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☆ Biden Approved a Big Oil Project. Now, He’s Cracking Down on Drilling.
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-07 | by ( Lisa Friedman | More About Lisa Friedman | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Over the past several months, the administration has moved to bar drilling on 1.8 million acres of sagebrush steppe in Wyoming and on more than a million acres of public land in Colorado. It insulated more than 336,400 acres of public land around Chaco Culture National Historical Park from new oil and gas leasing and mining claims for the next two decades. And last month, it said it would remove about six million acres of potentially oil-rich areas from an upcoming federal lease sale in the Gulf of Mexico that is required by law. The Bureau of Land Management also wants to change how it manages the 245 million acres under its control by allowing conservation leases, similar to the way the agency auctions off parcels for drilling and mining. Administration officials said the conservation efforts were not new and many of the drilling restrictions had been underway for months.

Persons: Biden’s Organizations: Chaco Culture, Interior Department, Land Management, Administration Locations: Wyoming, Colorado, Chaco, Gulf of Mexico

☆ Fact Check-No reported mpox outbreak at Burning Man festival
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-06 | by ( Reuters Fact Check | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Social media posts falsely reporting mpox and other diseases at the festival are circulating amid news of heavy downpours that produced a sea of sticky mud at the event in 2023 and prompted a shelter-in-place order. One post on X, formerly known as Twitter, (here) reads, “There's no ebola outbreak at Burning man.. we've received confirmation that it's just a new strain of monkeypox. However, there are no credible news reports of an mpox outbreak at Burning Man in 2023, nor do the event organizer’s social media accounts mention any cases of the disease (here), (twitter.com/bmantraffic), (www.facebook.com/burningman/). Reuters has previously addressed false claims of an Ebola outbreak at the 2023 Burning Man event (here). There have been no reports of an mpox outbreak at Burning Man 2023, according to the CDC and BLM.

Persons: “, we've, Dave Daigle, ” Daigle, ” John Asselin, Read Organizations: U.S . Centers for Disease Control, Prevention, Land Management, Man, Twitter, Facebook, Reuters, CDC, Mpox, BLM, Burning Locations: Nevada, Black Rock, Marburg

☆ Fact Check-LA airport evacuated because of a suspicious item, not Burning Man quarantine
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-06 | by ( Reuters Fact Check | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

“Private jet from Burning Man lands at LAX and get (sic) quarantined on runway and airport evacuated,” read a post sharing video of the evacuation on messaging platform X, formerly known as Twitter (here). The X post included hashtags #Ebola and #outbreak that refer to a separate, unfounded narrative that there was a virus outbreak at Burning Man (here). Screenshots of the X post were also shared on Facebook (here) and (here). Burning Man festival organizers did not immediately respond to a request for comment. LAX was not evacuated because of a quarantine or reasons related to the Burning Man festival.

Persons: revelers, ”, Dae Levine, Scott Pauley, Read Organizations: Los Angeles International Airport, Man, Reuters, Posts, LAX, Facebook, U.S . Centers for Disease Control, Prevention, Los, Los Angeles World Airports, CDC, U.S . Bureau of Land Management Locations: Nevada, LA, Los Angeles, Black Rock

Political Cartoons View All 1146 ImagesEleonora Segreti, who lives in central Italy and made her second visit this year to Burning Man, left the site early Tuesday. Burning Man organizers did not immediately respond to questions from The Associated Press about how the rain will impact the cleanup timeline. Last year, after the festival’s return following a two-year hiatus due to the pandemic, the Burning Man team narrowly passed its Oct. 7 inspection. Next month, teams made up of federal employees and Burning Man organizers will again conduct a site inspection. Nevada U.S. Rep. Mark Amodei, whose district includes Black Rock Desert, said Burning Man is a positive event for the area.

