Our leasing policies need to consider not only extractive industries, but also outdoor recreation that is diversifying local economies.
U.S. Department of the Interior
Posted inNews
Interior Department will expand Sand Creek Massacre historical site in southern Colorado by nearly 3,500 acres
Secretary Deb Haaland, the first Native American to lead a Cabinet agency, made the announcement during a solemn ceremony at the historical site
Posted inWater
Interior Department may limit Lake Powell water releases to protect infrastructure, hydropower production
The potential plan would not immediately impact Colorado water users, but it’s another sign of the challenges facing the Colorado River
Posted inNews, Outdoors
Here are the proposed new names for 28 Colorado landmarks labeled with indigenous slurs
The Department of Interior has recommended new names for more than 660 geographical sites that it said have derogatory Indigenous slurs in their names, including 28 sites in Colorado. Secretary of Interior Deb Haaland ordered the renaming after she formally declared “squaw” to be a derogatory term and ordered a task force to create new […]
Posted inBusiness, Climate, Energy, Environment, News
Colorado to request $25M in federal aid to help clean up its more than 1,200 orphan wells
Colorado is seeking $25 million from a federal fund to plug orphan oil and gas wells, state officials said, in what could be the first installment of millions in cleanup aid. The money is part of the Biden administration’s infrastructure program, passed by Congress last November. A total of $1.4 billion in plugging and abandonment […]
Posted inClimate, Environment, News, Water
States volunteer to take more cuts in Colorado River water to stave off mandatory requests
By Brittany Peterson and Felicia Fonseca, The Associated Press LAS VEGAS — Water leaders in Arizona, Nevada and California signed an agreement Wednesday to voluntarily reduce their take from the Colorado River to help stave off mandatory cuts in the upcoming years. The signing took place at the Colorado River Water Users Association annual meeting […]
Posted inOpinion, Opinion Columns
Opinion: Too much talk, too little action from the Interior Dept. on conservation
I appreciate that Interior Secretary Deb Haaland is joining a conversation with the Salazar Center to discuss the Administration’s plan for “America the Beautiful,” an effort to secure protections for public lands across the nation. But I have difficulty reconciling this leadership role with the Biden administration’s continuation of damaging, left-over policies that thwart conservation […]
Posted inBusiness, Climate, Economy, Energy, Environment, News, Politics and Government
Judge blocks Biden’s pause of new oil, gas leases on public land in Colorado and other states
By Kevin McGill, The Associated Press NEW ORLEANS — The Biden administration’s suspension of new oil and gas leases on federal land and water was blocked Tuesday by a federal judge in Louisiana, who ordered that plans continue for lease sales that were delayed for the Gulf of Mexico and Alaska waters “and all eligible […]
Posted inClimate, Coloradans, Economy, Environment, News, Outdoors, Politics and Government
Hard-right rooted group has made inroads in Colorado opposing Biden’s vision for public lands
Land grab or precious-resource preservation? The battle over where the truth ̶ and where Westerners’ hearts ̶ lie on that matter is rumbling through Colorado counties as a federal government initiative nicknamed 30×30 gains momentum, and opposition. Colorado has become the beachhead in a Texas-based group’s efforts to use local governments to thwart the Biden […]
Posted inBusiness, Climate, Economy, Energy, Environment, News, Politics and Government
Joe Biden’s plan would spend $16B to clean up old mines and oil wells and support jobs to do it
By Matthew Daly, The Associated Press WASHINGTON — President Joe Biden’s $2.3 trillion plan to transform America’s infrastructure includes $16 billion to plug old oil and gas wells and clean up abandoned mines, a longtime priority for Western and rural lawmakers from both parties. Hundreds of thousands of “orphaned” oil and gas wells and abandoned […]