Look West Newsletters
Firefighting resources are ‘critically low’ in record fire year
The federal government’s wildfire response system is lacking resources during what is on track to be one of the most destructive fire years on record. In an August 14 memo, the National Multi-Agency Coordinating Center told fire managers it cannot “provide all requested resources for every fire,” and an August 11 memo warned of “no immediate relief anticipated.” Wildfires have burned 7.3 million acres […]
Read MoreForest Service moves to repeal Roadless Rule despite 99 percent public opposition
The U.S. Forest Service on Tuesday moved forward with its plan to repeal the 2001 Roadless Rule, threatening the fate of 44.7 million acres of national forest. The proposal, published in the Federal Register today, would strip road-building bans from roadless areas in every state except Idaho and Colorado, which have their own separate rules, and would […]
Read MoreBorder agency halts Big Bend construction, for now
U.S. Customs and Border Protection Commissioner Rodney Scott ordered a pause on all border construction inside Big Bend National Park, days after footage of construction within the park sparked bipartisan outrage. “Last night I put a pause on all activity in that park as far as construction goes until I can get down there and do a personal evaluation,” Scott […]
Read MoreMining claims filed on land removed from Utah monuments
Less than 24 hours after President Donald Trump dramatically reduced the size of both Bears Ears and Grand Staircase-Escalante national monuments, mining interests began staking claims on lands stripped of protections. At least nine mining claims have been filed on land formerly included in the two monuments since Trump cut each by around 90 percent in July. Seven claims were filed […]
Read MoreReflecting Pool fiasco is testing the National Park Service’s reputation
Interior Secretary Doug Burgum’s botched $16 million restoration of the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool is threatening the National Park Service’s reputation and morale, the Associated Press reports. Representative Jared Huffman said park service employees “are being politicized and drawn into the absurdities and corruption of this administration on a regular basis,” and Ed Stierli of the National […]
Read MoreDoug Burgum wants to build data centers on public lands
Interior Secretary Doug Burgum is pushing data centers on public lands by claiming that the benefits are self-evident, the timeline is too urgent for a normal permitting process, and that any community that objects is on the wrong side of history, China, or both. At a Breitbart policy event in March 2025, he said, “We take electricity and […]
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