G2. Local Greens

File:  ltr to Congress, 76 scientists 2012.pdfResource Type: Letters

File:  ltr to Congress, 76 scientists 2012.pdfResource Type: Letters

Happy day-after-Election Day!

When we started our Vote for Climate Justice campaign last election cycle, our goal was to infuse every part of Portland’s City Council elections with climate justice. So together, with all of you, we educated voters and candidates on the issues impacting our rivers, our trees, our air, our communities, and our climate, knowing that education and stories can lead to action. We saw the fruits of that work last election, and we see it now.

Thank you. Thank you for voting. Thank you for helping your friends, family, and neighbors vote. Thank you for being a part of our Vote for Climate Justice program. Now let’s continue showing up and speaking up together, for justice and with joy, for our neighbors, our planet, and all of our futures. If you’re feeling inspired, consider supporting us with a donation to keep this successful grassroots organizing going! Rumble on the River: Post-Election Reflection & Directions

Thursday, November 12
Havurah Shalom (825 NW 18th Ave)
Doors at 5:30 PM, Panel discussion at 6:30 PM

Panelists:

• Dr. Tammy Carpenter – OR Representative-Elect in District 27
• Rep. Travis Nelson – OR Representative, District 44
• Angelo Bologna – AFSCME Local 328
• Josie Moberg – Immigration Attorney
• Matt Reed – Oregon Education Association
• Nafisah Ula – Jobs with Justice
• Moderated by: Damon Motz-Storey – Director of Policy & Communications for Portland City Councilor Candace Avalos

Together, We Make a Difference

In September and October, the 350PDX community sent over 1000 emails to City Council, plus dozens of written comments, speaking up about a data center resolution, the transfer of Zenith Energy’s franchise to I Squared Capital, a strong Critical Energy Infrastructure Hub policy with a significant drawdown of fossil fuels, a No Immunity for Big Oil resolution, and an investment policy that excludes all fossil fuels.

•  No secret deals for data centers passed!
• The Zenith Energy franchise transfer went through without additional community protections or industry accountability
• No Immunity for Big Oil resolution passed!
• Critical Energy Infrastructure Hub strong amendments passed! The final draft will come to Council November 5 and 12, we’ll let you know if further action is needed.

We still need to speak up about the City’s investment policy. The proposed policy adds in an Environmental, Social, and Governance framework for ethical investing, but does not exclude natural gas or coal. Speak up for fossil fuel divestment by sending this email, or submitting a written or verbal comment (this testimony toolkit has talking points and links).

Two Upcoming Actions at City Council

Building on our momentum from the last couple months, let’s finish 2026 strong by advocating for two important issues: reducing building emissions in large buildings, and banning tear gas. These policies are both a long time coming, and this is the moment to pass them! However, they’re receiving a lot of push-back, so we need to show major community support. See these and other actions on our Take Action page.

Fight NW Natural: Pass Climate & Health Standards for Existing Buildings

Portland environmental justice and tenant rights groups have been working on a building emissions reduction policy for over 5 years, targeting buildings over 20,000 square feet, and it’s finally been introduced in the Housing & Permitting Committee. Unfortunately, NW Natural and their industry allies have been flooding City Council with negative comments, even though this policy is similar to Building Performance Standards already in place in other cities like Seattle, Denver, Boston, New York, and Washington, DC. Written comment is open through December 1 (this toolkit has talking points and links). Sign up for a testimony training on November 23 by emailing cherice@350pdx.org!

Ban Tear Gas in Portland with a “Right to Breathe Act”

Tear gas and other chemical weapons used for “crowd control” are not only damaging to human health and people’s rights to speech and assembly, but they’re also harmful to waterways, trees, birds, animals, plants, and soil. After a presentation by Portland Police last week where they tried to convince City Council they should continue to be allowed to gas us, they need to hear from the public.  Learn more, submit written testimony by Thursday 11/5, and stay tuned for further opportunities to speak up.

Energy Justice Team:

The Energy Justice Team works together on everything from fighting data centers, Zenith, and the CEI Hub to advocating for PCEF and transportation justice! Our next team meeting is VIRTUAL on next Tuesday, November 10 at 6 PM. Reach out to dineen@350pdx.org and cherice@350pdx.org for the link or to get plugged into the team.

The “Bipartisan American Affordability & Jobs” Bill (U.S. Senate Bill 5653) is a fast-moving threat to public advocacy, sovereign Tribal nations, and our climate and environment. It would dismantle the National Environmental Policy Act, the Clean Water Act, the National Historic Preservation Act and the Endangered Species Act. All of the legal and regulatory tools we’ve used over the past decade in our region to stop pipelines, energy terminals, and power plants could be erased by this bill. It’s a giveaway to Big Tech and the fossil fuel industry.

350PDX and over 60 other organizations across the Pacific Northwest sent a letter opposing the bill to US Senators and Representatives in Oregon and Washington. Use this tool to send a message to your Senators and Representatives urging them to oppose this bill, and check out this Opposition Guide for more ways to take action.

Forest Defense Team:

This week the Forest Defense Team continued our campaign planning. The discussions have been detailed, exciting, fruitful, and challenging due to the current threats facing forested land. One campaign we advocating for is the continuation of funding for the Trees in the Curb Zone pilot project which has aims to create infrastructure and increase tree canopy in low-canopy neighborhoods. Additionally, the team plans to continue the ongoing push to get long-term funding for street tree maintenance.

Learn about Portland’s new Street Tree Care program from Parks & Recreation Urban Forestry staff on November 13 at 9 AM. This pilot program is the culmination of a 5-year campaign by 350PDX and partner organizations to provide proactive tree care, first called for 80 years ago. RSVP to noelle@350pdx.org

The Forest Defense Team meets on the first and third Monday of each month, alternating between virtual and in-person meetings. Our next meeting will be on November 16 from 6 – 7:30 PM. Reach out to tyler@350PDX.org for details.

Art Team:

Last month, the Art Team brought our mourning mothers to the No Kings protest and passed out flyers encouraging attendees to engage with 350PDX’s upcoming actions! Additionally, we have been hard at work on a surprise project for our end of year fundraising.

The Art Team meets twice a month. We host our art builds on the second Sunday of every month and our monthly planning meetings on the last Wednesday.

• Next Art Build: November 8, 1 – 4PM
• Next Planning Meeting: Wednesday, November 25, 6 – 7:30 PM

Meetings are held in the 350PDX workshop (3639 N Mississippi Ave). RSVP to arts@350pdx.org.

Book Club:

The 350PDX Book Club meets every month on the first Wednesday of the month at 6:30PM, alternating between virtual and in-person. Reach out to books@350PDX.org with any questions or to join our list, and please RSVP so we can inform you of any meeting changes.

Lots of Book Club announcements this month: our virtual meetings are BACK, we are meeting MONTHLY again, our in-person meetings are back home at the 350PDX Offices, and we’re excited to welcome our newest co-facilitator, Ian Murdock. Welcome!

Join us on Wednesday, December 2 at 6:30 PM for our next fiction in-person meeting. We’ll discuss A Snake Falls to Earth by Darcie Little Badger; based on traditional Lipan Apache storytelling structure, this young adult novel weaves an unforgettable tale of monsters, magic, and family. RSVP at books@350PDX.org.

Save the date for our other upcoming discussions:

• Wednesday, January 6 at 6:30 PM (free pick; Google Meet): Book to be selected in December

• Wednesday, February 3 at 6:30 PM (nonfiction; 350PDX Offices): The Lost Trees of Willow Avenue: A Story of Climate and Hope on One American Street by Mike Tidwell

Milwaukie Advocates for Climate Justice:

The Milwaukie Advocates for Climate meet monthly on the third Monday from 5:30 – 6:30 PM at Milwaukie City Hall — all are welcome! To get connected, sign up here or email MAC@350pdx.org.

Join us on Friday, November 6th at 6:30 PM for a documentary screening of “The Little Town That Could” at the Ledding Library in Milwaukie. This is an inspiring documentary of a community in New York working together to reduce emissions. It will be followed by a panel discussion with filmmakers and local climate activists.

Washington County Team:

The Washington County Team invites all to our next monthly online meeting at 6:30 PM on Tuesday November 10. We are looking forward to discussing election results that could impact improving climate action policies and catching up with each other online.

Last month we enjoyed talking with Tualatin City Council member Bridget Brookes regarding a win for the Tualatin Climate Action Plan. The City recently completed work on the activation of a new micro-power turbine that will improve City building & fleet power while using cleaner energy and reducing Tualatin’s expenses. It will also capture power from the local drinking water source that’s been latent for decades. Embracing this innovation will make Tualatin more resilient in many ways.

We welcome guest presenters who would like to share their programs and local climate actions! Please reach out to us at 350washco@gmail.com if you would like to engage and educate our group on a future Tuesday evening!

We always welcome newcomers to our events and to our (mostly) monthly online meetings (6:30 PM on the second Tuesday of the month). For the link, join us here or contact us at 350washco@gmail.com.

Southwest Neighborhood Team:

The 350PDX Southwest Neighborhood Team includes neighborhoods on the south and west sides of Portland. We work together to raise awareness of the climate emergency.