Persons: Eleonora Segreti, ”, Jeffrey Longoria, San Francisco, Longoria, “, John Asselin, Asselin, Mark Amodei, Amodei, That’s, ” Amodei, Alexander Elmendorf, ___ Sonner, Stern, Rio Organizations: Rock City, Tahoe, Walmart, U.S . Bureau of Land Management, Burning, Associated Press, BLM, Man, Nevada U.S . Rep, America Statehouse News Initiative, America Locations: RENO, Nev, Nevada, San Francisco, Reno , Nevada, Reno, Italy, Black, Tacoma, Las Vegas

☆ Fact Check-No evidence of Ebola outbreak at 2023 Burning Man festival
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-05 | by ( Reuters Fact Check | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

There is no evidence of an Ebola outbreak during the 2023 Burning Man festival, despite viral claims online. Reuters found no evidence of any such outbreak and messaging from the festival organizers and public agencies contradicts the online claims. “CDC has not received reports of Ebola nor requests for testing, or for CDC teams to deploy tied to the Burning man Festival,” a spokesperson for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said to Reuters in an email on Tuesday. Archives of the festival’s website and accounts associated with the festival on the platform X, formerly known as Twitter, do not reveal any post warning of an Ebola outbreak (here), (here), (here). There is no evidence of an Ebola outbreak during 2023 Burning Man festival.

Persons: ”, Read Organizations: Reuters, CDC, Centers for Disease Control, Prevention, Bureau, Land Management, Twitter, Federal Emergency Management Agency, FEMA Locations: Black Rock

☆ Thousands told to shelter in place at Burning Man fest in Nevada with access closed due to flooding
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-03 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

RENO, Nev. (AP) — Thousands of Burning Man attendees trudged in sloppy mud on Saturday — many barefoot or wearing plastic bags on their feet — as flooding from storms swept through the Nevada desert, forcing organizers to close vehicular access to the counterculture festival. Revelers were urged to shelter in place and conserve food, water and other supplies. More than one-half inch of rain is believed to have fallen on Friday at the festival site, located about 110 miles (177 kilometers) north of Reno, the National Weather Service in Reno said. At least another quarter of an inch of rain is expected Sunday. "If it really turns into a disaster, well, no one is going to have sympathy for us," Jed said.

Persons: Revelers, wasn't, celebrants, weren't, Mike Jed, Jed Organizations: U.S . Bureau of Land Management, National Weather Service, The Reno Gazette, Associated Press, Land Management, Sheriff's Office Locations: RENO, Nev, Reno, Pershing

CNN —As thousands of people remain unable to leave the Burning Man festival in the Nevada desert after heavy rains inundated their campsites with ankle-deep mud Saturday, authorities say they are investigating a death at the event. Vehicles trying to drive out will get stuck in the mud, Burning Man organizers said Saturday. Dawn brought muddy realization to the Burning Man encampment, where the exit gates remain closed indefinitely because driving is virtually impossible. A rainbow appears at Burning Man in Black Rock Desert, Nevada, on September 2, 2023. “Burning Man is a community of people who are prepared to support one another,” Burning Man said on its website.

Persons: “, Trevor Hughes, Dawn, Hannah Burhorn, ” Burhorn, It’s, Sean Burke, Amar Singh Duggal, Andrew Hyde “, Duggal, Burhorn, ”, Andrew Hyde, Gerlach Organizations: CNN, Land Management, Reno Gazette, Sheriff’s, ” Authorities, Authorities, USA, ”, Vehicles, “, Resources Locations: Nevada, Pershing, Black Rock, Rock, BRC, Reno, San Francisco, , Nevada

☆ One death reported at Burning Man, thousands stranded in mud and rain
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-03 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

Access to and from Black Rock City, the event site, was closed "for the remainder of the event," organizers said in a statement on social media. The Washoe County Sheriff's Office said the entrance to Burning Man had been closed due to flooding and anyone trying to get in "will be turned away." Local media reported there were around 73,000 "burners" in Black Rock City. The festival gets its name from its culminating event, the burning of a large wooden structure called the Man on the penultimate night. The site is in Nevada's Black Rock Desert, a large, flat, ancient lake bed known as a playa.

Persons: Kitty, Ben Joos, Trevor Hughes, revelers, Paul Reder, Reder, Rich McKay, Rosalba O'Brien Organizations: Black Rock City, USA, Sheriff's, Black, Washoe County Sheriff's, Local, U.S . Bureau of Land Management, Reuters, Thomson Locations: Idaho, Nevada, Black Rock, Pershing, Washoe County, San Francisco, Atlanta

☆ Rain and mud leave Burning Man revelers stranded in Nevada desert
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-02 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

A satellite view shows the center camp during the 2023 Burning Man festival, in Black Rock Desert, Nevada, U.S., August 28, 2023. Maxar Technologies/Handout via REUTERS/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsSept 2 (Reuters) - Tens of thousands of revelers attending the Burning Man festival in the Nevada desert have been asked to shelter in place and conserve food and water on Saturday after a rainstorm turned the site into mud. Access to and from Black Rock City, the event's site, was closed "for the remainder of the event," organizers said in a statement on social media. "Rain over the last 24 hours has created a situation that required a full stop of vehicle movement on the playa. The festival gets its name from its culminating event, the burning of a large wooden structure called the Man on the penultimate night.

