NEW YORK — The man accused of shooting and killing the CEO of UnitedHealthcare pleaded not guilty Monday to state murder and terror charges while his attorney complained that comments coming from New York’s mayor would make it tough to receive a fair trial. Luigi Mangione, 26, was shackled and seated in a Manhattan court when he leaned over to a microphone to enter his plea. The Manhattan district attorney charged him last week with multiple counts of murder, including murder as an act of terrorism. Mangione’s initial appearance in New York’s state trial court was preempted by federal prosecutors bringing their own charges over the shooting. The federal charges could carry the possibility of the death penalty, while the maximum sentence for the state charges is life in prison without parole. Prosecutors say the two cases will proceed on parallel tracks, with the state charges expected to go to trial first. One of Mangione’s attorneys told a judge that government officials, including New York Mayor Eric Adams, turned Mangione into a political pawn, robbing him of his rights as a defendant and tainting the jury pool. “I am very concerned about my client’s right to a fair trial,” Karen Friedman Agnifilo said. Adams and Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch stood among a throng of heavily armed officers Thursday when Mangione was flown to a Manhattan heliport and escorted up a pier after being extradited from Pennsylvania. Friedman Agnifilo said police turned Mangione’s return to New York into a choreographed spectacle. Adams is himself scheduled to stand trial on federal corruption charges next year. He pleaded not guilty and vowed to remain in office as he fights the charges. Authorities say Mangione gunned down Brian Thompson as he was walking to an investor conference in midtown Manhattan on the morning of Dec 4. Mangione was arrested in a Pennsylvania McDonald’s after a five-day search, carrying a gun that matched the one used in the shooting and a fake ID, police said. Mangione is being held in a Brooklyn federal jail alongside several other high-profile defendants, including Sean “Diddy” Combs and Sam Bankman-Fried. Get local news delivered to your inbox!Olympic champion cyclist Evenepoel sustains fractures and a dislocated collarbone in training crash
With another major football tournament on its horizon, Qatar has continued its trailblazing efforts to provide accessible experiences to disabled fans. On the International Day of Persons with Disabilities, observed every year on December 3, the FIFA Intercontinental Cup Qatar 2024 Local Organising Committee (LOC) has confirmed several accessibility features for the tournament to ensure a barrier-free and enjoyable user experience for disabled fans. Both stadiums hosting the event – 974 and Lusail – are equipped with accessible entrances and seating for wheelchair users and fans with limited mobility. The Doha Metro network, which is the easiest way to access the venues, also offers wheelchair access. Lusail Stadium will feature sensory rooms for fans with sensory access requirements, including fans with autism. These spaces allow fans to watch matches in a quieter area, equipped with assistive technology and managed by trained staff. Audio descriptive commentary services for blind and partially sighted fans will also be available. Fans with visual disabilities can access the service from their own mobile device where they will be able to listen to a detailed description of match proceedings, enabling them to be part of the live action in stadiums. Rashid al-Khater, Executive Director of Operations of the FIFA Intercontinental Cup Qatar 2024 LOC, said: “We are proud to be continuing our accessibility work to provide seamless and enjoyable experiences for all fans wishing to attend the upcoming FIFA Intercontinental Cup Qatar 2024.” He added: “Qatar has been a pioneer in its accessibility initiatives, using the hosting of major events as a platform to upgrade its national infrastructure, transportation and mass gathering venues to ensure they provide barrier-free experiences to fans of all abilities. The FIFA Intercontinental Cup will be fully accessible, and we look forward to welcoming all local and international fans to the event in what will be a memorable experience.” Tickets for the FIFA Intercontinental Cup are available online at fic24.qa. Fans can purchase up to six tickets per person, and are reminded to purchase tickets only from the official source to avoid any potential issues such as counterfeit or invalid tickets. Disabled fans interested in purchasing accessible tickets are asked to reach out to [email protected] Fans will need to provide proof of disability as part of their request. Related Story FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 Legacy Fund gets $50mn boost Lopez vows Qatar will fight in high-stakes Uzbekistan clashBiden calls for Assad to be 'held accountable'