Our street corner demonstrations continue weekly in November every Friday. New time is 3 – 4 PM at SW Terwilliger & SW Taylor’s Ferry. Some parking is available in the Chez Jose and Anytime Fitness lot, or reach us via bus or bike.

Our monthly meetings happen on the third Monday of the month. To get involved, please contact Pat Kaczmarek at patk5@msn.com.

Before closing our newsletter, a few reminders:

• Check out our Take Action page, which we update regularly. It includes actions that may not be in our newsletter.
• Join the 350PDX community Slack channel! This is a great way to stay connected on an ongoing basis. Contact to info@350pdx.org and we can add you.
• 350PDX is still searching for a wonderful, new home. Please reach out to info@350PDX.org if you have ideas for a space where we can have meetings, our arts team can create show-stopping puppets, and more!

Thank you for reading our monthly newsletter. We hope to see you soon!

With gratitude,

Cherice, Dineen, Jessica, Maeve, and Noelle

The post 2026 November Newsletter! appeared first on 350PDX: Climate Justice.

A 647-mile tars sands crude oil pipeline is proposed for eastern Montana and opportunities to stop the dangerous Bridger Pipeline Project are coming. In this webinar from October 29, MEIC and our partners covered what you need to know about the proposed pipeline and how we can push back. Earthjustice legal expert Lars Phillips, Dr. …

The post Webinar Recording: Bridger Pipeline Project appeared first on Montana Environmental Information Center - MEIC.

OCT. 30, 2026

We’re excited to share that Clean Air Council was named Activist of the Year at the 2026 SustainPHL Awards!

This annual event, hosted Oct. 29 by Green Philly, celebrates the people and organizations who work to make the Philadelphia region healthier and more sustainable.

We’re grateful for this recognition, but environmental advocacy is a collective effort. So much of what we do depends on the communities, our members, funders, volunteers, grassroots groups, and partner organizations who work alongside us every day

We also want to give a special shout-out to Elaine Wells, a member of Clean Air Council’s Board of Directors, who won the Environmental Justice Award for her work in connecting young people with trails, nature, and literacy.

We are proud to be part of such a dedicated environmental community. Here’s to continuing this important work in 2027 and beyond!

Senators Ron Wyden, Jeff Merkley, and Alex Padilla are demanding that Interior Secretary Doug Burgum stop attempting to put data centers on public lands, citing a lack of transparency around his meetings with data center developers and investors. Burgum met with dozens of technology and energy executives last year, including Amazon CEO Andy Jassy, according to the Washington Sun, which reviewed his calendar. “The timing of these meetings taking place concurrently with the administration’s efforts to pursue data center development on public lands raises serious questions about your involvement in these deals,” the senators wrote in a letter to Burgum this week.

The senators also warned about data centers’ water use, which could worsen drought across the West. “Effectively privatizing public lands owned by American taxpayers sends a clear message that the Trump administration continues to prioritize the profits of tech CEOs and shareholders over the American people that rely on public lands for hunting, fishing, recreation, and livestock grazing,” the letter states. The only data center BLM has approved so far, near Boulder City, Nevada, is on hold pending more environmental review.

In a second letter, Senator Wyden asked about the deal Burgum helped broker in March for Venezuela’s state-owned mining company to sell gold to commodities trader Trafigura. “Recent reports indicate that you played a pivotal role in brokering the sale of this gold, which is reportedly tainted by human rights abuses and environmental degradation,” wrote Wyden. Much of that gold has sat in storage because U.S. refiners have refused to process it.

In September, members of the House Natural Resources Committee requested Burgum’s official calendar and any lists of public lands his department had flagged as priorities for data center development. The Interior department declined to comment on this week’s letters, saying it does not comment on congressional correspondence through the media.

Quick hits Analysis finds elevated arsenic at uranium mine near Havasupai Tribe’s only water source

Native News Online | Inside Climate News | KNAU | Grand Canyon Trust

Trump administration moves to roll back Biden-era methane rules for oil and gas companies

KANW | NPR | Politico | CNBC

Permitting reform would de-fang bedrock environmental laws

The Landline/High Country News

Shell and Total post highest quarterly profit since 2022

Reuters

Who is responsible for Yellowstone’s water quality? After whiplash between Biden and Trump, EPA says Wyoming

WyoFile

Lawmakers target Burgum’s gold deals, data center push

Politico | Washington Sun

California lawmakers demand Interior department reverse pay cut for Yosemite park staff

Sierra Sun Times

A top Trump appointee was ordered to remove an unauthorized cabin from public land. Two years later, it’s still there

High Country News/Public Domain

Quote of the day

Havasupai Creek is not just a beautiful place on a map. It is the lifeblood of our homeland… If Havasu Creek is contaminated, there is no backup water system waiting for us. There is no second river we can turn to. We are asking that elevated arsenic be investigated, not normalized.”

—Melinda Yaiva, Chairwoman of the Havasupai Tribe, Native News Online

Picture This @carlsbadcavernsnps

Have you even flown through a cave in the dark to get your dinner?

The lowest known point of Carlsbad Cavern is called Lake of the Clouds at 1037 feet. This area is much warmer than the 56°F visitors encounter in the Big Room. These warm temperatures were chosen by the Cave Myotis (Myotis velifer) and sometimes the Fringed Myotis (Myotis thysanodes) as a maternity roost and bachelor pads. The bats take an arduous flight in order to get out in the evenings to eat insects. They travel past the lunchroom all the way up the main corridor and out into the evening.

Each year the Resources Department sets up an audio recorder that catches the different calls the bats make as they leave their roost sites. Echolocation call characteristics and identifying software are used to determine the bat species recorded. This information is helpful to researchers to determine what type of bats are currently roosting in this area of the cave and if there has been a change in residency. Cave myotis typically call in the 40 Kilohertz range and Fringed myotis make calls in the 20 Kilohertz range.

#carlsbadcavernsnationalpark#batweek#bats

Featured photo: Google Data Center in The Dalles, Oregon. Tony Webster/Wikimedia Commons

The post Lawmakers demand Burgum halt data center push on public lands appeared first on Center for Western Priorities.

“The Hub” is a weekly round-up of transportation related news in the Philadelphia area and beyond. Check back weekly to keep up-to-date on the issues Clean Air Council’s transportation staff finds important.

Happy Halloween! There’s nothing scarier than losing access to democracy! Plan to vote on November 3. Find more information here.

Image Source: Philly Voice

Philly Voice: SEPTA affordability programs would be permanent under proposed Philly law – A proposal introduced by Philadelphia City Council could increase access to transit for Philadelphians. Councilmember O’Rourke introduced legislation to set aside 0.5% of the city’s General Fund for a transit access program in April of last year. The fund would support Zero Fare, Key Advantage, and Key Partner programs. These programs offer critical transit access to transit to low-income residents, families, and businesses across the city.

Image Source: Northeast Times

Northeast Times: SEPTA Ridership Hits Highest Level Since February 2020 as Bus Trips Climb 14% – In September, SEPTA averaged more than 822,000 riders across all modes per day. This is the highest average daily ridership SEPTA has seen since February 2020. Bus ridership has risen 14% from 2025. SEPTA is giving credit to the New Bus Network, and phase 1 of the plan began in August. Regional Rail is the only mode to decline, with average weekday ridership down 4% from last year. SEPTA notes capacity and frequency issues as the leading causes for the decrease in Regional Rail ridership.

Image Source: AOL

6ABC: SEPTA buys Canadian train cars to boost fleet – Two dozen Canadian EXO Transit rail cars are being serviced by SEPTA mechanics, with plans to phase them into service next year. The cars will help SEPTA meet daily service needs and should increase ridership. The new cars will seat an additional 60 to 70 riders, offer more handrails for standing passengers, and increase capacity for Regional Rail service.

Other Stories

NBC Philadelphia: Philadelphia Indego bike stations get high-tech upgrade with smart kiosks

WHYY: Pa. announces funding for 515 new electric vehicle chargers

Trains.com: Amtrak schedules event for public comment on restructuring

WHYY: NJ Transit is expanding a project to present art exhibitions at bus and train stations

Philadelphia Today: AIM Academy Mountain Biking Program in Conshohocken Turns 10

Philly Voice: Filmmakers who set out to produce a comedy on the PPA instead confront tragedies of a car-obsessed culture

Correspondence about permission for gas drilling and fracking in North Yorkshire has prompted concerns about the independence of the environmental regulator.

Emails, seen by DrillOrDrop, reveal what has been described as a “close working relationship” between the Environment Agency (EA) and Europa Oil & Gas, the company that wants to drill for gas at Burniston, near Scarborough.

The correspondence shows that the EA shared the draft environmental permit with Europa, which would be required to comply with its conditions.

The company suggested changes to wording, most of which were agreed by the EA, and asked for sections to be removed.

The emails were written during an important period for public comment on the Burniston permit application.

Residents and local organisations had complained about errors and inconsistencies in key documents. But they were unaware of discussions between the EA and Europa or that the company was involved in changes to the permit.

“Growing concerns”

The correspondence was released in response to a freedom of information request by DrillOrDrop.

