out west roundup
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New Mexico governor could seek billions after DEA let fentanyl hit streets | OUT WEST ROUNDUP
NEW MEXICO Governor rips DEA policy ALBUQUERQUE — New Mexico’s governor said on June 29 that state officials could pursue billions of dollars in civil damages after revelations that U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration agents repeatedly allowed shipments of fentanyl to flow into drug-plagued communities as investigators sought to build bigger cases. Democratic Gov. Michelle Lujan…
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Wyoming governor sues state board, asks court to enforce property tax cap | OUT WEST ROUNDUP
WYOMING Governor sues over property tax cap Gov. Mark Gordon filed a lawsuit on June 16 to force the State Board of Equalization to certify residential property tax values after the panel concluded it could not do so due to disparities created by a 2024 tax cap. Gordon’s decision effectively means he’s directed an attorney…
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Heat, wind and drought conditions spark wildfires across US West | OUT WEST ROUNDUP
Heat, drought spark wildfires Extreme heat and dry, windy conditions fueled several wildfires in the West on June 21, including an uncontained blaze in Utah that forced the evacuation of a small town southwest of Salt Lake City. The Iron Fire in Utah’s Juab County was first detected on June 20 and had blackened 34…
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A decade after Standing Rock protests, Dakota Access oil pipeline segment gets OK | OUT WEST ROUNDUP
NORTH DAKOTA Pipeline segment OK’d BISMARCK — Federal officials on May 21 gave final approval for the Dakota Access oil pipeline to continue operating its contentious Missouri River crossing, an outcome that comes nearly a decade after boisterous protests against the project on the North Dakota prairie. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers’ decision to…
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Flesh-eating cattle parasite spreads beyond Texas as new screwworm cases found | OUT WEST ROUNDUP
NEW MEXICO Screwworm spreads beyond Texas Three more cases of the New World screwworm have been confirmed, including one found in a dog in New Mexico, outside the main cluster in Texas, demonstrating the difficulty of stopping a resurgent pest that could devastate the nation’s cattle industry, the U.S. Department of Agriculture announced on June…
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Wyoming cuts wolf hunt in half to buoy region’s disease-depleted population | OUT WEST ROUNDUP
WYOMING Wolf hunt cut in half Wyoming wildlife managers plan to reduce how many wolves can be hunted by 50% following a canine distemper outbreak that has cut the state’s wolf numbers to the lowest level in two decades. A 22-wolf cap is the fewest number of wolves available to licensed Wyoming hunters since the…
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US Supreme Court settles long-running water dispute over dwindling Rio Grande | OUT WEST ROUNDUP
NEW MEXICO Rio Grande settlement OK’d ALBUQUERQUE — The U.S. Supreme Court has approved a settlement package designed to rein in groundwater pumping along one of North America’s longest rivers and ensure enough water reliably makes it from New Mexico to Texas, ending a long-running dispute over management of the Rio Grande. In a brief…
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Tribes sue to halt exploratory drilling in Black Hills near sacred ceremonial site | OUT WEST ROUNDUP
SOUTH DAKOTA Tribes sue to halt drilling SIOUX FALLS — Nine Native American tribes in South Dakota, North Dakota and Nebraska are suing the federal government in a bid to stop exploratory drilling for graphite near a sacred site in the Black Hills. A small group of opponents has been demonstrating at the drilling location…
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Trump administration cancels rule that made conservation a ‘use’ of public lands | OUT WEST ROUNDUP
MONTANA Interior cancels conservation ‘use’ rule BILLINGS — The Interior Department is canceling a rule that put conservation on equal footing with development, as President Donald Trump’s administration eases restrictions on industries and seeks to boost drilling, logging, mining and grazing on taxpayer-owned land. The 2024 rule adopted under former President Joe Biden was meant…
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White House withdraws hospitality executive as National Park Service nominee | OUT WEST ROUNDUP
MONTANA National parks nominee withdrawn BILLINGS — President Donald Trump is withdrawing his nomination of a hospitality company executive to lead the National Park Service, the White House announced on April 27. The withdrawal of nominee Scott Socha comes as the park service has been shaken by widespread firings as part of the Trump administration’s…