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


** Could these be our next national monuments?
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Monday, September 26, 2022
Hikers in proposed Tenmile Special Management Area (part of the proposed Camp Hale-Continental Divide National Monument), Mason Cummings/The Wilderness Society ([link removed])

Two years into President Joe Biden's first term, a list of potential Antiquities Act monument designations is coming ([link removed]) into focus ([link removed]) . At the top of the list is Camp Hale-Continental Divide National Monument, which Colorado state leaders are calling on Biden to protect. The monument is based on legislation filed by Colorado U.S. Senators Michael Bennet and John Hickenlooper and U.S. Congressman Joe Neguse that aimed to protect 400,000 acres in the state—including historic Camp Hale, where soldiers trained for World War II ([link removed]) , near Vail. The legislation passed the House but stalled in the Senate, leading to the call for Biden to protect the monument using executive authority.
Veterans, locals, and conservationists rallied over the weekend ([link removed]) to build momentum for the designation, while the Washington Post has r ([link removed]) eported ([link removed]) the designation is imminent.

“Once I got out of the military, I was looking for a different way to cope, to heal my wounds of war—both physical and mental,” veteran Bradley Noone said at the rally ([link removed]) . “I found the area around Camp Hale and it literally saved my life. So, piling that on top of the historic value, I think (establishing the national monument) is a no-brainer.”

Momentum is building for other Antiquities Act designations as well. Communities in southern Nevada, west Texas, and northern California are calling on Biden to pick up his pen ([link removed]) and protect the proposed Avi Kwa Ame and Castner Range national monuments, in addition to expanding the existing Berryessa Snow Mountain National Monument. All three proposals enjoy strong local support.

The Antiquities Act is a key tool ([link removed]) in reaching Biden's goal of protecting 30 percent of U.S. land and water by 2030—as well as in fighting ongoing efforts by lawmakers to erode protections for public lands ([link removed]) . It's also a way for Biden to prove he's listening to Western communities. A Center for Western Priorities poll found in May that 66 percent of voters in four Western swing states ([link removed]) —Arizona, Colorado, Nevada and New Mexico—think the Biden administration has not done enough to designate and protect new public lands and monuments. It's time for Biden to invoke the Antiquities Act and change that perception.
Quick hits


** Veterans rally for creation of Camp Hale national monument
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Vail Daily ([link removed]) | Aspen Times ([link removed])


** Opinion: Camp Hale deserves national monument designation
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Colorado Sun ([link removed])


** Report: Big Oil ‘exaggerates’ jobs to stall climate action
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Inside Climate News ([link removed])


** Feds will spend billions to boost drought-stricken Colorado River system
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KUNC ([link removed])


** New law will remove racial slur from California place names
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Los Angeles Times ([link removed])


** Wyoming a bright spot in degraded sagebrush ecosystem, federal report finds
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Casper Star-Tribune ([link removed])


** Corner crossing lawsuit is the latest fight over Mountain West land access
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Wyoming Public Radio ([link removed])


** The battle over the future of America’s wildly popular public lands
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Huff Post ([link removed])
Quote of the day
” Everything that’s not a national park or wildlife refuge or congressionally designated wilderness, a state would be allowed to open up for drilling and leasing... It’s still incredibly out there, but is sort of cloaked in something that sounds a little bit more innocuous—until you lift the hood.”
—Dan Hartinger, director of government relations at The Wilderness Society, ([link removed]) on the permitting reform bill filed by Sen. Shelley Moore Capito
Picture this


** @BLMNational ([link removed])
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“Every leaf speaks bliss to me, fluttering from the autumn tree.” - Emily Bronte

Well hi there #Autumn! 🍂 🍁 Grab your cozy sweater! Wishing you all the feels this season with crisp weather and colorful falling leaves as you explore #YourPublicLands ➡️[link removed]

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