A proposed bill moves to weaken executive power of the Antiquities Act.
Barack Obama
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In the final days, our POC-in-chief delivers
Obama’s monument designations set a blueprint for diversity and inclusion in federal public lands.
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Close the wolf-killer loophole
For the benefit of all endangered species, hunters should face consequences for killing vulnerable species.
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For tribes, new designations are culturally monumental
Obama created national monuments at Bears Ears and Gold Butte, sites with huge significance to Native Americans.
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West Obsessed: Obama’s region-wide legacy
The staff of High Country News discuss the 44th president’s impact on the West’s land, energy and the environment.
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Bears Ears a go — but here’s where Obama drew the line
The designation’s concessions are unlikely to appease ardent opponents.
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A tribal coalition wins a monument for Bears Ears
While consensus supporting a designation grew, many Utah politicians argued that the president’s action is an abuse of power.
Posted inDecember 26, 2016: Obama and the West
How Obama began to mend broken tribal relations
Native American leaders say Obama’s legacy is this: He listened.
Posted inDecember 26, 2016: Obama and the West
The ‘chickenization’ of beef
Obama’s efforts to help small-scale ranchers competing against Big Ag were blocked and ultimately fell short.
Posted inDecember 26, 2016: Obama and the West
Obama’s lasting legacies in the West
Under the 44th president, the West re-examined its relationship to energy and the climate.
Posted inDecember 26, 2016: Obama and the West
Obama’s mixed impact on endangered species
The administration delisted more species, but ultimately weakened the act itself.
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Through the years: Here’s what to read on Obama’s presidency
High Country News stories show how Obama wrangled the West.
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What Obama can actually do about Standing Rock
According to tribal law experts, not much.
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Obama’s rush to the end
Keeping track of rulemaking, policy decisions and other last actions before the Trump administration’s inauguration.
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How an ‘awakened giant’ used its power on Election Day
In the West, Latino voters did turn out—just not the way analysts expected.
Posted inDecember 26, 2016: Obama and the West
Where will the West’s next national monument be?
Bears Ears isn’t the only local effort to get Obama to designate protections before he leaves office.
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Obama weighs in on the Dakota Access pipeline
As protests intensify, U.S. Army Corps may consider ‘ways to reroute.’
Posted inOctober 31, 2016: A Monumental Divide
The bid for Bears Ears
The tribal push for a Bears Ears monument raises thorny questions of homeland and sovereignty.
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Wildfires spark where growth is sprawling
Nationally, nearly a third of homes built since 2000 are in wildland areas.
Posted inOctober 3, 2016: Purple Rain
This election season’s unexpected power players: undocumented immigrants
Donald Trump’s rhetoric is sparking a movement to mobilize Hispanic voters.