The Interior Department, acting in the waning days of the Biden presidency, has unveiled two major conservation initiatives to protect public lands and wildlife habitats in the Western United States.
The first initiative, announced on Dec. 30, proposes withdrawing 264,000 acres in Nevada’s Ruby Mountains from new oil and gas leasing for a 20-year period, subject to existing rights.
The Ruby Mountains, located in Elko County, are sometimes referred to as “Nevada’s Swiss Alps.” The area features the Ruby Lake National Wildlife Refuge, a wetland oasis for migratory waterfowl along the Pacific Flyway and fisheries with trout and largemouth bass.
To formally begin the regulatory process, the Interior Department will publish a notice in the Federal Register on Dec. 31 that will initiate a two-year segregation period, during which no new development will be allowed as the agency collects public input and conducts technical and environmental reviews….