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A man living in Southern California has been accused of shipping guns, thousands of rounds of ammunition and other military items to North Korea in shipping containers. Shenghua Wen, a 41-year-old Chinese national illegally living in Ontario, California, was arrested Tuesday morning and charged with conspiracy to violate the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA), according to a U.S. Department of Justice release. Violating the IEEPA includes breaking the law by doing business with a sanctioned country or individual despite the restrictions. According to the Legal Information Institute , it can consist of transferring funds, making payments or conducting trade with a designated entity, potentially leading to severe civil and criminal penalties. If convicted, Wen could be sentenced to a statutory maximum penalty of 20 years in federal prison, the U.S. Attorney's Office said. Court records did not indicate that Wen had legal representation as of Tuesday. What did Shenghua Wen do? According to an affidavit filed Nov. 26, Wen obtained the guns, ammunition and export-controlled technology to ship them to North Korea, which is a violation of federal law and U.S. sanctions against that nation, according to the Justice Department. The shipping containers full of guns and ammunition were allegedly shipped from Long Beach through Hong Kong to North Korea by Wen and his unidentified co-conspirators, the U.S. Attorney's Office said. Law enforcement searched Wen's home on Aug. 14 and seized two devices — a chemical threat identification device and a hand-held broadband receiver that detects eavesdropping devices — that he intended to send to North Korea for military use, according to the Justice Department. A month later, on Sept. 6, law enforcement seized about 50,000 rounds of 9mm ammunition that Wen allegedly obtained to send to North Korea, the U.S. Attorney's Office said. US Attorney's Office: Photographs of guns found on Shenghua Wen's iPhone When law enforcement reviewed Wen's iPhone, they learned that in December 2023 he had smuggled items from Long Beach to Hong Kong with their final destination being North Korea, according to the release. Messages from Wen's cell phones revealed conversations he had earlier this year with co-conspirators about shipping military-grade equipment to North Korea, the U.S. Attorney's Office said, adding that the some of texts included photographs of the firearms. From January to April, Wen sent emails and text messages to a U.S.-based broker about obtaining a civilian plane engine, according to the Justice Department. Several text messages were on Wen's iPhone about price negotiations for the plane and its engine, the U.S. Attorney's Office said. Who is Shenghua Wen? Wen is considered illegal in the U.S. after overstaying his student visa, meaning that he is prohibited from owning or possessing any firearms or ammunition, according to the release. Wen also does not have the required licenses from the U.S. government to export ammunition, firearms and the other devices that law enforcement seized at his home to North Korea, the U.S. Attorney's Office said.NAPLES, Fla. (AP) — Jeeno Thitikul of Thailand made up a two-shot deficit with two holes to play Sunday with an eagle-birdie finish for a 7-under 65, giving her a one-shot victory over Angel Yin and the $4 million prize — the richest in women's golf — at the CME Group Tour Championship. Yin had a two-shot lead walking to the 17th tee only to wind up settling for the $1 million check as runner-up after closing with a 66. The win and the massive check came down to the 18th hole, Thitikul and Yin tied at 21-under par after the Thai's key eagle. Yin hit her approach to 15 feet and narrowly missed her birdie try, leaving Thitikul to make her winner. It was the second straight day Thitikul finished eagle-birdie. Lydia Ko closed with a 63 to finish third. Nelly Korda, who ends her season with seven wins, had a 66 and tied for fifth. ST. SIMONS ISLAND, Ga. (AP) — Maverick McNealy finally became a winner on the final tournament of his fifth year on the PGA Tour, hitting 6-iron to 5 feet for birdie on the 18th hole at Sea Island for a 2-under 68 and a one-shot victory in the RSM Classic. The victory came in his 134th start as a pro, and it sends him to Maui to start the year at The Sentry and to the Masters in April for the first time. Daniel Berger missed a 20-foot birdie attempt on the 18th that preceded McNealy’s winner. He tied for second with Nico Echavarria and Florida State sophomore Luke Clanton, both of whom missed par putts from inside 8 feet on the final hole that created the four-way tie. Berger got a small consolation prize, moving inside the top 125 to keep a full PGA Tour card for 2025 when the fields will be smaller and only the top 100 will keep cards. Henrik Norlander also moved into the top 125, while Joel Dahmen shot 64 to help him stay at No. 124. BRISBANE, Australia (AP) — Elvis Smylie closed with a 4-under 67 to win the Australian PGA Championship on Sunday by two shots over former mentor Cameron Smith. Smylie built a three-shot lead at the turn and held on to finish at 14-under 199 in a tournament reduced to 54 holes when rained washed out Friday's play. Smith, who fell behind with a bogey on the par-5 ninth hole, shot 69. It was the second straight week Smith had at least a share of the lead going into the final round and failed to win. Marc Leishman and Anthony Quayle finished three back in a tie for third. Smylie, the son of former Australian tennis pro Liz Smylie. won the Cameron Smith Scholarship five years ago that allowed him to spend a week at Smith’s Florida home to learn to live and practice as a PGA Tour professional. He now gets a full card on the European tour, which co-sanctioned the event. Patrick Reed won for the first time in nearly four years, closing with a 4-under 66 to win the Hong Kong Open by three shots on the Asian Tour. Reed shot a 59 in the third round. His last victory was the Farmers Insurance Open in January 2021. He has not won in his three years in the LIV Golf League. ... Hiroshi Iwata made five birdies on the back nine and closed with a 4-under 68 for a one-shot victory over Taisei Shimizu, his seventh career title on the Japan Golf Tour. ... Pieter Moolman closed with a 5-under 67 for a one-shot victory in the PGA Championship on the Sunshine Tour in South Africa. ... Shiho Kuwaki shot even-par 72 to claim a one-shot victory over Sakura Koiwai in the season-ending JLPGA Tour Championship Ricoh Cup on the Japan LPGA. AP golf: https://apnews.com/hub/golf49ers claim RB Israel Abanikanda off waivers from Jets