Persons: revelers, Maria Caspani, Diane Craft Organizations: Maxar Technologies, REUTERS, Black, Black Rock City, U.S . Bureau of Land Management, Thomson Locations: , Nevada, U.S, Nevada, Black Rock, San Francisco

☆ Fact Check-Video shows 2017 prescribed fire in Arizona, not Rhodes
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-02 | by ( Reuters Fact Check | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

A video circulating online shows a prescribed fire conducted by the Arizona Bureau of Land Management (BLM) in 2017, not “targeted arson” taking place in Rhodes amidst wildfires on the Greek island in July 2023. A similar video was shared by the Arizona Bureau of Land Management on its Facebook and Twitter pages in March 2017 (here), (here). It shows similar vegetation, the same helicopter, and a dangling torch as seen in the video being shared. Dolores A. Garcia, a representative for Bureau of Land Management at the Arizona State Office, said in an email to Reuters that the video being shared on social media does in fact show 2017 heli-torch operations in northwest Arizona. The video shows a prescribed fire operation conducted by the Arizona Bureau of Land Management in 2017.

Persons: Dolores A, Garcia, ” Garcia, Read Organizations: Arizona Bureau of Land Management, Reuters, Facebook, of Land Management, Arizona State Office, “ Locations: Rhodes, Greece, Arizona, Canada

☆ Camping 101: Things to know before you set out on the road
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-25 | by ( Joe Yogerst | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +9 min

The downside of car camping is the fact that these campgrounds are often packed to the rafters with other campers. While RV camping may seem like a recent phenomenon, it’s actually been around for more than 100 years. Among the websites that list RV campgrounds and post very useful user ratings are RVshare/Hipcamp, RV Life and Good Sam. Other than maybe car camping, it requires the least expense and equipment. The U.S. Forest Service and Bureau of Land Management has set aside areas for free camping in national forests, national grasslands and BLM-managed lands.

Persons: Millennials, It’s, Pierce, Arrow, Marchi, that’s, Sam, Hemingway, glamping, Joe Yogerst, ” Organizations: CNN, Kampgrounds, Financial, Great Britain Tourism Survey, Goods, Marchi Mobile, Trail, Hollywood, Autocamp, California redwoods, Getty, U.S . Forest Service, Land Management Locations: U.S, Canada, American, Great Britain, Cavan, Germany, Patagonia, Himalayas, South Africa, New Zealand, Europe, Cape Cod, Desert, Glamping, Northumberland, England, Elena, Rio, Big Bend, McCarty, Kenai, Parks

☆ We sold our house to live in an RV and travel the US. It's not as carefree as we expected.
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-08 | by ( Jordan Pandy | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

Aleja and Blake Briles sold their home in Dallas and bought a $100,000 RV to tour the country. They didn't anticipate the challenges RV life would present, especially parking outside of RV parks. Their advice for people new to RV life is to plan your visits ahead and expect to make repairs. We lived in that house for four and a half years, then we sold it in 2021 to do this. The certain RV lifestyle that we chose was more off-grid and out in nature and not tucked into an RV park.

Persons: Aleja, Blake Briles, Blake, we've, Outlaw, Aleja Briles Blake, There's, —, there's, nilly, We've Organizations: Service, YouTube, Land Management Locations: Dallas, Wall, Silicon, Covid, Oregon, Texas, Colorado, New Mexico, California, Tahoe

☆ US bans new oil and gas leasing around New Mexico cultural site
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-02 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Tribes, conservationists and state officials have long called on the federal government to ban drilling in the area. Structures in the area date back thousands of years, and the park is listed as a World Heritage Site by UNESCO, the United Nations' cultural agency. It is aligned with his goal to conserve at least 30% of federal lands and waters by 2030. But, the Interior Department ban on new leasing on federal lands around Chaco will last for just 20 years and does not extend to private, state or tribal lands. Oil and gas industry groups have opposed withdrawing the lands around Chaco for leasing.