We sent the released emails to Burniston Parish council, which said:

“The concerns around the Environment Agency’s handling of the Europa Oil and Gas application for an environmental licence grow with every new piece of information we receive.

“Our community and the wider community are struggling to understand quite why the EA appears to be so quick to assist EOG [Europa Oil & Gas] and at the same time, fail to respond to the very genuine questions and concerns raised by members of our community.”

DrillOrDrop also shared the emails with the local campaign group, Frack Free Coastal Communities. It said:

“The email chain shows the close working relationship between the regulator and the fossil fuel industry.

“We see details of the draft permit being shared with the company that will be bound by its provisions, giving them the opportunity to suggest amendments that will suit their operational interests and remove bothersome constraints.”

Regular contact

The correspondence, covering Tuesday 29 September 2026 to Tuesday 6 October 2026, shows the EA was in regular contact with Europa.

In the six working days in this period, the EA and Europa corresponded eight times. On three days, at least two emails were exchanged.

This contrasts with the experience of local people and organisations, who complained that the EA had not responded to their correspondence.

The emails also revealed

• The EA agreed (Tuesday 29 September 2026) to most of Europa’s comments on the draft permit raised in a conversation the previous week.
• The EA sent Europa the revised permit with the company’s amendments on Friday 2 October 2026. But the document was not posted online for public comment until Wednesday 7 October 2026. The EA said it wrote to people about the revised version but some said their letter arrived too late for them to comment.
• The EA told the public the changes in the amended version corrected drafting and “minor typographical errors”. But, according to the emails, amendments included changes to key permit conditions and operational issues.
• The EA promised (Tuesday 6 October 2026) to share with Europa further changes in the wording of a permit condition in the following fortnight, something not offered to the public.
• The EA also offered Europa the chance to discuss “outstanding matters” even after the public consultation closed, again not offered to the public.
• Generally, the EA responded quickly to Europa’s emails, in contrast to some residents’ experiences.

“Demonstrate equality”

Burniston Parish Council, which opposes the gas drilling proposal, said it was concerned that the EA has taken different approaches to the company and the local community.

Cllr Richard Parsons, the parish council chair, told DrillOrDrop, the community was looking for equal treatment:

“We at Burniston Parish Council would once again urge the EA to show that they are independent and understand the need to communicate, on the same footing with this community and the wider community, as they are communicating with EOG. In other words demonstrate equality in their process.”

Cllr Parsons said the council and others had asked for a public meeting with the EA about errors in an earlier version of the permit documents. He said:

“we have received no response.

“Nobody here is asking for preferential treatment, just equality.

“I would challenge the EA, ‘if you are not prepared to communicate with those who have legitimate concerns over the granting of this licence, whilst communicating with EOG, say so’.”

He added:

“There should be no need to remind the Environment Agency of their independent role, the requirement to protect our environment and to act in a manner that is fair and equal whilst acting in a manner that is open, honest and transparent. Because our concerns are growing, the time is well overdue for the EA to demonstrate understanding of their role.”

“Unwarranted influence”

Professor Chris Garforth, of Frack Free Coastal Communities, said:

“Essentially, the emails show how successive opportunities to comment on and suggest changes to the wording of the permit are giving Europa unwarranted influence on the key provisions that they would need to abide by if their proposed drilling and fracking were ever to go ahead.

“The response from the EA is to accept most of Europa’s suggestions. They do push back on one, however: Europa asked them to remove reference to specific depths for the underground waste operation (following fracking of four separate geological formations) – presumably to allow them leeway to frack at any depth they choose. The EA point out that these are specific depths at which Europa said in their application they would frack and see no reasons for changing that specification in the permit.”

Professor Garforth said the emails did not contain from the EA “any concern at all about the inconsistencies in the draft decision document”.

He also said the emails revealed a gap in the regulatory process.

At Europa’s request, the EA removed a reference to the “loading, unloading, handling and storage of crude oil”.

Professor Garforth said:

“Why is this? Europa will argue (as they do in the application) that crude oil coming up during the well testing and appraisal will not be treated as waste but as a commercial product – and so is outside the scope of the Waste Management Plan and the permitting regime.

“However, they did not mention in their planning application to NYC [North Yorkshire Council] that they expect oil to be produced. Consequently, no part of the regulatory framework has explicitly considered the procedures and facilities on site necessary to handle this oil.

“We pointed this out to NYC at the time the initial consultation on the environmental permit was launched but were ignored. It seems to us that Europa is deliberately and cynically using the different parts of the framework to hide certain parts of their intentions from regulatory and public scrutiny.”

Europa did not respond in the released emails to the EA’s question on 29 September 2026 about wildfire risk. The EA had asked the company whether it had a plan to mitigate fire risks from flaring of waste gas.

Professor Garforth said:

“The many residents who raised concerns about this in the 2025 consultation (when the devastating wildfire on the North York Moors was still raging) will be keen to know the answer.”

DrillOrDrop has sent this article to the EA for comment.

Groups condemn the Newsom administration’s voluntary agreement framework, pledging to fight for water rights, environmental protections, and due process

For Immediate Release:

October 39, 2026

Contact:
Ashley Castaneda, ashley@restorethedelta.org

SACRAMENTO — In anticipation of the State Water Resources Control Board’s vote to adopt the updated Bay-Delta Plan, tribal leaders, environmental advocates, and Delta residents gathered at a press conference to condemn the decision and pledge further action to defend California’s water rights, protect critical ecosystems, and ensure meaningful public participation in decisions affecting the state’s water future.  

Representatives from the Shingle Springs Band of Miwok Indians, the Winnemem Wintu Tribe, Little Manila Rising and Restore the Delta, alongside Delta community members, denounced the plan, arguing that it entrenches the very inequities and ecological damage the update should address while sidelining tribes and environmental justice communities.

At the center of the plan newly adopted by the State Water Board are so-called “voluntary agreements”, privately negotiated deals allowing powerful water districts to offer limited flow commitments and funding in exchange for exemptions from stronger, enforceable regulatory requirements.

“For years we have raised our voices against a plan based on exclusionary voluntary agreements. For years we have explained how this plan would undermine our sovereignty and ways of life. For years we have asked the State Water Board to do its part to repair the legacy of atrocities committed against California tribes. And for years our pleas have fallen on deaf ears,” said Vice Chair Malissa Tayaba, Shingle Springs Band of Miwok Indians. “But despite the Board’s approval of this discriminatory and destructive plan, we will continue to speak up and demand the state government do right by native people. We hope that the next Governor will give meaning to the apologies by stopping these voluntary agreements, establishing regulations to keep rivers flowing, and giving tribes a seat at the table.”

Tribal leaders and environmental groups have long warned that the voluntary agreements fall short of what science demands and lack the enforceable protections needed to safeguard threatened fish species, restore critical freshwater flows, and address harmful algal blooms (HABs). 

“This plan fails the four million people living in the Delta, the 12 million more who live in the greater San Francisco Bay Area, and all Californians. Implementing the voluntary agreements will further diminish their economies, public health, and access to clean water,” said Barbara Barrigan-Parrilla, Executive Director at Restore the Delta. “Governor Newsom has failed in his responsibility to protect people, safeguard all beneficial uses of water, and preserve the health of the Bay-Delta watershed. By approving this plan, his administration is leaving behind an implementation nightmare. When this plan fails, the next Governor will be left to clean up the mess.”

“When the future of Bay-Delta water is stretched between so many competing uses, enforceable protection from harmful algal blooms is what waits. And the cost of waiting doesn’t land evenly. The board must adopt statewide cyanotoxin standards and objectives on a firm and public timeline,” said Gloria Valencia Cruz, Environmental Justice Advocacy Coordinator with Little Manila Rising.

Advocates also condemned the secretive process through which the agreements were negotiated, citing the exclusion of tribes and environmental justice organizations from key discussions. They further criticized state agencies for using confidentiality agreements to restrict access to scientific data and discussions central to the plan’s development. 

“If Donald Trump was the Governor of California today he would be ‘bigly’ thrilled. The Bay-Delta Plan update is going just the way he would want. Give all his cronies much if not all of what they want and dismiss the wants and needs of everyone else. He would probably say, ‘I don’t care about those whiny environmental groups, or tribes, or fishermen, or disadvantaged groups, or even the average citizen, that’s all DEI anyway. Heck, we’re going to make and are making a fortune.’ Humm, maybe he is Governor,” said Gary Mulcahy, Government Liaison with the Winnemem Wintu Tribe. 

The groups contend that the plan places an excessive financial burden on California taxpayers while failing to provide critical protections needed for the Bay-Delta ecosystem, native fish populations, and communities that depend on healthy freshwater flows. 

They also warned that the cost of voluntary agreements could escalate dramatically if other landowners secure concessions similar to those in the Newsom administration’s controversial Fair Ranch water agreement, which drew scrutiny over its $180 million price tag. Under that scenario, the total cost of the voluntary agreements could reach $5.6 billion, more than five times the initial estimate of $1.1 billion, with taxpayers ultimately footing the bill. 

Speakers vowed to continue fighting the plan and its voluntary agreement framework, nodding to further action to defend tribal and public water rights, protect California’s already imperiled ecosystems, and demand transparency, accountability, and a meaningful role for affected communities in major water management decisions.

