Lawmakers are facing a narrow window to achieve their remaining policy goals

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


** Lame duck to-do list features public lands priorities
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Tuesday, November 15, 2022
Ducks at the San Luis Wildlife Refuge in California, U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service ([link removed])

Lawmakers are facing a narrow window to achieve their remaining policy goals ([link removed]) during the lame duck session. Must-pass legislation such as the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) and a measure to continue funding the federal government present opportunities for lawmakers to attempt to secure passage of their individual priorities.

One such priority is the permitting reform that Senator Joe Manchin of West Virginia pushed for earlier this year. That proposal would expedite permitting processes by imposing deadlines on agencies to complete environmental reviews. Research shows ([link removed]) that permitting delays generally result from either a legitimate need for additional analysis or from a lack of funding and staff capacity at the agencies—neither of which would be solved by imposing hard deadlines. Nevertheless, and despite failing to secure the necessary support to pass the measure earlier this year, Manchin may introduce it again ([link removed]) during the lame duck session.

Other more promising priorities may also advance in the next few weeks, including bonding reform. A November 2021 report ([link removed]) by the Department of the Interior recommended several reforms to the federal oil and gas program. Many of these reforms were included in the Inflation Reduction Act which was signed into law in August of this year, and now await the initiation of rulemaking to implement the changes mandated by the law. But bonding reform was not included, and this important loose end could become a priority for lawmakers to tie up.

However, these and other priorities may all be overshadowed by a desire to confirm as many judicial and administration nominees as possible. Laura Daniel-Davis, President Joe Biden's nominee to serve as assistant secretary for land and minerals management at the Department of the Interior, was first nominated in June 2021 ([link removed]) and is still awaiting a final confirmation vote. Daniel-Davis is just one of many nominees ([link removed]) whose confirmations have been caught up in ongoing congressional gridlock, and lawmakers may be eager to work through this backlog in the remaining days of the current congress.
Quick hits


** What to expect in the lame-duck session
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E&E News ([link removed])


** Is drought in the Southwest the new normal?
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KJZZ ([link removed])


** 'To protect and conserve': Las Vegas outdoor watering restrictions serve as model for other communities
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Salt Lake Tribune ([link removed])


** Salt River grazing plan could impact wildlife habitat, water quality
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Arizona Republic ([link removed])


** Thirty miles of the Rio Grande could vanish
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The Paper ([link removed])


** New Mexico forms environmental crimes task force
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NM Political Report ([link removed])


** Utah to explore feasibility of extracting only known domestic supply of critical mineral indium
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KUER ([link removed])


** Opinion: Montanans deserve better energy policy
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Daily Montanan ([link removed])
Quote of the day
” ...we have to manage as though this drought is going to last, or that the aridification of the Colorado River Basin is permanent.”
—Kathryn Sorensen, Director of Research at the Kyl Center for Water Policy, KJZZ ([link removed])
Picture this


** @PetrifiedNPS ([link removed])
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Happy Native American Heritage Month! At Petrified Forest, Ranger Francine (Diné/Navajo) is wearing traditional Kélchí (Red Shoes) for #RockYourMocs ([link removed]) week to inspire cultural pride for Indigenous People and the NPS community.(fo) #RockYourMocsInParks ([link removed]) #MocsInParks ([link removed]) #NPSIndigenous ([link removed])

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