Week of Jan. 2, 2025

From the editor’s desk

During President Biden’s final few weeks in office, he has been issuing a series of environmental protection measures. One of them, which his administration announced on Monday, is specific to Nevada. It restricts energy extraction in the Ruby Mountains in Elko County—but at least one environment-focused critic of the measure has expressed skepticism.

From Newsweek:

… President Joe Biden and his top aides are making a home-stretch sprint on climate action, finalizing multibillion-dollar clean-energy loans, supporting state-level action on EVs and setting a new national target for greenhouse gas reductions.

From The Associated Press: 

President Joe Biden’s administration said Monday it is taking steps to bar oil, gas and geothermal development for 20 years in northeastern Nevada’s Ruby Mountains.

The administration said it has submitted an application to withdraw about 264,000 acres (107,000 hectares) of federal lands in the area from such leasing. That starts a 90-day public comment period on the 20-year prohibition and prevents oil, gas and geothermal development for two years during the process.

The critic is Patrick Donnelly, Great Basin director at the Center for Biological Diversity. The Associated Press explains: 

(Donnelly) said in a statement that the move will stop speculative oil leasing in the area, but he still believes the protection of the Ruby Mountains is incomplete as long as mining is allowed.

“The Ruby Mountains have no known oil reserves, and this withdrawal does nothing to ward off the truly urgent threat of gold mining,” Donnelly said.

Take care,

—Kris Vagner, managing editor