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


** How oil and gas drilling threatens air and wildlife in national parks
------------------------------------------------------------
Tuesday, February 14, 2023
Bierstadt Lake in Rocky Mountain National Park. Photo: K. Lee, Wikimedia Commons ([link removed])

Oil and gas production is harming air quality and wildlife in national park sites across the Western U.S., according to a new report ([link removed]) from the Coalition to Protect National Parks. Colorado Newsline reports ([link removed]) the coalition looked at four case studies: Chaco Culture National Historic Park and Carlsbad Caverns in New Mexico, Rocky Mountain National Park in Colorado, and Grand Teton National Park in Wyoming.

The report notes that in the region surrounding Chaco Culture National Historic Park, more than 90 percent of public lands have been leased for oil and gas drilling, and a methane cloud covering more than 1,200 square miles has now formed over the Four Corners region. The report calls on the Interior Department to complete its 20-year pause on new oil and gas leasing within ten miles of the park.

In Colorado, the report warns that oil and gas drilling in nearby Weld County has contributed to Rocky Mountain National Park falling out of compliance with regional haze standards in the Clean Air Act. The National Parks Conservation Association said that leasing another 60,000 acres of land west of the park could interfere with overwintering elk populations.

“Without additional planning and regulations to protect and improve air quality and manage the boom of oil and gas development near national parks, our climate and air remain at risk,” the report authors said ([link removed]) .


** Chopping down trees won't help Great Salt Lake
------------------------------------------------------------

A legislative proposal to increase logging ([link removed]) around the Great Salt Lake won't help restore the rapidly-draining lake. Research published last year found that thinning trees doesn't increase water flows downstream ([link removed]) . More than a decade ago, the Uinta Mountains were ravaged by bark beetles, killing one in four trees. That became a natural laboratory for scientists to measure water yields. Sara Goeking, a scientist with the U.S. Forest Service, called it a “natural thinning event.”

“That’s what the mountain pine beetle epidemic really was,” Goeking told the Salt Lake Tribune ([link removed]) . “And there were a handful of studies that showed water yield didn’t increase, it didn’t change. Some of them found some decreased water yield.”
Quick hits


** Despite criticism, Biden hasn't slowed energy production
------------------------------------------------------------

Roll Call ([link removed])


** Here's how big Big Oil would be if it were a country
------------------------------------------------------------

TIME ([link removed])


** Study: States with fracking disclosure rules have better water quality
------------------------------------------------------------

The Hill ([link removed])


** Judge blocks Signal Peak coal mine expansion in Montana
------------------------------------------------------------

Montana Free Press ([link removed])


** New Mexico Senate advances bill blocking nuclear waste disposal project near Carlsbad
------------------------------------------------------------

Albuquerque Journal ([link removed])


** BLM concludes in-person meetings on increased solar energy efforts
------------------------------------------------------------

Daily Sentinel ([link removed])


** As the Rio Grande dries, pueblos work to preserve it—and establish their rights
------------------------------------------------------------

Source NM ([link removed])


** Colorado National Monument is a wonder in any season
------------------------------------------------------------

Cowboy State Daily ([link removed])
Quote of the day
” A transition to renewable energy is an essential part of the solution to climate change. But we must be responsible with our approach to development on public lands and base these decisions off of scientifically-supported data.”
—Mackenzie Bosher, GIS specialist at The Wilderness Society, Grand Junction Daily Sentinel ([link removed])
Picture this


** @mypubliclands ([link removed])
------------------------------------------------------------

😍 Welcome to Colorado's beautiful Blanca Wetlands in the San Luis Valley. 🌄

Did you know... Starting in 1965, the Bureau of Land Management began to restore this special area. Since then, it's become an increasingly important ecological habitat for shorebirds, water birds, along with other wildlife and native plants.

🦉Birdwatching enthusiasts - You'll want to check this place out! Providing habitat for migrating water birds or shorebirds, this is one of the most important spots for birds in Colorado! The area hosts thirteen threatened, endangered and sensitive species. Here, you might even see a bald eagle 🦅 or a peregrine falcon or possibly a snowy plover or white-faced ibis. ❤️

📸 Patrick Meyers.

============================================================
** Twitter ([link removed])
** Facebook ([link removed])
** Medium ([link removed])
** Instagram ([link removed])
Copyright © 2023 Center for Western Priorities, All rights reserved.
You've signed up to receive Look West updates.

Center for Western Priorities
1999 Broadway
Suite 520
Denver, CO 80202
USA
** View this on the web ([link removed])

Want to change how you receive these emails?
You can ** update your preferences ([link removed])
or ** unsubscribe from this list ([link removed])