Monday, November 21, 2016

Battle Lines Over Trump’s Lands Policy Stretch Across 640 Million Acres - The New York Times

Glacier National Park in Montana. In March, the Obama administration capped a three-decade fight over oil and gas drilling in the area by canceling a Louisiana energy company’s lease on 6,000 acres there. (Credit: Lauren Grabelle for The New York Times) Click to Enlarge.
In Western states, where about half of all land is controlled by federal agencies, Mr. Trump’s supporters hope the pendulum swings back from what they say are overbearing Obama administration regulations that put sage grouse and owls ahead of economic growth.

Environmental groups are urging President Obama to push through last-minute preservation projects, such as naming a new national monument in the Bears Ears area of southern Utah.  And they are already preparing for battles over Mr. Trump’s campaign promise to “unleash” coal, oil and gas production — much of it on public land.

But the unknowns and political variables are huge, too.  Mr. Trump himself, while promising to push resource extraction, has also at times spoken about preserving public lands for future generations.

Read more at Battle Lines Over Trump’s Lands Policy Stretch Across 640 Million Acres

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