More than 180 local elected officials from across the West are calling on the Trump administration to abandon its efforts to roll back the Bureau of Land Management's Public Lands Rule.
The letter, signed by county commissioners and supervisors, mayors, and council members and trustees, states that any rollback of the Public Lands Rule will negatively impact western communities' habitat, valuable recreational areas, important water resources and Indigenous cultural sites.
Completed in 2024 The new regulation finally placed protection, ecosystem restoration and community access on an equal footing with resource use such as mining, drilling and grazing. An analysis by the Center for Western Priorities found that 92 percent of public comments submitted during the comment period in spring 2023 supported the Public Lands Rule.
The BLM's 60-day comment period on the proposed rule repeal ends Monday, November 10. To comment, please visit Regulations.gov.
Report: The health costs of fossil fuel pollution
A new joint report from health and medical experts examines the direct health effects of fossil fuel pollution in all body systems and at every stage of fossil fuel use. The report, “Fueling Sickness: The Hidden Health Costs of Fossil Fuel Pollution,” shows how fossil fuel pollution impacts the health of all Americans. The air pollution created when coal, oil and gas are extracted and used to generate electricity, power vehicles, heat buildings and fuel industrial activities release pollutants such as particulate matter, nitrogen oxides and others that contribute to asthma attacks, heart disease, stroke, cancer and premature death. To learn more, download a copy of the full report on the Physicians for Social Responsibility website.
Quick hits
Trump nominates Steve Pearce as BLM director
Grand Junction Daily Sentinel | NOTUS | The Guardian | Colorado Politics | Albuquerque Journal | KOAT7 | Deseret News
Local activists protest against further oil and gas drilling in the greater Chaco area
SourceNM
There are only a few days left to comment on the plan to repeal the BLM Public Lands Rule
Field & stream
The closure is pushing Forest Service employees to the brink
known
The US Fish & Wildlife Service is reversing the gray wolf recovery plan
National park traveler
New study estimates the economic value of bear sightings in Yellowstone
Outside
The impact of the record-breaking government shutdown on energy and environmental agencies
E&E News
Opinion: Attacks on Arizona's national monuments undermine public opinion and local voices
Arizona Daily Star
Quote of the day
The BLM would like to wish you a Happy Native American Heritage Month by selling your resources by selling your water to oil and gas.”
–Cheyenne Antonio speaks at a protest against more drilling in the Greater Chaco area, SourceNM
Imagine that
Featured Image: Veteran firefighter team helps plant whitebark pine trees. Source: BLM Flickr.