May, in brief
Key news from May:
- President Joe Biden used his authority under the Antiquities Act to expand two California national monuments: San Gabriel Mountains National Monument and Berryessa Snow Mountain National Monument. With these expansions, President Biden is less than 100,000 acres away from protecting more public land with the Antiquities Act than any first-term president in recent history, and the country is one step closer to reaching the national goal of protecting and conserving 30 percent of U.S. lands and waters by 2030. The San Gabriel Mountains National Monument expansion adds 106,000 acres to the existing monument, protecting some of the most accessible public lands for over 18 million people in Greater Los Angeles. The Berryessa Snow Mountain National Monument expansion adds 13,696 acres of land sacred to the Yocha Dehe Wintun Nation to the monument and changes the area’s official name to Molok Luyuk, which means Condor Ridge in the Patwin language.
- The Bureau of Land Management released draft resource management plans (RMPs) for two field offices in Wyoming and Montana. The plans would block any future coal lease sales across the Buffalo and Miles City field offices, while allowing existing coal mining to continue. The BLM estimates that federal coal mining in Wyoming would continue through 2041, and through 2060 at Montana’s Rosebud mine. The revised management plans replace Trump-era plans that were struck down by the courts in 2022. The court ordered the Biden administration to take into account the effect of greenhouse gases and pollution from future coal production, and to consider alternatives that reduced or eliminated coal leasing.
- Interior Secretary Deb Haaland visited the proposed Chuckwalla National Monument in Southern California. If designated as a national monument, the 600,000-acre landscape would protect rich biodiversity and connect a historically important travel route for Indigenous peoples. The secretary’s visit indicates that the Biden administration is seriously considering the monument proposal. The proposed national monument is supported by numerous entities, including conservation groups, community members, and local Tribes who have significant cultural and ancestral connections to the area. Elected officials are also in support of the monument — last fall, U.S. Senator Alex Padilla and Representative Raul Ruiz called on President Joe Biden to establish the Chuckwalla National Monument. As part of our Road to 30: Postcards campaign, the Center for Western Priorities released a short video showcasing the area’s stunning geology, colorful wildflowers, and diverse wildlife.
- The Department of Defense (DOD) announced five new sentinel landscapes in New Mexico, Utah, Hawaii, Pennsylvania, and California. Sentinel landscapes are a unique form of landscape conservation that protects natural resources, strengthens military readiness, and enhances resilience to climate change. Part of the Sentinel Landscapes Partnership, these designations represent a collaboration among DOD and the departments of Agriculture and Interior. The five new landscapes will add over 10 million acres of land to the Sentinel Landscapes Partnership, significantly adding to the 4.4 million acres that have been enrolled since it started in 2013. In the West, the Eastern New Mexico Sentinel Landscape includes 2.4 million acres and the Great Salt Lake Sentinel Landscape in Utah includes over 2.7 million acres. The largest new sentinel landscape is in California, where the Mojave Desert Sentinel Landscape spans nearly 3.5 million acres.
- The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) released a final rule updating planning and funding requirements for the nation’s electric grid. Owners of transmission facilities and infrastructure will now be required to plan 20 years ahead, consider a broader set of benefits, and take into account factors including anticipated changes to the mix of energy sources, renewable energy requirements in different states, and weather risks. The new rule also addresses who pays for new transmission. Some states that would host transmission lines but that are unenthusiastic about renewable energy have argued that they should not have to pay to help other states achieve their renewable energy goals, effectively giving individual states veto power over multistate transmission proposals. The new rule provides guidelines for developing cost-allocation formulas to help overcome these objections.
What to watch for in June:
- June is Pride Month! The National Park Service reversed a recent decision to ban employees from wearing uniforms at Pride events
- Colorado’s legislative session has wrapped, keep an eye out for CWP’s Colorado State Legislative Summary in June
- The comment period for the BLM’s sage grouse management plan ends June 13, 2024
- Will President Biden designate any new national monuments?
- Will President Biden use the Antiquities Act to make conservation history?