Jeeno Thitikul has a $4M finish to win LPGA finale and Maverick McNealy wins first PGA Tour titleIs SoFi Stock a Buy?None
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Several times following New England’s 24-21 loss to the Buffalo Bills, Patriots coach Jerod Mayo said he wanted to review the game film before making a final assessment of his team’s performance. He did, and on Monday he said the overarching feeling he was left with was one of pride. Going toe-to-toe with one of the best teams in the NFL is commendable. Mayo also remains confident this group has even more room for growth over its final two games this season. “To be frank, I don’t believe in good losses,” Mayo said. “I think there’s a lot to learn from the game. Look, we’re headed in the right direction, but it’s all about consistency, and we have to do that on a down-after-down, a game-after-game basis to be successful in this league.” What is also clear is that despite their 3-12 record, Patriots rookie quarterback Drake Maye wants people to know that he and his teammates believe in their coach. No matter what conversations might be going on outside the Patriots locker room regarding shortcomings by the coaching staff, or Mayo’s job status. “We’ve got his back, and he’s coached us hard. He wants to win. We all want to win. We’re all frustrated,” Maye said. “We’re just plays away, and it’s basically me turning the ball over. I think it’s just a testament to these guys that keep fighting. We keep fighting. Shoot, we’re not going to make the playoffs; we’re out of the race, and these guys are coming in, frustrated when we don’t score. ... So, I think we’re building something good, building something that feels right here, and I’m proud to be a Patriot.” What’s working The Patriots entered the week scoring only 7.5 points per game in the first half this season, which ranked 29th in the NFL. The offense woke up with 14 points in the first half on Sunday, notching multiple offensive touchdowns in the first half for the first time in 2024. What needs help Stopping the run has been an issue for New England’s defense for most of the season and it was on display against the Bills. With Buffalo trailing 14-0 in the second quarter, running back James Cook sliced through the interior of the Patriots defense and broke free for a 46-yard TD run. It was a big chunk of Buffalo’s 172 yards on the ground for the game. Stock up CB Jonathan Jones. He was tasked with being the primary defender on Buffalo’s top receiver Khalil Shakir for most of the game. The veteran held his own, helping limit the Bills’ leader in catches and receiving yards to only two catches for 22 yards on six targets. Jones also forced a fumble by Shakir in the fourth quarter, though Shakir was able to recover it. Stock down Marte Mapu. The linebacker started at safety with Jabrill Peppers sidelined with a hamstring injury. Mapu was strong for most of the game and had a chance to set up the Patriots offense in the second quarter when he snagged his second career interception, picking off Josh Allen’s pass in the end zone. But Mapu decided to run the ball out of the end zone and was tackled on the New England 1-yard line. The poor starting field position eventually led to a punt and the Patriots couldn’t add to their 14-7 lead. Injuries The Patriots didn’t announce any injuries during the game. But along with Peppers, cornerback Marcus Jones also sat out with a hip injury. Key number 2-6 — The Patriots’ record in one-score games this season. Four of those have been by three or fewer points. Next steps The Patriots host the Los Angeles Chargers on Saturday. ___ AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/nfl Kyle Hightower, The Associated PressThe history of the sports docuseries is on the walls and roaming the halls of an office complex in Mount Laurel, New Jersey, just outside of Philadelphia. During a recent visit to Films’ headquarters in South Jersey, the walls were adorned with classic football magazine covers and newspaper front pages, as well as original art created by former NFL Films president Steve Sabol. A climate controlled film archive holds decades worth of footage from live games, interviews, and other footage, a trove that helps power the studio’s documentary programming. Related Stories And roaming the halls was former New England Patriots coach Bill Belichick, who was operating a truck bay (in his signature hoodie, of course) so that he could grab some things to prepare for his appearance on that evening’s Manningcast on ESPN. The physical manifestation of football history, and sports media history. Sports docs are everywhere. Feature films, docuseries, access shows, every streaming platform has them, and every TV channel that televises live sports wants more of them. As sports become more central