“The law should serve as a baseline for equity and reparative justice to address California’s history of discriminatory water governance,” said Eli Calhoun, Student Attorney, Yale Environmental Justice Law and Advocacy Clinic, Counsel for the Delta Tribal Environmental Coalition (DTEC). “Instead, this plan entrenches historical inequities by ensuring that those who historically monopolized the watershed continue to dictate flow and temperature regimes at the expense of Tribes, environmental justice communities, and local ecosystems.”

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In late June, the Babylon Fire burned roughly 107,000 acres of the Elk Ridge landscape within the Manti-La Sal National Forest west of Monticello, Utah. This is the high country above Dark Canyon Wilderness, lying almost entirely within Bears Ears National Monument. The U.S. Forest Service is now proposing a fast-tracked public process for a sprawling “post-fire recovery” project, including commercial timber harvest, hazardous fuels reduction, road reconstruction, new temporary roads, and other vegetation removal and manipulation activities across a 95,000-acre project area.

The agency is accepting public comments on the project through Tuesday, Nov. 3. Click here to let them know you oppose this reckless approach to fire recovery.

The problem isn’t the idea of helping the burned landscape recover; it’s how the Forest Service wants to do it. Instead of analyzing the specifics of this unique and extremely important landscape, including its soils, cultural sites, wildlife, and recovery needs, the agency proposes to rely on a generic, nationwide post-fire environmental assessment prepared in Washington, DC.

Even more frustratingly, the project proposal never once mentions that it must conform to the Bears Ears National Monument Management Plan. Despite the Trump administration’s illegal reduction of the monument this summer, that plan remains the governing policy for the entire Bears Ears landscape at present. Fire recovery in Bears Ears should follow the plan written to protect this landscape, not sidestep it.

In your comments, please tell the Forest Service to:

• Follow the Bears Ears plan’s protections for fire recovery and logging.
• Meaningfully involve Tribes in planning and implementation.
• Allow logging only when it protects monument resources and supports ecological recovery.
• Disclose exactly where logging and other work would occur and what methods would be used.
• Protect steep slopes, fragile soils, and streams from further damage.
• Identify and protect cultural sites, wildlife habitat, and culturally-significant plants before work begins.

The agency needs to follow the existing management plan and reject a one-size-fits-all framework for this unique and remarkable landscape.

Click here to take action by November 3

The post Tell the Forest Service to Follow Bears Ears Plan for Fire Recovery appeared first on Southern Utah Wilderness Alliance.

Listening to Our Communities, Moving Toward Cleaner Water Heating sf-sarah Thu, 2026-10-29 10:34

Across the Bay Area contractors, labor, clean air advocates, and local governments have been preparing for a clean water heater transition. On November 4th, the Bay Area Air District will vote on proposed amendments to Rule 9-6 to provide exemptions for financial hardship and challenging installations, ensuring an equitable transition for all. We are ready, and the time is now!
 

By Tracy Flor Figueroa

At community events across the Bay Area, I’ve joined conversations about building electrification, decarbonization, and what cleaner water heating would mean for our homes. As an organizer, these conversations are essential to my work. They also make clear that supporting cleaner air and having questions about the transition go hand in hand.

    “How much will this cost me?” 
    “What if I have space constraints?”
    “Why am I getting such different installation estimates from contractors?”

These are practical questions from people balancing household budgets when affordability is a challenge. Along with navigating home repairs and trying to make informed decisions. They deserve clear answers and policies that recognize their circumstances.

The proposed amendments to the Bay Area District’s Rule 9-6, released October 2, offer important changes to how the region would move toward cleaner water heating. As Board members prepare to vote on November 4, three provisions deserve attention. 

Financial Flexibility for qualifying homeowners. The proposal would allow exemptions for property owners who meet specified income or housing-cost criteria. These provisions recognize that the financial burden of replacing a water heater varies by household. They would offer qualifying owners an alternative, although they would not directly fund installations or resolve differences in contractor pricing.

Options for homes with specific installation challenges. The amendments would provide one-time exemptions for certain spaces, ventilation, ceiling height, or electrical constraints. Not every small space would qualify, but these provisions acknowledge that homes differ and that some installations present substantial obstacles.

A temporary replacement when residents need hot water. With an exemption certificate, a licensed contractor could install a temporary gas water heater while arranging a permanent replacement that meets the standards. Generally, that temporary unit would need to be removed within 12 months unless another exemption allows it to remain. This would give households time to plan a permanent installation while maintaining access to hot water.

The rule does not aim to evict functioning appliances, but rather to require replacement when the appliance reaches the end of its life. The proposed dates apply to newly manufactured equipment covered by the standards; they are not deadlines to replace the working water heater already in your home. That distinction matters. Residents need accurate information about what the rule would require, when it would apply, and what options would be available. 

This transition is not starting from scratch. Community choice energy providers, contractors, local governments, and community organizations have spent years building the foundation for cleaner water heating. Through outreach, education, and preparation, that work is already underway.

A clear standard can give those efforts direction and drive effective change as the market shifts and new technologies and standards roll out. The proposed exemptions and additional preparation time can help address real barriers while preserving the goal of reducing air pollution in our homes. Continued work on affordability, reliable installation information, and accessible assistance will remain essential.

On November 4, Bay Area Air District Board members need to hear from the communities this decision will affect. Join us in person to support clean-air standards and a practical, equitable transition. You can give pubic comment or simply attend to show your support. Online participation is also welcome.

RSVP FOR THE NOVEMBER 4 AIR DISTRICT MEETING
 

The Arctic National Wildlife Refuge is one of the wildest places left in America, a vast landscape of mountains, rivers, wetlands, and tundra that sustains caribou, polar bears, migratory birds, and the Indigenous communities whose lives and cultures are deeply connected to this land. 

But this winter, that landscape could face a familiar and deeply damaging threat: seismic exploration. 

The Alaska Industrial Development and Export Authority (AIDEA), a state-owned agency, could move forward this winter with plans to search for oil beneath the Refuge’s coastal plain. We expect AIDEA to seek federal authorization for seismic testing this winter, potentially bringing heavy equipment back onto a landscape that has been recovering from earlier exploration for decades. The permitting process would likely include an application for an Incidental Harassment Authorization (IHA), which would allow certain otherwise prohibited disturbances to marine mammals, including polar bears, subject to specified conditions. 

The stakes are enormous. Seismic testing threatens the fragile tundra itself, but the potential disturbance of polar bears during their denning season makes this proposal especially alarming. In a warming Arctic where these animals already face mounting pressure, the Refuge should be a place where they can raise their young safely rather than butting up against another industrial frontier. 

The scars of seismic testing are still visible 

Seismic exploration is often described as a preliminary step toward oil development. In practice, it brings an industrial footprint into one of the most ecologically sensitive landscapes in the country. 

To map underground geological formations, seismic crews move heavy vehicles across the tundra in carefully planned grids. Modern three-dimensional seismic surveys can involve massive “thumper trucks,” bulldozers, fuel trucks, support vehicles, and mobile camps. Thumper trucks use heavy plates to send vibrations into the ground, with the returning signals collected by sensors to help create an image of what lies beneath the surface. 

The machinery may only operate during winter, but the damage does not necessarily disappear when the snow melts. 

We know this because seismic exploration has happened in the Arctic Refuge before. During the winters of 1984 and 1985, crews conducted two-dimensional seismic surveys across the coastal plain. The resulting vehicle trails and disturbed vegetation left marks on the tundra, some that have stuck around for decades. Some tracks remain visible today, long after the machinery that created them has disappeared. 

Arctic tundra is exceptionally vulnerable to this kind of disturbance. Its vegetation, soils, and underlying permafrost are closely connected, and damage to the surface can alter drainage, accelerate thawing, and change the conditions that plants need to grow. Recovery is slow, particularly in a region where the growing season is short and temperatures remain low for much of the year. 

Research examining the landscape impacts of seismic surveys in the Arctic Refuge has documented the persistence of these disturbances. Even when crews operate in winter, frozen ground and snow do not guarantee that the landscape will be protected. 

And the proposed exploration would use a more intensive approach than the older surveys. Three-dimensional seismic testing requires a denser network of survey lines to produce a more detailed picture of underground geology. More passes across the landscape mean more opportunities to damage vegetation and soils, while modern equipment can be substantially heavier than that used in earlier exploration. 

The Refuge is still living with the consequences of the last round of seismic testing. We cannot assume it will recover quickly—or fully—from another. 

AIDEA wants to bring the trucks back 

The renewed threat comes as Alaska doubles down on its push to open the Arctic Refuge to oil development, even as major oil companies have shown limited interest in pursuing the opportunity. 

In July 2025, AIDEA issued a request for proposals seeking support for a multiyear seismic exploration program in the Refuge’s coastal plain. In May 2026, its board approved a budget of up to $175 million for the effort, including permitting and regulatory work. 

AIDEA has been moving through the preparatory stages of the project, and we expect an application for seismic operations as the winter season approaches. Federal authorizations will be required before the proposed work can proceed. The exact timing and scope of any operations will depend on the applications submitted and the decisions made by the responsible agencies. 

