Wyoming officials are asking a federal court to force the U.S. Bureau of Land Management to resume oil and gas lease sales on federal land pending the outcome of the state’s lawsuit against the Interior Department.
Gov. Mark Gordon announced Tuesday that the state has asked the U.S. District Court in Wyoming to issue an injunction allowing oil and gas lease sales to continue while the federal government conducts its review of the federal leasing program.
“This litigation does not challenge the (Interior) secretary’s authority to review the federal oil and gas leasing program,” the motion said. “Instead, Wyoming challenges the secretary’s suspension of federal oil and gas leasing before complying with applicable federal law.”
Carlos Rojas
Getty Images
Since 2016, the U.S. Bureau of Land Management (BLM) and the U.S. Forest Service have advanced five land management plans that would eliminate protections for the roughly 60 million acres of federally managed lands the most of any state in Alaska. If enacted, the Alaska plans would open vast stretches of the Bering Sea-Western Interior, Tongass National Forest, Central Yukon, National Petroleum Reserve-Alaska, and other pristine landscapes to extractive development with significant potential repercussions for lands, rivers, and wildlife, and for the Indigenous peoples whose lives and culture are intrinsically connected to these places.
However, the management plans are not yet finalized, giving the Biden administration, BLM, and the Forest Service a critical opportunity to work closely with Alaska’s tribal communities to revise the plans and achieve more balanced, sustainable management solutions that protect Indigenous peoples’ food security, sustai
For Immediate Release, May 6, 2021
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Survey: Grazing Destroying Critical Habitat in Arizona’s Agua Fria National Monument
Bureau of Land Management Urged to Remove Cattle
TUCSON,
Ariz.― The U.S. Bureau of Land Management is failing to protect critical habitat for threatened and endangered species from destructive cattle grazing within Agua Fria National Monument, field surveys by the Center for Biological Diversity show. The Center has urged the BLM to remove the cattle so the monument’s streams and riparian areas can recover.
In March and April the Center documented streams filled with cow manure, trampled streambanks and vegetation grazed to the roots, harming critical habitat for threatened yellow-billed cuckoo and endangered Gila chub. The monument was designated to protect riparian forests, grasslands and a diverse assortment of native wildlife, including more than 28 bird species with special conservation status.
Governor proposes land exchange for Alaska Native veterans
BECKY BOHRER, Associated Press
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1of5Alaska Gov. Mike Dunleavy speaks during a news conference on a proposed land exchange for Alaska Native Vietnam War veterans on Wednesday, May 5, 2021, in Juneau, Alaska. The proposal comes during what is expected to be the final weeks of the regular legislative session.Becky Bohrer/APShow MoreShow Less
2of5Alaska Gov. Mike Dunleavy speaks during a news conference on a proposed land exchange for Alaska Native Vietnam War veterans on Wednesday, May 5, 2021, in Juneau, Alaska. The proposal comes during what is expected to be the final weeks of the regular legislative session.Becky Bohrer/APShow MoreShow Less
Becky Bohrer
Alaska Gov. Mike Dunleavy speaks during a news conference on a proposed land exchange for Alaska Native Vietnam War veterans on Wednesday, May 5, 2021, in Juneau, Alaska. The proposal comes during what is expected to be the final weeks of the regular legislative session. (AP Photo/Becky Bohrer) May 05, 2021 - 7:08 PM
JUNEAU, Alaska - Alaska Gov. Mike Dunleavy on Wednesday proposed letting Alaska Native Vietnam War veterans exchange promised federal land allotments that many say are not available in their cultural regions for state lands.
Details would need to be worked out through the legislative process, with lawmakers eyeing adjournment in about two weeks. Several legislators attended Wednesday s announcement, along with Alaska Native veterans.