Persons: Read, Biden, Joe Biden, Biden's, Deb Haaland, Nichola Groom, Kim Coghill Organizations: Chaco Culture, Historic, UNESCO, United Nations, Interior Department, New, Congressional, Navajo Nation, U.S . Bureau of Land Management, Thomson Locations: Pueblo, Chaco, New Mexico, U.S, New Mexican, American, Laguna

☆ Biden Interior advances renewable energy transmission projects in Nevada
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-26 | by ( Emma Newburger | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

The Interior Department's Bureau of Land Management this week said it has advanced two transmission projects proposed by public utility NV Energy that would facilitate more renewable energy development and delivery in Nevada. Once completed, the projects will connect eight gigawatts of clean energy to the Western power grid. The plans would bolster the Biden administration's goal to deploy 25 gigawatts of renewable energy on public lands and waters by 2025 and achieve a carbon-free power sector by 2035. The announcement comes as Congress debates federal energy permitting overhauls, with Sen. Joe Manchin, D-W.Va., introducing a measure earlier this month to speed permitting of both fossil fuel and renewable energy projects. Transmission projects involve expanding high-voltage lines that transport renewable energy to populated areas and will play a critical role in accelerating the clean energy transition while meeting growing power demand.

☆ New Jersey's environmental agency called itself out for destroying two endangered birds' protected habitats while creating one for another species
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-15 | by ( ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

New Jersey's environmental agency plans to punish itself for damaging land for endangered birds it was supposed to protect. The damage happened when the department was trying to create habitat for another bird species, the American woodcock. The work was designed to create habitat for one species of bird, but actually wound up destroying habitat for two others. Before the work was done, this land was considered suitable habitat for the barred owl, which is listed as a threatened species, and the red-shouldered hawk, an endangered species. The project also cleared and disturbed an additional 12 acres of land near wetlands known as transition areas, which also are protected.

☆ US gives final nod to huge power line from Wyoming to Nevada
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-11 | by ( Nichola Groom | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

April 11 (Reuters) - U.S. officials on Tuesday gave final approval for a company owned by billionaire Philip Anschutz to begin building a massive transmission line that will deliver wind energy from blustery Wyoming to power-hungry California. The "notice to proceed" from the U.S. Bureau of Land Management allows TransWest Express LLC to break ground on its $3 billion line after more than 15 years of development. A separate Anschutz firm owns the 600-turbine Chokecherry and Sierra Madre wind farm in Wyoming, which is being built, that will send power through TransWest Express. TransWest Express construction will start later this year and the first stage will be completed in 2027, the company said. The line will run from south central Wyoming, through Colorado, Utah and Nevada to a substation outside of Las Vegas.

CompaniesCompanies Law Firms Conocophillips FollowApril 3 (Reuters) - A federal judge on Monday rejected a bid by environmentalists to temporarily suspend the U.S. government’s approval of ConocoPhillips' (COP.N) multibillion-dollar oil drilling project in Alaska’s Arctic. Gleason said an injunction was inappropriate because the groups wouldn't be irreparably harmed by the construction that ConocoPhillips has scheduled for this month, which includes building roads and a gravel mine. Bridget Psarianos, an attorney challenging the approval, called the planned construction schedule "aggressive" and said the judge's decision is "heartbreaking." The approvals for the project in northern Alaska give ConocoPhillips permission to construct three drill pads, 25.8 miles of gravel roads, an air strip and hundreds of miles of ice roads. The 30-year project would produce up to 180,000 barrels of oil per day at its peak, according to the company.

☆ Biden Interior proposes leasing public lands for conservation
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-31 | by ( Emma Newburger | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

The Biden administration this week proposed a new rule that would allow the Interior Department to lease public lands for conservation, a process similar to how the agency delivers leases for oil and gas development and mining projects. The Interior on Thursday said establishing conservation leases would help states and companies offset the environmental impact of their development plans. Issuing conservation leases would generate revenue and make landscapes more resilient to climate change, Interior officials said. Interior Secretary Deb Haaland in a statement said the country's public lands are under mounting pressure amid unprecedented climate-related disasters like wildfires and drought. "We appreciate the meaningful conservation measures in this new rule that have the promise to advance biodiversity, climate resilience and equity on our public lands," O'Shea said.

ConocoPhillips had sought to build up to five drill sites, dozens of miles of roads, seven bridges and pipelines. The Interior Department approved the project with three drill pads after saying last month that it was concerned about the greenhouse gas impacts of Willow. Its Bureau of Land Management last month recommended a "preferred alternative" that includes three drill sites and less surface infrastructure than originally proposed. The decision comes after the Biden administration on Sunday announced new protections for Alaskan land and water. Environmental groups criticized the Biden administration, saying it was trying to have it "both way" on climate change.

