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


** Climate change poses "new reality" for Forest Service
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Thursday, February 23, 2023
A forest hit by the Caldor Fire near South Lake Tahoe, California. Photo: USDA Forest Service Flickr, by Cecilio Ricardo ([link removed])

The National Association of Forest Service Retirees has shared a letter and two position papers ([link removed]) with the agency, warning of the mounting threats to the nation's forests due to climate change.

The letter ([link removed](1).pdf) , addressed to Homer Wilkes, the Undersecretary of Agriculture for Natural Resources and Environment, states, "We believe that the cascading effects of extreme events require greater focus and attention because of their many effects on communities and people."

While the association supports the Forest Service's near-term approach to accelerate and expand forest management practices aimed at reducing wildfire risk, the group is urging ([link removed]) the U.S. Department of Agriculture, the cabinet agency that houses the Forest Service, to incorporate the long term risks of climate change into its strategy and planning activities.

The position papers outlined ([link removed]) how advancements in science and climate-smart planning in the past several decades can assist federal agencies in working more closely with communities. The papers also emphasized that technological advances and evolving social values around climate change as well as shifting weather patterns are creating a "new reality" for public agencies to grasp when it comes to dealing with the impacts of climate change in both the short and long term.


** Clarification
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The lawsuit put forth by the Reno-Sparks Indian Colony, the Burns Paiute Tribe, and the Summit Lake Paiute Tribe referenced in yesterday's Look West ([link removed]) is separate from the emergency court order filed by four environmental groups to block construction of the Thacker Pass lithium mine in Nevada. Last week, the three tribes filed a separate lawsuit ([link removed]) claiming that the Bureau of Land Management misrepresented its claims that it met its legal obligation to consult with tribes about potential impacts to historical and cultural values near the mine site.
Quick hits


** Are we trying to save animals in the wrong places?
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The Atlantic ([link removed])


** Descendants urge Biden to make Oklahoma's Black Wall Street a national monument
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Black Wall Street Times ([link removed])


** Interior announces first offshore wind lease sale for Gulf of Mexico
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Houston Chronicle ([link removed]) | Associated Press ([link removed]) | E&E News ([link removed])


** Climate change poses "new reality" for Forest Service, former officials say
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E&E News ([link removed])


** Report: U.S. energy firms are using Ukraine war to lock in long-term liquified natural gas contracts
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The Guardian ([link removed])


** Montana bill proposes restrictions on conservation easements
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Montana Free Press ([link removed])


** Federal funds spur cleanup of abandoned oil wells in parks
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New York Times ([link removed])


** Opinion: Better methane accounting will lead to a faster, cheaper clean energy transition
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The Hill ([link removed])
Quote of the day
” Methane accounting may not have the popular appeal of electric cars or rooftop solar panels. But finding, fixing and preventing methane leaks is one of the fastest and cheapest ways to reduce heat-trapping gases in our atmosphere.”
—Brad Handler, Simon Lomax & Morgan Bazilian with the Payne Institute for Public Policy at the Colorado School of Mines, The Hill ([link removed])
Picture this


** @Interior ([link removed])
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The American alligator population reached an all-time low in the 1950s, due to overhunting and loss of habitat. However, thanks to Endangered Species Act (ESA) protections, these snappy reptiles were pronounced fully recovered, making it one of the first ESA success stories.

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