This is a significant escalation. AIDEA is using public resources to pursue oil exploration in a place where the industry itself has repeatedly failed to demonstrate strong commercial interest. The agency is betting that better geological data could attract future investment, but the environmental risks begin long before a single barrel of oil is produced. 

Seismic exploration is not the final stage of oil development. It is a step toward making future drilling possible. The data gathered could help companies identify promising locations, setting the stage for additional industrial activity in a landscape that has so far avoided the extensive infrastructure found elsewhere on Alaska’s North Slope. 

The question is whether that speculative promise is worth risking lasting damage to a globally important wildlife refuge. 

Polar bears could face a dangerous winter 

The damage to tundra is reason enough to oppose seismic exploration. But the threat to polar bears makes the prospect of this winter’s operations even more troubling. 

The Arctic Refuge’s coastal plain is important habitat for the Southern Beaufort Sea population of polar bears, including females that come ashore to build maternity dens and give birth. As sea ice changes and becomes less reliable, land-based denning habitat has become increasingly important for some bears. 

A den may be buried beneath snow, making it difficult to detect from the surface. Inside, a mother bear gives birth to her cubs and cares for them during the vulnerable first months of their lives. The den provides shelter from extreme weather and a protected space where newborn cubs can survive before emerging into the Arctic. 

Heavy machinery moving across this landscape creates a frightening set of risks. Vehicles could pass near or over hidden dens, potentially causing physical damage or disturbing mothers and cubs. Even when a den is not directly struck, noise and activity may disrupt the animals at a critical point in their life cycle. 

Finding dens is also difficult. Infrared surveys and other detection methods can help identify potential denning sites, but they are not foolproof. A failure to detect a den does not mean a den is absent. 

That is why the prospect of an Incidental Harassment Authorization is so concerning. 

Under the Marine Mammal Protection Act, an IHA can authorize certain incidental, nonlethal harassment of marine mammals associated with specified activities, provided the legal requirements are met. It is not a blanket exemption from wildlife protections, and it does not automatically authorize seismic testing. But if an IHA is sought for this project, it could establish a framework under which certain disturbances to polar bears are permitted. 

For bears sheltering in dens, the consequences of getting those protections wrong could be devastating. A mother disturbed while caring for newborn cubs may face circumstances that threaten their survival. And once a den has been missed or a disturbance has occurred, the harm cannot necessarily be undone by changing the route of a vehicle or ending operations. 

We should not treat the potential disturbance of denning polar bears as an acceptable side effect of oil exploration. The burden should be on the agencies and project proponents to demonstrate that wildlife and their habitat will be adequately protected—not on the animals to survive another industrial incursion. 

Photo: Dave Shreffler The public stopped this before 

This is not the first time seismic exploration has threatened the Arctic Refuge. 

In 2021, a previous effort to secure authorization for seismic testing failed to obtain the necessary federal approvals before the relevant window closed. The proposal drew extraordinary public attention, including more than five million comments during the federal review process addressing potential impacts to polar bears. 

That response demonstrated something powerful: people across the country understand that the Arctic Refuge matters, even if they have never set foot on its tundra. They understand that this landscape is irreplaceable, that polar bears deserve a chance to raise their cubs undisturbed, and that the consequences of industrial development extend far beyond the boundaries of a single project. 

Now, the threat could be returning. 

As we approach another winter, the public must be ready to respond to new applications and opportunities to weigh in. Federal agencies must carefully scrutinize any proposed operations, examine the cumulative impacts on the Refuge, and ensure that the best available science informs decisions about wildlife and habitat. Any proposed authorization involving polar bears requires particular scrutiny because of the difficulty of locating dens and the potentially severe consequences of disturbance. 

The future of the Arctic Refuge should not be determined by a state agency’s willingness to spend public money searching for oil that the industry itself has been reluctant to pursue. 

Alaska Wilderness League will continue fighting to keep seismic exploration out of the Arctic Refuge. We cannot allow decades-old scars to become the beginning of a new cycle of destruction, and we cannot accept the risk of disturbing polar bear mothers and cubs for the sake of oil exploration. 

The Arctic Refuge is worth protecting. This winter, we must make sure it is. 

A thorn in the side and a hole in the pocket for Alaska. 

The Alaska Industrial Development and Export Authority, also known as AIDEA, is a public corporation of the State of Alaska housed as a political subdivision within the Department of Commerce, Community, and Economic Development (DCCED). Founded in 1967 by the Alaska State Legislature, AIDEA’s statutes guide the agency “to promote, develop, and advance economic growth and diversification in Alaska by providing various means of financing and investment.”  

But in the 59 years since its inception, AIDEA has become like no other state economic development agency. Instead of acting in an advisory role, as a strategic facilitator, or providing market-based investment, AIDEA has deviated from its original purpose by choosing to directly invest in capital intensive, risky, and politically contentious projects. If you’ve heard of the Ambler Road and oil & gas lease sales in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge , you should know AIDEA’s the chief culprit.  

AIDEA’s not just using state money to prop up the oil, gas, and mining industries; it’s costing the state billions of dollars in the process. AIDEA may pay a dividend to the state every year, but set at just $17 million for fiscal year 2027 with AIDEA’s asset base totaling $1.7 billion, it begs the question of whether the state might have better uses for AIDEA’s money.  

As our schools fall apart, class sizes breach 40 students, energy costs skyrocket, and the Alaska Marine Highway System flounders, Alaskans should wonder if the best use of AIDEA’s money is building new mining roads when the state can’t maintain its current road system, and purchasing oil leases in the Arctic Refuge which all other major oil and gas companies withdrew from.  

To “serve at the pleasure of the governor.” 

So how does AIDEA get away with wasting state money, with no legislative oversight, and all while ignoring the public?  

The answer lies in AIDEA’s unique statutes, which give AIDEA “separate and independent legal existence” from the state. AIDEA has used these statutes to justify their choices to invest millions of dollars of state money without legislative oversight or approval. However, legal review has confirmed that AIDEA is indeed a public corporation, and one that is subject to the Alaska Constitution and the legislative appropriations process.  

AIDEA’s governing board also helps the agency get away with its costly decisions. Consisting of seven members, AIDEA makes its investment decisions by the directive of the board. Both the commissioner of revenue and the commissioner of commerce, community, and economic development serve on the board. The other five members are members of the public appointed by the governor. Each public member serves “at the pleasure of the governor” in statute. Each commissioner is a member of the governor’s cabinet. You can see how AIDEA has become a slush fund for the current administration.  

Not only does the board cater to the governor’s wishes, it lacks any real transparency and repeatedly ignores the public. Board meetings happen monthly, with an agenda posted approximately a week before they happen. Public comment opportunities are noticed, but it is common for the board to change timing last minute. At the AIDEA board meeting in September in Kotzebue, Alaska, public commenters were sent away so the board could go into an “emergency” executive session. This is unfortunately common for the agency as they spend the majority of board meetings in executive session.  

The continued saga of AIDEA & the Arctic Refuge 

By now, AIDEA has been involved in lease sales in the Arctic Refuge for 5 years. The 2017 Tax Act mandated two lease sales in the Coastal Plain area in the Refuge within 10 years. The first occurred on January 6, 2021, in which AIDEA was the primary bidder. The only industry interest the first lease sale garnered was later withdrawn.  

Later that year, the new administration’s Secretary of the Interior Deb Haaland suspended AIDEA’s leases on the grounds that there was insufficient environmental review. This decision was upheld in U.S. District Court. In 2023, Secretary Haaland cancelled the remaining oil and gas leases.  

This was not the end of the saga. Both AIDEA and the State of Alaska brought forward legal challenges regarding the canceled oil and gas leases. While these cases remained active, DOI held a second lease sale in the Refuge, receiving no bids. Eventually, in March of 2025, the District Court ruled that Biden-era lease cancellations were unlawful.  

Enter the next Trump administration and the One Big Beautiful Bill Act. This prompted the Bureau of Land Management to reinstate the Coastal Plain Oil & Gas Leasing Program and restore canceled leases to AIDEA in October of 2025.  

Now, AIDEA is actively pursuing a seismic exploration program in the Coastal Plain of the Arctic Refuge. They approved themselves to spend $190 million to send massive “thumper” trucks across the tundra. Only the first step towards drilling, this seismic exploration harms wildlife, ecosystems, and the people that rely on them. AWL continues to defend against development in the Refuge by fighting AIDEA’s seismic push.  

AIDEA & the Ambler Road 

AIDEA is also behind the financing of the Ambler Road, a 211-mile mining road south of the Brooks Range, connecting the Dalton Highway to the Ambler Mining District in northwest Alaska. The road is not only a massive threat to the land, waters, and livelihoods of the Alaska Native Tribes of the region, but it also has an exorbitant price tag. The road is likely to cost the State of Alaska more than $2 billion.  

Despite this steep price tag, AIDEA continues to pursue a project that many local communities and Alaska Native Tribes oppose. Enough is enough.  

The tide is turning 

AIDEA under the Dunleavy Administration is coming to an end. Alaska’s next governor might support AIDEA’s current trajectory of risky investments in extractive megaprojects, or one who might appoint an entirely new board. In either post-election day scenario, AIDEA will still serve “at the pleasure of the governor.”  