to TV channels and streaming services, sports-related content is also growing in strategic importance. NFL Films, which was founded in 1962 by Ed Sabol and his son Steve, can be credited with helping to create the sports doc format that we know today (not to mention things we now take for granted like instant replay). But the company — which operates as a league-owned Hollywood-quality production studio — has no qualms about breaking with its own traditions. Steve Sabol’s office is now a conference room, but his desk is still there, just as it looked right before he passed away from brain cancer in 2012. Inside is a note from Sabol, which Ken Rodgers, executive producer at NFL Films, occasionally steals a glance at. It implores those at NFL Films to “keep tradition alive by breaking with tradition,” Rodgers says. “I think he was talking about format and courage,” he adds. “There’s a very easy instinct to copy past successes.” So with the demand for sports content never higher, NFL Films is changing how it does business too. A big part of that is leaning into personality-driven programming, a shift for a company most frequently known for its cinéma vérité-style documentaries. In January, it will produce its first late night show, , which will be hosted by Philadelphia Eagles legend Jason Kelce. NFL Films produced , the documentary film about the former NFL star that landed at Prime Video last year. Keith Cossrow, vp and head of content for NFL Films says that the company built a relationship with him through that film, and that when Kelce began talking to networks about an NFL analyst role, he always had the late night idea in the back of his mind. “[He said] no matter where I go, there’s one thing I want to do: ‘I want to make a late night show,’” Cossrow recalls. “’I grew up watching Conan [O’Brien] and [David] Letterman, and they’re my heroes, and I love what Bill Maher does with the panel on Friday nights on HBO, and I want to have a late night show about sports, and I want to do it once a week, and I want to have a live band with horns. It’s got to have a horn section. And I want to shoot it in Philly, and I want you guys to produce it.’ We were like, ‘we’re in, we’ll figure this out.’ I got goosebumps.” Ross Ketover, senior executive at NFL Films, calls the late night show “scary and nerve wracking... Totally high-wire for us without a net.” “Comedy is hard, sports and comedy is hard, us doing essentially a live studio show is something very new and exciting, but Jason is just a force of nature, and we’re so excited to be in business with him,” Ketover adds. “The relationship we started with Peyton and Eli [Manning] doing those shows, working with talent is something really new and exciting for us that I think has inspired invigorated a lot of our producers here.” That is also obvious when walking through Belichick’s custom studio in the NFL Films offices. The coach has his own office and conference room, but his studio functions as a multi-purpose production hub for his podcasts, his appearances on the and and other media hits. “What he really loves, I think, is having a facility,” Rodgers says. “He is our official coach in residence at the National Football League, working here in NFL films three days a week ... coach wanted to create a space that felt like you were visiting him into his office, and it’s not all that different than what his office looked like in New England.” Indeed, his studio is filled to the brim with memorabilia and awards, from signed footballs to a pair of Yao Ming’s size 18 sneakers. “You could show him one play and he could talk about it for two hours,” Ketover says. “We need to lean into that. Don’t make him do something that he’s not comfortable doing. Let’s do something that is his strength, that he’s passionate about, and that’s certainly how we’re focusing on working with his talent.” The Kelce and Belichick projects are emblematic of the new sports media, where the athletes and coaches are the talent and producers, with ownership of what they make. Consider the deals that Pat McAfee and Peyton Manning (both former NFL players) have cut with ESPN, which televises their shows via licensing deals. “I think [Kelce] looked at what Peyton’s done and what LeBron has done, and what some other people have done, and I think that’s the model a lot of guys want to follow now, is they want to build their own entity and be able to produce their own content and have ownership of it,” Cossrow says. NFL Films is also operating as a partner to Skydance, where the league is an investor in the sports-focused studio JV Skydance Sports. Ketover says that his studio is in active discussions with Skydance sports about what it can bring to the table, be it footage shot at games to add authenticity to scripted programming, or original ideas and concepts. But NFL Films is also adjusting how it approaches its bread-and-butter product: The football docuseries. When debuted on HBO in 2001, it was an unusual product, giving viewers access to their favorite football teams that was, at the time, unprecedented. “ was a reaction to NFL films of the 70s and 80s, which was mythology, mythologizing players, making them larger than life, creating heroes out of football players,” Rodgers says. “We turned that on its head in 2001 and said, these larger than life figures, let us show you who they are as men, sometimes women, when it comes to the front office and ownership and now on the football field, but