From the Center for Western Priorities:
2023 Spills Tracker: Drilling-related spills up in Wyoming, down in New Mexico and Colorado in 2023
Across the West, spills from oil and gas extraction take a toll on lands, waters, wildlife, and communities. In Colorado, New Mexico, and Wyoming — the Mountain West’s top oil and gas-producing states — companies report thousands of spills each year, which release toxic materials such as crude oil and polluted water.
Each year, the Center for Western Priorities analyzes state-level data for wells on private, federal, and state land. All three states included in this report require oil and gas companies, or well operators, to file a report each time oil or drilling materials are spilled. New Mexico also requires operators to report incidents of routine and emergency methane venting and flaring (methane waste events).
Operators in New Mexico and Colorado reported a decrease in drilling-related spills in 2023 as compared to 2022, while the number of reported spills in Wyoming went up in 2023. Operators in New Mexico also reported a sharp increase in the volume of methane wasted through flaring.
Over time, the amount of drilling-related liquid spilled in each state included in this report has gone down relative to the amount of oil produced annually. In Colorado, the amount of drilling-related liquid spilled annually has gone down slightly since 1999, while annual oil production has gone up over the past decade. In New Mexico, the amount of drilling-related liquid spilled annually has increased slightly since 2014, while annual oil production has increased steadily. In Wyoming, the amount of drilling-related liquid spilled annually has gone down since 2017, while annual oil production has stayed about the same. This indicates that regulations meant to curb spills are effective and do not negatively impact production.
Read the report
Why the Russian uranium ban won’t — and shouldn’t — lead to more uranium mining in the U.S.
Why ramping up domestic uranium mining on Western public lands does nothing to reduce reliance on Russia or advance the energy transition.
2024 State Legislative Debrief: Idaho
Summary of the public lands, wildlife, energy, and outdoor recreation bills in this year’s Idaho legislative session.
Aaron and Kate are joined by Kristen Miller, Executive Director of the Alaska Wilderness League, to talk about some big steps to protect public lands in Alaska made by the Biden administration this spring. They include increased protections for 13 million acres inside the National Petroleum Reserve-Alaska, as well as the cancellation of a proposed 200-mile road that would have stretched across part of Alaska called the Ambler Road.
Aaron and Kate are joined by Davina Smith, who represents the Navajo Nation on the Bears Ears Inter-Tribal Coalition, and Lauren Henson, who is the Collaborative Management and Tribal Support Specialist for the Bears Ears Inter-Tribal Coalition, to talk about the Bears Ears draft monument management plan, which came out in March. We talk about how the draft plan came together and how to get involved.
Best Reads of the Month
Colorado’s oil and gas wars are over — for now
The far right has a plan to destroy America’s national monuments
Adaptive equipment is making national parks more inclusive
Editorial: Biden expanded two national monuments in California. Three more to go
Review begins for first ‘FAST-41’ critical minerals project in Arizona
Navajo activist fights toxic waste well near Chaco Canyon
Report: Top oil firms’ climate pledges failing on almost every metric
The world found the Owyhees — advocates say it’s time to protect it
Colorado to shield wetlands and streams after U.S. Supreme Court left them vulnerable
California’s first Black land trust fights climate change, makes the outdoors more inclusive
Quote of the month
“The importance of designating national monuments goes beyond broad numbers of saving this square footage or percentage. It goes into saving and recognizing our history.”
— Mark Magaña, founding member of the America the Beautiful for All Coalition and founding CEO of GreenLatinos
Picture this
@nationalparkservice
Borb is the worb!
Borb or floof? What about a birb? These are the questions. Do we have the answer? We have an answer. According to science*, a birb is a smaller, playful bird with vibrant feathers and a cheerful demeanor. Not always. They are known for their energetic chirps and quick movements as they flit from branch to branch in search of food.
A borb is a bit more well-rounded, with a fluffy appearance and a laid-back attitude. These marshmallows with wings are often seen perched on a branch, taking their time to enjoy the simple pleasures of life.
A floof is a bird with an abundance of feathers that give it a floofy/fluffy appearance. They are gentle and graceful creatures, full of floof and gliding effortlessly through the air with a quiet elegance.
*Possibly not science.