AIDEA’s investments, particularly over the last eight years, show us that the agency needs more oversight, from both the legislature and the people of Alaska. The purpose of the authority is to promote the prosperity and economic welfare of Alaskans. It’s time for AIDEA to fulfill this promise and stop wasting state money on poor investments in extractive mega projects.  

The Trump administration is attempting to authorize data centers on public lands before anyone has determined whether federal law allows it. In a new Westwise blog post, CWP Communications Director Kate Groetzinger explains that data centers aren’t on the list of uses the Federal Land Policy and Management Act authorizes through rights-of-way, so BLM would have to rely on a catch-all provision in the law for facilities “in the public interest.”

BLM’s first approval, near Boulder City, Nevada, reused a 2023 solar right-of-way with no new environmental review or public comment period. In September, an Interior department administrative judge froze the project, finding that BLM “acted arbitrarily or capriciously when it determined that the data center project is ‘substantially the same’ as the solar plant project for purposes of its NEPA analysis.” Groetzinger argues that the Interior department should pause approvals until a public review settles whether data centers belong on public lands at all.

BLM spent years on programmatic planning for wind and solar before approving projects at scale. Data centers have undergone no such review process and have not received congressional authorization, yet BLM is currently considering authorizing a data center in Idaho. CWP has identified at least 17 active data center proposals on BLM land across six Western states.

Trump hasn’t been advancing new wind farms during permitting talks

As lawmakers negotiate a permitting deal, the White House has promoted its progress in clearing a backlog of wind projects stalled in airspace reviews. Every project advanced so far is a repowering of an existing wind farm, and two were single turbines, Heatmap reported. Politico reported in September that the administration committed to approving about 30 projects awaiting a Pentagon countersignature. In an October 20 court filing, wind trade groups said none of those 30 had cleared Pentagon review. “To date, the administration has moved forward only a handful of the total number of projects they agreed to approve,” said Frank Macchiarola, American Clean Power’s chief advocacy officer. Senator Sheldon Whitehouse has warned that attacks on wind projects could undermine a final deal.

Quick hits Opinion: Grand County’s future depends on keeping public lands public

Moab Times-Independent

How much are Trump’s pro-coal policies costing us?

Canary Media

What will BAAJA do? Whatever the Trump administration wants

Earthjustice

New Mexico students walk out of classes to protest data centers, permitting bill

Source NM

North Dakota’s federal oil and gas leasing, and what it has cost taxpayers

Taxpayers for Common Sense

Editorial: Hands off public lands

Grand Junction Daily Sentinel

Big Bend is going to the Supreme Court

National Park History

Hegseth says Trump’s arch will be ‘generational national defense opportunity’

Washington Post | Politico

Quote of the day

You, the adults, the ones supposed to be fighting for us, you may get the privilege of dying of old age, but our children will die from climate change.”

—Isabelle Taylor-Ault, high school student at New Mexico School for the Arts, Source NM

Picture This @whitesandsnps

They say “take only pictures, leave only footprints” – and, boy, do we have a lot of footprints!

Eventually though, all are wiped away by the wind and the dunes start fresh. The renewal of the dunes is one of the most magical things about White Sands National Park. That does mean though, that you should never rely solely on your tracks to get you back to your vehicle! Footprints can get wiped away in a matter of minutes on a windy day, and you’re going to want a man-made object in sight to navigate yourself.

For more information on how to hike smart, please visit our website: https://www.nps.gov/whsa/planyourvisit/safety.htm

Photo credit: NPS

 

Featured photo:The Utah Data Center at Camp Williams in Bluffdale, Utah. Source: ParkerHiggins (Electronic Frontier Foundation)

The post Is the Trump administration illegally authorizing data centers on public land? appeared first on Center for Western Priorities.

Europa Oil & Gas has announced an extension to the life of its Crosby Warren licence in North Lincolnshire.

The company reported in a statement that the industry regulator, the North Sea Transition Authority (NSTA), had agreed to extend licence DL001 to 18 October 2032.

Interim results, issued by Europa last month, confirmed the licence had been due to expire next year (2027).

Europa has a 100% working interest in the Crosby Warren licence. The licence was issued on 19 October 1987 and now measures 9km2.

NSTA data shows that the first full year of production at Crosby Warren (1988) produced the highest oil volume (15,483m3) in the history of the field.

Source: NSTA

In each of the past three full years, (2023-2025), annual production at Crosby Warren has been below 1,000m3, averaging 483m3 a year.

In 2025, Crosby Warren ranked 26 out of 30 UK producing onshore oil fields for volume. Its contribution to UK onshore oil production in that year was 0.08%.

Last month (September 2026), Europa said a workover operation on the CW-1 well at Crosby Warren was “expected to be concluded imminently”.

Location: Mid-Atlantic & Northeastern States with easy access (via plane or train) for regular travel to Washington, DC & Salt Lake City, UT; can also be based out of SUWA’s Washington, DC Office.  
Department: Campaigns 
Team: Organizing
Reports to: Regional Organizing Manager 
Status, Salary, & Benefits: Full-time, Non-Exempt. Benefits & salary range at suwa.org/careers.  

The Southern Utah Wilderness Alliance (SUWA), Utah’s largest conservation organization, has an immediate opening for an East Coast Organizer. Interested applicants should send a cover letter, resume, a writing sample of your choosing (a link to materials online is fine), and three references to the East Coast Organizer Hiring Team at jobs@suwa.org.  The deadline to submit your application is Monday, November 23, 2026. Please include your name and the words “East Coast Organizer” in the subject line.

Of note: This position is open to individuals currently residing in or willing to relocate to a Mid-Atlantic or Northeastern US State with easy access (via plane or train) for regular travel to Washington, DC & Salt Lake City, UT; they can also be based out of SUWA’s Washington, DC Office. 

Click here to view this job description as a PDF

Position Summary 

The Regional Organizer builds and sustains grassroots power across a multi-state region in support of SUWA’s mission. Working within the Campaigns Department and collaboratively with other program teams, this position implements organizing tactics within their region; identifies opportunities for influence, recruits and develops advocates and emerging leaders, and builds coalition and constituent relationships. The Regional Organizer represents SUWA to the general public, elected officials and their staff, and coalition and Tribal partners. They mobilize activists nationally, especially when developments require a rapid, coordinated grassroots response outside of Utah by activating individuals, building networks, and engaging with regional coalitions.  

This is a dynamic, travel-intensive role suited to someone who thrives in field and community-based environments, communicates and coordinates well across diverse coalition spaces, and is comfortable balancing independent judgment in the field with close collaboration across teams. 

Duties & Responsibilities  Campaign Strategy & Grassroots Organizing 

• Contribute to the design, evaluation, and adaptation of regional campaign strategy; enacts tactics in response to legislative, legal, and political developments. 

• Build and sustain a regional network of grassroots advocates and volunteers; recruit, mentor, and develop emerging leaders through training, coaching, and leadership pipelines. 

• Cultivate constituent power in priority states, districts, and communities, and in coordination with other SUWA staff leverage that power to meet the organization’s goals.. 

• In consultation with Regional Organizing Manager, recruit, supervise, and support interns, fellows, and contractors. 

Federal Advocacy & Coalition Building 

• Advance federal legislative and administrative priorities through coordinated advocacy, grassroots mobilization, public comment campaigns, earned media, and coalition action. 

• Build and strengthen relationships with conservation organizations, Tribal partners, outdoor industry leaders, educators, and other allied stakeholders; represent SUWA in regional and national coalitions. 

• Prepare advocates and partners for effective engagement with elected officials and federal agencies, and translate complex public lands policy into clear, compelling public narratives. 

Events, Training & Public Engagement 

• Lead the planning and execution of advocacy events, fly-ins, rallies, and trainings; deliver presentations as a public spokesperson for SUWA. 

• Work collaboratively with other Regional Organizers to refine leadership curricula and advocacy training that build skills and capacity among advocates and emerging leaders. 

Operations & Project Management 

• Manage multiple concurrent campaigns, work plans, timelines, and regional budgets. 

• Track supporter engagement and campaign performance through CRM systems and produce evaluations and reports to inform organizational planning. 

Other Duties & Responsibilities 

• Support organizational retreats, publications, donor and member engagement, and other special initiatives connected to campaign goals; perform other duties as assigned to advance SUWA’s mission. 

Work Environment & Travel Requirements 

• Work independently in the field and collaboratively across teams, departments and time zones, exercising sound judgment. 

• Travel occasionally within the region, national travel may occur during periods of urgent conservation threats or rapid-response mobilization; work evenings and weekends as campaign priorities require. 

• Regular public speaking and presentation responsibilities; ability to transport outreach and event materials up to 50 lbs. 

• Work performed in office, community, travel, remote, and public settings. 

Training & Qualifications 

The requirements listed below are representative of the knowledge, skills, and/or ability required for the role — the ideal candidate will have all or some of these qualifications. If you don’t have all of them, apply anyway and tell us about your skills and experience. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions. We strongly encourage applications from people of color, LGBTQ+ individuals, people with disabilities, veterans, and other underrepresented groups.