our goal was to tell you about the in the uniform, rather than create a mythology around a person and make them larger than life.” 19 seasons and dozens of Emmy Awards later, the HBO series shows no signs of stopping anytime soon. In fact, NFL Films has expanded it, last year it debuted an offseason edition, which followed the New York Giants front office, catching shocking moments like a phone call with the team and star running back Saquon Barkley, who ultimately signed with the Eagles. “Doubters would have been like, there’s no action, there’s no football,” Ketover recalls. “You’re taking someone in a place they haven’t been before, and that’s the key to these access series.” “The offseason show has a lot fewer players, and it’s a workplace drama,” Rodgers says. Indeed, Cossrow says that he has heard from a number of white-collar execs in various industries, stunned at the access, but who added that they hadn’t seen a show that captured a high-stakes office job in as dramatic a fashion. “I cannot tell you how many people who work in white collar corridors of power have said to us that Giants show is incredible,” he says. But the next big push will come Dec. 3, when HBO debuts a new version of : An in-season edition, with the show following not one team but four of them, all of the AFC North. If the offseason is a workplace drama, and the classic training camp functions as a reality competition series, focusing on who makes the team and who gets cut, the in-season installment is something new altogether, teams working together to win the division, with a winner guaranteed by the end. “Someone has to win that division, and it injects stakes,” Rodgers says. “That is just a better way to tell that story of the end of a football season.” Ketover says that NFL Films is installing dozens of remote robotic cameras in team facilities across the AFC North “so we’re not distracting, we’re not sitting there with a camera over a guy’s head and a boom in his face.” “We’re not giving away any of their proprietary secrets. We’re not going to show their audibles to the rest of the league,” he adds. It’s all part of a complex dance that involves the league, its 32 teams, and its hundreds of players. “We never want any club or player that’s participating in our shows to feel like the platform [that is running the show] has more control than they do,” says Jessica Boddy, vp of commercial operations & business affairs. “That’s the most complex thing to navigate.” But in interviews with just weeks before its debut, executive at NFL Films were still figuring out the choreography of telling such a complicated story on such a demanding timeline. “It’s going to be so hard. There’s so much we haven’t figured out, but I think that’s the most fun part of our job, to be immersed in a creative process, working collaboratively with group of people who are totally invested in something,” Cossrow says. “And when you watch a show on HBO, you expect something special, premium, highest caliber storytelling, and we take that challenge head on every time. “I think we all know it won’t be perfect,” he adds. “The first episode will have its bumps, but we’ll work through the process, it’ll get better every week, and hopefully by the end of this season, we’ve created something that’s unique and special and engages fans and non-fans, because it’s just good TV.” The non-fans part is pretty important, both to NFL Films and the league itself. Netflix’s , which debuted last year, over-indexed with women, and the league is eager to expand the game’s reach to new demographics. The league notes that both and is followup ranked number one on the Netflix charts. They are shows that are reaching an entirely different audience than , a big bet that the league hopes will lead to a bigger fandom for the game. Rodgers says that the company has a culture of making big bets, one that was forged by the Sabols themselves, and that everyone who works there still takes to heart. “Steve used to give out $500 cash every year on an annual basis to the most magnificent failure,” he says. “So if you tried something and it was terrible, but it was magnificent in its failure, he’d give you five hundreds. And that was a way to encourage risk taking, which has to be done in the creative world.” That is present in NFL Films’ weekly video meetings. When you first walk into the main lobby, off to the right is an auditorium that seats a couple hundred people. Once a week, Cossrow, Rodgers and other top executives gather producers and staff from around the company to review the tape, so to speak. They may watch a rough cut of something NFL Films is producing, or something unique produced by a competitor. The only rule is that people give feedback, and don’t feel afraid to hold back. “I’m always amazed that someone that’s been here 30 years will make a comment and someone who’s been here 30 days disagrees with it, and is able to speak up in that atmosphere,” Rodgers says. “It’s very much encouraged to hear the different points of view, and that gives you permission that you don’t have to go with the crowd.” Football is without question the most popular programming on TV, maybe even the last vestige of monoculture in a world where entertainment is splintered between social video platforms and streaming giants. But NFL Films is the league’s gateway to those worlds, telling stories outside the lines, while pushing the boundaries of the sports doc format it helped forge 60 years ago.