Companies Conocophillips FollowWASHINGTON, March 13 (Reuters) - The oil industry on Monday cheered the U.S. government's greenlighting of ConocoPhillips' multibillion-dollar oil drilling project in Alaska's Arctic, but court challenges could mire the plans in further delays. President Joe Biden's administration approved a trimmed-down version of the $7 billion Willow project on federal lands in a pristine area on Alaska's north coast. Kristen Monsell, a senior attorney at the Center for Biological Diversity, another group involved in the previous suits, said Monday's approval for the Willow project is "still inadequate in numerous respects." Senator Dan Sullivan, a Republican from Alaska, told reporters the state's lawmakers are prepared to defend the decision against "frivolous" legal challenges. Even if Interior could beat back the oil company's challenge, it would probably only mean another delay for Willow, he said.

☆ Biden Interior approves controversial Alaska oil drilling project
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-13 | by ( Emma Newburger | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

Climate activists gather to protest with demanding President Biden stop the Willow Project by unfurling a banner on the Lafayette Square in front of the White House on January 10, 2023 in Washington D.C. The Biden administration approved a major and controversial oil drilling plan in Alaska, known as Willow, just one day after unveiling protections for more than 16 million acres of land and water in the region. Environmental groups have long condemned the plan, arguing it undermines the administration's pledge to combat climate change and reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Prior to the president's decision, the Interior Department's Bureau of Land Management released an environmental analysis last month that proposed lowering the number of drilling sites from five to three under the project. The Interior said it had "substantial concerns" about Willow, including its direct and indirect emissions and its impact on local wildlife.

☆ Are Butterflies Wildlife? Depends Where You Live.
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-04 | by ( ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +10 min

The creatures are simply left out of state conservation statues, or their situation is ambiguous. “State agencies are really at the forefront of conservation for wildlife,” said Scott Black, executive director of the Xerces Society, a nonprofit group that advocates for insect conservation. Sometimes, aquatic insects come under the purview of state wildlife agencies. But across the states without insect authority, officials are often reluctant to broach adding it, Mr. Winton said. Seven of the states without insect conservation authority are in the West, which has felt the effects of climate change intensely.

☆ Factbox: Willow oil and gas project in Alaska sparks green opposition
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-03 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

March 3 (Reuters) - Environmental and climate activists are rallying online against ConocoPhillips’ proposed Willow oil and gas drilling project in Alaska as the administration of U.S. President Joe Biden weighs whether to greenlight the controversial plan. Here are some details about the project:WHAT IS THE WILLOW PROJECT? The Willow project is a $6 billion proposal from ConocoPhillips' (COP.N) to drill oil and gas in Alaska. The Willow project area holds an estimated 600 million barrels of oil, or more than the amount currently held in the U.S. Strategic Petroleum Reserve, the country's emergency supply. The Biden administration has also been urging U.S. oil companies to invest in boosting production to help keep consumer energy prices in check.

Feb 6 (Reuters) - A U.S. judge on Monday ordered regulators to reconsider part of the permit approving Lithium Americas Corp's (LAC.TO) Thacker Pass lithium mine project in Nevada, though the mixed ruling rejected claims that the project would cause unnecessary harm to the environment or wildlife. Chief Judge Miranda Du of the federal court in Reno, Nevada, ordered the U.S. Bureau of Land Management to determine whether the company has the right to dump waste rock at the site, a ruling based on a complex set of case law. Du's ruling can be appealed. Reporting by Ernest Scheyder; Editing by Christopher CushingOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ U.S. government backs smaller version of Conoco Alaska drilling project
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-01 | by ( Nichola Groom | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Feb 1 (Reuters) - President Joe Biden's administration said on Wednesday it would support a scaled-back version of ConocoPhillips' (COP.N) planned $6 billion Willow oil and gas drilling project in Alaska but has not yet made a final decision on the contentious proposal. Alaska officials and ConocoPhillips backed that option in letters submitted to the agency in recent months. In a statement, ConocoPhillips said the design represented "a viable path forward" for Willow and said it was ready to begin construction "immediately" upon approval. The company said the project would deliver up to $17 billion in revenue for federal and state governments and local Alaska communities. A final decision will be made no sooner than 30 days after the review's publication, the department said.

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