energy on public lands
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The Hill ([link removed]) | New York Times ([link removed]) | Las Vegas Sun ([link removed])


** FWS heads back to court over road-building in Flathead National Forest
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Montana Public Radio ([link removed])


** BLM kicks off Great Outdoors Month with two land purchases
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Cheyenne Post ([link removed]) | Casper Star-Tribune ([link removed])


** How a few feral cows are creating big headaches in Utah
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Salt Lake Tribune ([link removed])


** Another oil company backs out of leases in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge
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Anchorage Daily News ([link removed])
Quote of the day
” Few Indigenous youth are able to journey to Grand Canyon for many reasons, including barriers to transportation, financial means and accessibility. Our goal through the Native Conservation Corps is to provide a pathway to bring underserved Indigenous youth to Grand Canyon and involve them in conservation projects in an effort to keep their legacy as stewards alive and well.”
—Grand Canyon National Park Superintendent Ed Keable, Williams-Grand Canyon News ([link removed])
Picture this


** @Interior ([link removed])
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June is National Ocean Month!

Interior manages millions of acres of public waters, including:
✅ Ocean
✅ Great Lakes
✅ Coastal areas

Covering over 70% of the planet, the ocean is vital to our climate, food supply and way of life.

Photo by Bob Wick

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