Required Qualifications 

• A passion for SUWA’s mission of conservation of wilderness lands in Utah and a strong desire to connect people to action in service to these lands.  

• Demonstrated experience in grassroots organizing, campaign management, or community engagement, across multiple states or regions a plus 

• Aptitude and inclination for building relationships across diverse constituencies, including Congressional offices, and to recruit, train, and manage volunteers or activist networks within region. 

• Strong organizational, budgeting, public speaking, and interpersonal communication skills 

• Ability to travel extensively (frequently 25–75%+ depending on programming needs), maintain a flexible schedule, and a valid driver’s license 

• Computer literacy including Google and MS Office products, plus database/CRM tools 

Preferred Qualifications 

• Experience in advocacy, campaigns, public affairs, conservation, political strategy, or coalition work 

• Knowledge and/or experience in land conservation, environmental advocacy, or related policy work; knowledge of wilderness conservation or federal land management 

• Experience building coalitions with allied organizations; familiarity with legislative or regulatory processes 

• Curriculum development or training/facilitation experience; experience representing organizations in public-facing or spokesperson roles 

• Bilingual or multilingual skills; ties to Utah a plus but not required 

The post Now Hiring: East Coast Organizer appeared first on Southern Utah Wilderness Alliance.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Oct. 28, 2026

Radio Ad Features 911 Call From CO2 Pipeline Rupture, Warns Nebraska Landowners of Safety and Eminent Domain Threats From Summit Carbon Pipeline

Ad running across Nebraska documents 2020 CO2 pipeline rupture in Satartia, MS that caused evacuations, hospitalizations and lingering health impacts to this day

Hastings, NE – A new 60-second radio ad sponsored by Bold and Nebraska landowners opposed to Summit Carbon’s risky CO2 pipeline proposed to traverse the state features a 911 call recording from a 2020 carbon pipeline rupture in Satartia, Mississippi that caused evacuations, hospitalizations and lingering health impacts to this day.

In the radio ad – that began running last week on stations across Nebraska – the narrator describes what happened during the 2020 incident in Satartia, MS where a carbon pipeline operated by Denbury Resources ruptured, causing an explosive release of carbon in an immense plume, which was later found by a government-issued report to be toxic for more than a mile from the site of the rupture. A video version of the ad will also run as an ad on Facebook across Nebraska counties that may be impacted by the proposed Summit pipeline.

The ad then features a 911 recording from a Satartia victim who is very concerned and confused about what is happening after her car has stalled – a direct result of the high CO2 concentration making the combustion engine nonfunctional – and her friend is having what she believes is a seizure, as CO2 is an asphyxiant.

After facing insurmountable obstacles to obtaining permits for its CO2 pipeline in South Dakota and North Dakota, Summit earlier this year announced a pivot of its troubled business plan, and instead now intends to route its proposed CO2 pipeline across the entire state of Nebraska, with Wyoming as a new final destination for the CO2 waste dumps. Summit would need eminent domain to seize landowners’ property across Nebraska for the dangerous carbon pipeline.

Already in Nebraska, Stanton County voted unanimously to deny a conditional use permit to Summit for its proposed pipeline, while Dakota County tabled and subsequently removed a pipeline permit request from its official agenda. More recently, Logan County, McPherson County and Red Willow County approved 12-month moratoriums on projects that include CO2 pipelines, and Hitchcock County has considered a similar moratorium. Meanwhile, counties including Antelope, and Holt have taken action to adapt local zoning rules, and enact conditional provisions on any possible permits for Summit.

“The pipeline company and their investors are using this unproven and hazardous idea as a tax scam and will try to take our land for their own private gain. The safety questions go unanswered by the pipelines’ representatives, but they continue to state their pipelines are going to be “different” than the one that exploded in Satartia. The farmer and landowner takes all the risk – including the risk of explosion and death of all living beings in the path of the plume,” said Shelli Meyer, Nebraska Director for Bold Alliance and impacted landowner on a century farm in Dixon County, Nebraska.

“South Dakota said no to Summit’s carbon capture scheme. North Dakota said no. Iowans are saying no. It’s time for Nebraskans to say no too. Our land, our water, our rights are more important than the greed-fueled desires of an out-of-state corporation and its foreign investors.” said Emma Schmit, Organizing Director at Bold Alliance.

Bold is currently collecting signatures on a petition urging Nebraskans to support a bill in the legislature in the coming year to ban eminent domain for CO2 pipelines. Bold also recently launched another petition in response to recent applications to permit carbon injection well waste dumps in western Nebraska counties, a new threat of contamination to the Ogallala aquifer and our groundwater resources.

The new petition also targets Nebraska’s pending application to the U.S. EPA to take over “primacy” of these sequestration wells, and instead authorize the Nebraska Department of Water, Energy and Environment to handle both permitting and monitoring of risks from the highly-pressurized gas injected underground, supposedly forever.

View the video version of the ad running on Facebook:

About Bold’s Easement Action Teams:
The Easement Action Teams are a project of the Bold Education Fund. The EATs work with local communities to provide immediate legal representation to landowners facing pipelines and other fossil fuel infrastructure. Our first priority is to protect landowners’ property rights and water. We believe landowners should have the ultimate right of what does and does not happen on their land. We stand against the use of eminent domain for private gain. (https://easementteams.org) The first landowners legal co-op formed was the Nebraska Easement Action Team, which successfully organized landowners to fight the proposed Keystone XL pipeline, and currently works with landowners fighting carbon pipelines in the state. (https://neeasement.org)

About Bold Pipeline Fighters Hub:
The Bold Pipeline Fighters Hub, a project of the Bold Education Fund, provides technical, legal, story telling and organizing assistance to any community fighting pipelines and other fossil fuel infrastructure, with the goal of protecting the land and water. (https://pipelinefighters.org)

About Bold:
The Bold Alliance and Bold Education Fund are coordinating state-based groups with our Pipeline Fighters Hub and landowner legal groups called the Easement Action Teams to stop pipelines from using eminent domain for private gain. (https://boldalliance.org)

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The post Radio Ad Features 911 Call From CO2 Pipeline Rupture, Warns Nebraska Landowners of Safety and Eminent Domain Threats From Summit Carbon Pipeline appeared first on Bold Nebraska.

Former Biden climate adviser John Podesta says the Senate’s bipartisan permitting bill would let President Donald Trump approve projects on public lands that courts could not reverse, even if the approvals break the law. Podesta made the remarks Friday at a University of Colorado Boulder symposium, according to a recording obtained by Heatmap. He applauded the parts of the bill that would allow new long-distance transmission construction, but criticized the bill’s reforms to fossil fuel permitting and federal land development.

The bill would bar agencies from altering federal permits issued after September 2026 and from denying or delaying permits in a way that shows a “pattern of disparate treatment” against specific projects. Podesta said this would mean the Trump administration could permit development, even illegally, in places including near Chaco Culture National Historical Park in New Mexico, the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness in Minnesota, and Bears Ears National Monument in Utah. Podesta said lawmakers should pass the bill in the lame-duck session only if they fix those provisions.

“I think they have handed Trump not just a loaded gun, but they’ve handed him a loaded Howitzer to go after public lands, to permit stuff that even if it’s illegal can’t be reversed by the courts,” said Podesta. “They’re going to have a permit gorge like you’ve never seen, not really caring about whether they’re going through the legal steps to do it, and under this bill, those can’t be reversed.”

Trump moves to loosen methane rules for the leakiest oil and gas wells

President Trump on Tuesday unveiled a proposal to weaken federal methane rules for oil and gas operations, including wells on public lands. The rule would set looser standards for low-producing “marginal” wells, which produce about seven percent of the nation’s oil and gas but roughly half its methane emissions, and would repeal the Super Emitter Program, which requires companies to respond to credible reports of major leaks.

“The Trump administration is giving oil companies a free pass to spew methane across the country, and the Senate permitting bill would make that pass permanent,” said Aaron Weiss, executive director of the Center for Western Priorities.

Quick hits Trump’s arch would cast a shadow over Arlington Cemetery

Washington Post

Trump loosens rules for oil firms on methane

New York Times | Bloomberg | The Hill | The Verge | Politico | Washington Post | Center for Western Priorities [press release]

A missing Wabanaki marker in Maine and the fight over what stories national parks should tell

Associated Press

Burgum signs order to expand grazing on public lands

Bloomberg Law | WIBW | KFYR | Western Watersheds Project

Opinion: Instead of asking what we can take from our public lands, we should first ask what we owe them

Ground Shift

The quiet collapse of America’s wildlife refuges

RE:PUBLIC/MeatEater

Conservationists sound the alarm on Trump’s Endangered Species Act changes

Harvest Public Media

The creepiest ghost stories from America’s national parks

Outside

Quote of the day

What if we began with reverence? Essentially, what is our righteous relationship to land? I’m not talking about worship, sentimentality, total exclusion, or leaving every piece of landscape untouched. I mean that some things in this world have value beyond what we take from them, and we can honor that without taking sides.”

