For more than two decades, Congress and past administrations have worked to protect millions of acres in the California desert. From Joshua Tree and Death Valley National Parks to the Mojave National Preserve in between, protected public lands have conserved one of the largest intact landscapes in the United States, home to bighorn sheep, desert tortoise, golden eagles, and countless other species. But after decades of progress, the Interior Department is set to roll back hard-won protections in the name of energy development, making the California desert just the latest casualty of the Trump administration’s push for “energy dominance.”
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Developing the California Desert
Dec 19, 2019
Issue: Oil & Gas
Subject: California
By Center for Western Priorities
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