Despite claiming to have “substantial concerns” about the environmental impacts, the Biden administration appears poised to approve the project. 

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


** Willow oil and gas project clears next-to-last hurdle
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Thursday, February 2, 2023
Drilling equipment in Alaska, Bureau of Land Management ([link removed])

The Interior Department has released its final environmental review ([link removed]) of ConocoPhillips’ proposed Willow oil and gas project in Alaska. Despite claiming to have “substantial concerns ([link removed]) ” about the environmental impact of the project, the Biden administration appears poised to approve the massive Willow project. The Bureau of Land Management now estimates ([link removed]) that Willow will produce up to 278 million metric tons of carbon dioxide over the next 30 years.

"Planting trees cannot offset the carbon bomb that President Biden is about to unleash in the Arctic. If Willow is built, it will undermine all of the president’s renewable energy efforts so far," Center for Western Priorities Deputy Director Aaron Weiss said in a statement ([link removed]) . "It makes no sense that the Interior department is rushing to drill in the Arctic while it drags its heels implementing the oil and gas reform measures that Congress ordered in the Inflation Reduction Act."

The Interior Department now has at least 30 days to issue a final decision. While it could decide to deny the project, this outcome appears unlikely. "It’s not too late to change course," Weiss said ([link removed]) , "but President Biden needs to think hard about his legacy on America’s public lands. He’s making big promises for the future, but his actions today take the country in the wrong direction."
Quick hits


** Interior issues final review of Willow project, clearing way for approval
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New York Times ([link removed]) | Washington Post ([link removed]) | Associated Press ([link removed]) | CNN ([link removed]) | E&E News ([link removed])


** Manchin, Westerman plot new push for permitting reform
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E&E News ([link removed])


** Boebert wants to open Thompson Divide to drilling
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Grand Junction Daily Sentinel ([link removed])


** Burning gas in oil fields cost Tribes $22 million
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Grist ([link removed])


** More than 500,000 acres of public land in California are inaccessible to the public
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New York Times ([link removed])


** Pumping ocean water to Great Salt Lake would cost a lot, help very little
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Salt Lake Tribune ([link removed])


** Amidst water crisis, California urged to limit growing of almonds, alfalfa
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Los Angeles Times ([link removed])


** Drought, plague and fire: What one Colorado forest is up against
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Source NM ([link removed])
Quote of the day
” Concerns mean nothing if you're unwilling to act on them.”
—Aaron Weiss, Deputy Director, Center for Western Priorities ([link removed])
Picture this


** @u.s.forestservice ([link removed])
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Let the sun shine….!

The sun shines bright & strong over Arizona’s #TontoNationalForest ([link removed]) - the ninth largest national forest across the nation at 2.8M acres. It welcomes more than 3M visitors annually given its proximity to #Phoenix ([link removed]) .

To ensure a comfortable, accessible visit, #Arizona ([link removed]) national forests have completed nine deferred maintenance projects to date (with 43 additional at various stages of development) using funding provided by the #GreatAmericanOutdoorsAct ([link removed]) .

📷 Sunlight over the Tonto National Forest near Phoenix, Arizona (USDA Forest Service photo)

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