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Tuesday, July 2, 2024

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One million acres of forest protected under The Conservation Fund, including in OR; Trump seeks to set aside his New York hush money guilty verdict after Supreme Court immunity ruling; 'Share the Pennies' weatherization program tackles climate solutions, reduces cost; Utah feels the impact of California's ban on gestation crates.

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SCOTUS gives former President Trump a huge win in terms of immunity, which might apply to charges of election interference. A new poll finds future court appointments are crucial for voters, and President Biden continues to face post-debate calls to leave the race.

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Ugly, imperfect produce destined for the landfill is being upcycled by a California candy company, a Texas volunteer uses his Navy training to map the gaps in broadband, and Pennsylvania has a new commission tasked with reversing its shrinking rural population.

NM's Chaco, Carlsbad parks gain protection from new BLM rule

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Monday, May 6, 2024   

New Mexico's diverse national parks located adjacent to extraction sites will enjoy greater protections under a new federal rule.

Changes to how the Bureau of Land Management oversees America's 245 million acres of public lands were announced last month. The rules also apply to places such as Carlsbad Caverns, Chaco and other parks near mining and oil and gas development.

Daniel Hart, director of clean energy and climate resiliency policy for the National Parks Conservation Association, said the new rule will benefit Western landscapes in multiple ways.

"It's going to protect the parks not only from the pollution, but also it's going to protect the water, it's going to protect the wildlife that cross in and out of these parks," Hart outlined. "And then, there's a cumulative effect when you see energy just along these park borders. It causes untold damage."

Ninety percent of lands managed by the BLM remain open for oil and gas development but already, senators from North Dakota and Wyoming have promised to repeal the rules, claiming they block access to public lands and subvert the multiple-use requirement under the Federal Land Policy Management Act.

Matthew Kirby, senior director of energy and landscape conservation for the association, believes the rules will better integrate conservation into BLM's decision-making process.

"We have 80 national park units that border or in some cases are surrounded by lands that are managed by the Bureau of Land Management," Kirby pointed out. "What happens on those lands and how they are managed matter to national parks."

Hart added for too long, parks with natural, cultural and scenic values, including Carlsbad Caverns with its 100 caves, have had to compete with extraction activities in an area known for its reptiles and hundreds of bird species.

"By steering it away from there, we are protecting this wildlife," Hart noted. "But also making sure that we're not going to have some of this infrastructure that could cause issue to the caves underneath it."

Disclosure: The National Parks Conservation Association contributes to our fund for reporting on Budget Policy and Priorities, Climate Change/Air Quality, Endangered Species and Wildlife, Environment, Public Lands/Wilderness, and Water. If you would like to help support news in the public interest, click here.


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