Energy & Environment — Supreme Court rebuffs Utah on public lands

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View Online Energy & Environment Energy & Environment The Big Story  Supreme Court rejects Utah's bid to control federal lands The U.S. Supreme Court has rejected a bid from the state of Utah to seize control of federally owned lands. © Isaac Hale, The Deseret News via Associated Press pool The court denied the state's petition, writing in a brief statement: "The motion for leave to file a bill of complaint is denied." It did not elaborate on its decisionmaking.   In August, Utah sued to try to gain control of 18.5 million acres — about a third of the state's total area — that is held by the federal government.   "Utah deserves priority when it comes to managing its land," Gov. Spencer Cox (R) said at the time. "It's been a tragedy to see what this administration and past administrations have done to our land, closing down roads that have been open for generations."   About 70 percent of Utah's total land area is under federal control. When Utah became a state, under the "Utah Enabling Act," it said it would not control the lands in question. It's not the only state to do so, and the federal government owns about 47 percent of land in the West.    Environmental advocates had opposed Utah's effort, expressing concerns that ultimately some of the land could be sold off, though Cox said privatization was not his goal.    Opponents of the suit cheered the court's decision.    "Today's news is good for the stability, safety and sustainability for America's public lands and the people who depend on them," Alison Flint, senior legal director for The Wilderness Society, said in a statement.   Read more at TheHill.com. Welcome to The Hill's Energy & Environment newsletter, we're Rachel Frazin and Zack Budryk — keeping you up to speed on the policies impacting everything from oil and gas to new supply chains. Did someone forward you this newsletter? Subscribe here. Essential Reads  How policy will affect the energy and environment sectors now and in the future: Johnson backs conditions on California fire aid Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) is backing placing conditions on disaster assistance for California in the wake of the destructive wildfires blazing around the Los Angeles area, a position already drawing opposition from Democrats.  Full Story Burgum confirmation hearing delayed after Democratic pushback The confirmation hearing for presumptive Interior nominee Doug Burgum has been delayed by two days after Democratic pushback over missing paperwork.  Full Story Supreme Court allows Honolulu lawsuit against oil companies to proceed The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday rejected a request by oil companies to dismiss a lawsuit by the city of Honolulu seeking to hold them responsible for the impacts of climate change.  Full Story In Other News  Branch out with a different read from The Hill: Climate change parches Western US, providing fuel for fires Climate change is making the Western United States drier, which can fuel wildfires like those affecting Los Angeles. Full Story What We're Reading  News we've flagged from other outlets touching on energy issues, the environment and other topics: Kristi Noem Used Troops for Border Protection, but Not for Flood Aid at Home (The New York Times)   Cancer is the unseen danger in the Los Angeles fires (E&E News) BLM director reflects on achievements by agency, looks to change in administration (The Grand Junction Daily Sentinel) On Our Radar  Upcoming news themes and events we're watching: Over the weekend, Trump announced key appointments to deputy roles at the Interior and Energy departments. In a pair of Truth Social Posts on Saturday, Trump said that James Danly will be the No.2 at the energy department while Katharine MacGregor will be No.2 at Interior.  MacGregor served in the same position during the previous Trump administration. Danly was previously a Republican member of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission. On Tap  Upcoming news themes and events we're watching: Wednesday: Chris Wright, Trump's pick to lead the Energy Department, will have a confirmation hearing before the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee. Thursday: Lee Zeldin, Trump's pick to lead the Environmental Protection Agency, will have a confirmation hearing before the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee, and Doug Burgum, Trump's pick to lead the Interior Department, will have a confirmation hearing before the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee. What Others are Reading  Two key stories on The Hill right now: Biden announces student debt relief for 150,000 borrowers, bringing total helped to more than 5M The Biden administration announced Monday it was forgiving student loans for more than 150,000 borrowers, bringing the total number of individuals impacted by debt relief in President Biden's term to over 5 million.   Read more Cannon allows for release of Smith report on Trump election interference U.S. District Judge Aileen Cannon on Monday allowed the release of the volume of special counsel Jack Smith's report dealing with Donald Trump's efforts to block the peaceful transfer of power after the 2020 election. Read more Opinions in The Hill  Op-eds related to energy & environment submitted to The Hill: Calif. fires show that communities must adapt. Here's how Trump can help. California's fires are a scorching indictment of misguided governance  We must move fast to avert a national electricity crisis   You're all caught up. 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