—Jim Enote, Zuni Tribal member, CEO of the Colorado Plateau Foundation, and Board Chair for the Grand Canyon Trust, Ground Shift

Picture This @grandcanyonnps

Hikers can once again explore several inner-canyon trails. These trails have reopened following repairs after trail damage caused by recent flooding.

The South Kaibab Trail below The Tipoff and the entire River Trail, connecting the South Kaibab to the Bright Angel Trail, has reopened to hikers. The Bright Angel Trail between Mile-and-a-Half Resthouse and Havasupai Gardens has reopened to hikers only. This section will remain closed to stock use as crews continue to repair additional trail damage.

Emergency response times may be delayed in the inner canyon, and rescue is not guaranteed. Hikers should assess their abilities, prepare for changing conditions and understand the risks before beginning their trip.

go.nps.gov/gc-hkm

NPS Photo – South Kaibab Trail below Cedar Ridge.

 

 

Featured photo: Blythe Solar Project, California. BLM

The post Podesta says permitting bill would shield illegal approvals on public lands appeared first on Center for Western Priorities.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE 
October 28, 2026

Over 40 Mining Claims Filed in Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument, including at least 13 within shrunken boundaries Since Trump’s reductions, 110+ claims filed in Bears Ears and Grand Staircase-Escalante

Contacts:
Grant Stevens, Communications Director, Southern Utah Wilderness Alliance (SUWA); (319) 427-0260; grant@suwa.org
Dr. Jacqualine Grant, Executive Director, Grand Staircase Escalante Partners (GSEP); (435) 269-1237 (jackie@gsenm.org)
Keri Gilliland, The Wilderness Society, (KGilliland@tws.org)
Chaitna Sinha, Conservation Codirector and Staff Attorney, Grand Canyon Trust; (970) 399-9565 (csinha@grandcanyontrust.org)
Amy Dominguez, Sierra Club, amy.dominguez@sierraclub.org, (385) 355-4631
Andrew Scibetta, NRDC, (202) 289-2421, ascibetta@nrdc.org
Daniel Hernandez, National Parks Conservation Association, dhernandez@npca.org, (202) 573-2201

GARFIELD COUNTY, UT – 41 new mining claims (see map) have recently been located in Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument – 13 in the shrunken Monument, six that may be in the shrunken Monument, and 22 in lands that were previously protected. The previously protected lands became subject to mining claims on Friday, September 11 – 60 days after President Trump decimated Grand Staircase-Escalante and Bears Ears by shrinking these national monuments by over 90%. Lands within the reduced Monument remain closed to mining claims and any/all newly located claims here are invalid.

The new mining claims (see map), all filed by Dan W. Proctor, are in three general areas: (1) Colt Mesa (Dan and his son Nick acquired mining claims filed during the previous Trump reduction by Glacier Lake Resources, a Canadian company. Neither Glacier Lake nor the Proctors have developed these claims.); (2) near Studhorse Peaks; and (3) on the northern edge of the reduced Monument, close to where it borders the Dixie National Forest, south of the Circle Cliffs. 13 of the claims near Colt Mesa are in the reduced monument boundaries and six more may be. 

The exact location of the 6 mining claims won’t be confirmed until the paperwork accompanying the recordation of the claims is reviewed. It is also impossible to know at this stage the actual footprint of any mining operations on the claims. The public won’t know the size of any proposed operations until Mr. Proctor files paperwork with the Bureau of Land Management indicating whether it’s notice-level mining (5 acres and under, mostly not subject to federal environmental laws such as NEPA, NHPA, etc.) or plan-level mining (generally 5 acres or more, is subject to federal environmental laws).

“These 41 new claims – in addition to the 72 claims located in Bears Ears National Monument – illustrate that illegally shrinking the monuments was done to further the Trump administration’s extraction-focused agenda,” said Hanna Larsen, Staff Attorney at the Southern Utah Wilderness Alliance (SUWA). “These 113 mining claims put some of southern Utah’s most remarkable places at risk of being irreparably damaged and reinforce the need for vigilance while we work to permanently restore both Grand Staircase-Escalante and Bears Ears National Monuments.”

“These new mining claims threaten what makes the Monument a scientific hotspot. At risk is North America’s second largest petrified forest, a magnificent and nearly unmatched 225-million-year-old site dating back to the late Triassic period,” said Dr. Jackie Grant, Executive Director of Grand Staircase Escalante Partners. “Also at risk is a Federally listed plant species, Jones cycladenia. Only five populations of this rare plant are known to exist; in 2021, energy and mineral development were identified as major threats to its continued existence. Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument is worthy of protection and should not be threatened by short-sighted mining efforts.”

“The growing number of mining claims at Grand Staircase-Escalante is a warning of what could happen when protections are stripped away, and Tribal Nations and local communities are shut out of decisions about these lands. Irreplaceable cultural resources, wildlife habitat and our freedom to experience one of America’s most extraordinary public landscapes are all at risk,” said Charlie Luke, Utah State Director at The Wilderness Society. “Grand Staircase deserves lasting protections that preserve these irreplaceable values for future generations.”       

“Gut a national monument, and this is the predictable result, a rush of mining claims across lands Americans have repeatedly said they want protected,” said Bobby McEnaney, Senior Lands Analyst at the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC). “Grand Staircase-Escalante is a globally significant landscape, but mining companies and speculators are exploiting a law written in 1872 to stake claims on public lands that contain irreplaceable cultural resources, wildlife habitat, and scientific treasures. Americans should not have to watch iconic public lands be carved up because the administration has decided to disregard the importance of our national monuments.”

 “Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument’s paleontology and geology hold the stories of our planet’s past and the monument remains a living cultural landscape of vital importance to many tribes,” said Chaitna Sinha, Staff Attorney and Conservation Codirector for the Grand Canyon Trust. “According to a recent poll, Utah voters strongly prioritize conservation over mining. These mining claims are short-sighted and out of step with what Utah voters want.”

“The claims that continue to come out of the woodwork make no secret of the Trump administration’s true motives for shrinking Bears Ears and Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monuments,” said Director of the Sierra Club in Utah, Franque Bains. “Exploiting the culturally significant, revered, and treasured lands so many are connected to for a quick buck is the definition of greed. Utahns want these lands protected, not offered up on a platter for industrial development.”

“It’s heartbreaking to watch this extraordinary place chipped away by mining claims, when Tribal Nations have maintained deep connections to these lands since time immemorial,” said Davina Smith Idjesa, Four Corners Tribal Program Manager at the National Parks Conservation Association. “This confirms what we knew about the proclamation to dismantle the monument. This was always about slashing protections, including clearing the way for unchecked energy development and dismantling co-stewardship structures that give Tribal Nations a leading role in managing their ancestral lands. Grand Staircase-Escalante is deeply intertwined with the National Park System, linking Bryce Canyon and Capitol Reef National Parks and Glen Canyon National Recreation Area. Now, we’re seeing the result when the door is left wide open to reckless drilling and mining.” 

Background Information on other Mining claims: 

Under President Trump’s proclamations decimating Bears Ears and Grand Staircase-Escalante by over 90%, mining claims could not be staked until 60 days after the date of the proclamation: Friday, Sept. 11, 2026. Despite this, on July 14, 2026, Kimmerle Mining filed 7 mining claims (see map) with the San Juan County (Utah) Recorder’s Office. Kimmerle Mining previously filed mining claims after Trump’s 2017 reduction of Bears Ears and excavated a partially reclaimed mine shaft on one of the claims – the so-called Easy Peasy claim (this mine has been re-buried); Kyle Kimmerle (a Managing Member of Kimmerle Mining) was also a plaintiff in one of the cases filed in the District of Utah challenging President Biden’s 2021 restoration of the Bears Ears and Grand Staircase-Escalante national monuments.  

Two mining claims were also filed in Grand Staircase-Escalante, less than one month after Trump’s attack. On August 6, 2026, Craig Rosequist filed two mining claims (see map) with the Kane County (Utah) Recorder’s Office in areas cut out of the monument by the Trump proclamations. According to public records, Rosequist previously located several mining claims in neighboring Washington County, Utah. The Bureau of Land Management should reject claims filed in both national monuments prior to Sept. 11. 

From 2018-2021 (during the previous, illegal reduction), there were a total of 20 mining claims filed in the lands cut from Bears Ears National Monument. So far, more than triple that number – 72 claims – have been filed. 

Background information about the national monument reductions:

• Statements from Bears Ears and Grand Staircase-Escalante Inter-Tribal coalitions
• SUWA Statement on Trump’s Illegal Reductions of Grand Staircase-Escalante & Bears Ears National Monuments
• Full Statement and Quotes Tracking
• Maps of the reductions
• Reporter Background Memo on National Monuments

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The Southern Utah Wilderness Alliance (SUWA) is a nonprofit organization with members and supporters from around the country dedicated to protecting America’s redrock wilderness. From offices in Moab, Salt Lake City, and Washington, DC, our team of professionals defends the redrock, organizes support for America’s Red Rock Wilderness Act, and stewards a world-renowned landscape. Learn more at www.suwa.org.

The post Over 40 Mining Claims Filed in Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument, including at least 13 within shrunken boundaries appeared first on Southern Utah Wilderness Alliance.