skip to main content
skip to newscasts

Tuesday, April 30, 2024

Public News Service Logo
facebook instagram linkedin reddit youtube twitter
view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

Three US Marshal task force officers killed in NC shootout; MA municipalities aim to lower the voting age for local elections; breaking barriers for health equity with nutritional strategies; "Product of USA" label for meat items could carry more weight under the new rule.

view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

Big Pharma uses red meat rhetoric in a fight over drug costs. A school shooting mother opposes guns for teachers. Campus protests against the Gaza war continue, and activists decry the killing of reporters there.

view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

More rural working-age people are dying young compared to their urban counterparts, the internet was a lifesaver for rural students during the pandemic but the connection has been broken for many, and conservationists believe a new rule governing public lands will protect them for future generations.

How “77 in Utah” Led to Leasing Changes in WYO

play audio
Play

Friday, December 20, 2013   

CASPER, Wyo. – Five years ago this week, President George W. Bush approved 77 oil and gas leases in Utah near Moab – a move that eventually changed the way leases are handled for public lands in Wyoming.

The leases were challenged because of impacts on Arches and Canyonlands National Parks, and that has led to the Bureau of Land Management using so-called Master Leasing Plans (MLP) for projects now. The plans assess impacts before leases are signed.

Julia Stuble, land conservation coordinator at the Wyoming Outdoor Council, says the Beaver Rim MLP near Lander will be finalized soon, and she likes the way it strikes a balance.

"How we can have oil and gas development that enhances our economy, but also protects the places that are special to Wyoming folks and why we live here," she says.

Conflicts addressed in the Beaver Rim plan include visual and geologic resources, sensitive soils, cultural landmarks, fossils, wild horse migration routes and the headwaters of the Platte River.

Stuble says before MLPs, conflicts couldn't be examined until after the leases were granted – and that led to protests and lawsuits. It's a different story now.

"Since the reforms, protests for oil and gas lease sales are down by 50 percent, and those protests were lengthy, they were costly for all the stakeholders involved," she says.

Stuble expects the Beaver Rim MLP to be included in the Record of Decision any day. Several other MLPs are in process in Wyoming.





get more stories like this via email

more stories
Some groups see disproportionately high rates of suicide, including veterans, racial and ethnic minority groups, people with disabilities and LGBTQIA+ people. (Adobe Stock)

Health and Wellness

play sound

Rates of suicide among young people have increased by about 36% in roughly the last two decades and the surge has caught the attention of federal poli…


play sound

Members of Nebraska's LGBTQ+ community and their supporters saw positive actions at both the state and federal level this month. At the state level…

Social Issues

play sound

Missouri residents are gaining new insights into the powerful role of food in health care as experts and organizations advocate for a shift toward foo…


New Mexico is the second sunniest state in the nation after Arizona, creating maximum opportunities for solar development. (KristinaBlokhin/AdobeStock)

Environment

play sound

New federal funding aims to revolutionize solar energy access within New Mexico's Native American communities and benefit the state overall. The …

Health and Wellness

play sound

Nevada health-care providers, patients and advocates are responding to the U.S. Supreme Court case that'll determine the future of the Emergency …

Environment

play sound

A Knoxville-based environmental group is advocating for the Radiation Exposure Compensation Act expansion, currently awaiting House approval…

Environment

play sound

State officials in Maine are preparing the next generation for climate change-related activism and careers. A new state-run website helps young …

 

Phone: 303.448.9105 Toll Free: 888.891.9416 Fax: 208.247.1830 Your trusted member- and audience-supported news source since 1996 Copyright © 2021