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Inheritance tax is an 'attack on British farming'In October, the Bureau of Land Management finalized a new resource management plan for Colorado’s Western Slope that will determine how 2 million acres of public land are managed for the next 15-20 years. The plan includes some conservation wins; it sets aside land designated as critical habitat, for example, and institutes extra protections for big game. But it also permits continued leasing in areas that have moderate and high potential for oil and gas development — with a particular focus on places with the unique geological conditions necessary for helium production. Helium is a noble gas, meaning it is chemically inert and doesn’t react with other substances. These qualities mean that it’s in high demand for a variety of critical uses in medical technology, diving and national defense; diagnostic procedures like magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), for example, and nuclear detection systems, including neutron detectors, all depend on helium. Currently, there are no synthetic substitutes for the gas that can replicate its low boiling point and low reactivity. While some helium is reused in some scientific areas, broader adoption of recycling is still limited by cost and infrastructure barriers. Some biotech companies are developing helium-free MRI systems and systems that use helium reclamation units, but helium remains an essential resource that many technologies need. And the world’s supply of the gas is rapidly dwindling. Grist thanks its sponsors. Become one . To support our nonprofit environmental journalism, please consider disabling your ad-blocker to allow ads on Grist. Here's How This scarcity has put increasing pressure on federal public lands to produce a resource essential to industry and national security. Helium is nonrecoverable: Once it’s released, it escapes into the atmosphere and eventually into space. According to the BLM, it is “a nonrenewable resource found in recoverable quantities in only a few locations around the world; many of these are being depleted.” In its final plan for western Colorado, the BLM proposes closing 543,300 acres in the Grand Junction Field Office to oil and gas leasing, but keeping 692,300 open, including about 165,700 acres that have been identified for helium recovery. A BLM spokesperson said that the nation’s shrinking helium reserves influenced the management plan: “The final decision on this plan to keep the helium area open to future leasing was based on helium’s rarity and strategic importance.” Keely Meehan, policy director for the Colorado Wildlands Project, a nonprofit focused on protecting public lands managed by the BLM, criticized the plan for prioritizing resource extraction over preserving critical habitat. “The environmental impacts and the impact to habitat and species is the same as for oil and gas,” said Meehan. “It disrupts habitat connectivity.” Grist thanks its sponsors. Become one . To support our nonprofit environmental journalism, please consider disabling your ad-blocker to allow ads on Grist. Here's How The sensitive areas in question include migration corridors and seasonal ranges essential for species such as mule deer, elk, pronghorn and bighorn sheep, as well as habitat that the threatened Gunnison sage grouse relies on for breeding, nesting and feeding. According to the U.S. Geological Survey , which conducted a survey of helium resources across the country, there is plenty of recoverable helium available — approximately 306 billion cubic feet, or about 150 years of supply at the 2020 U.S. production level, which comes to about 2.15 billion cubic feet annually. It’s unclear how much of that helium is found on federal public lands. Helium tends to occur naturally in natural gas reservoirs, and since federal public lands in the West account for a significant share of natural gas production, much of the U.S.’s helium reserves likely reside on public lands. Some rural western Colorado communities, many of which have historically depended on resource extraction, welcome the prospect of ongoing helium production. The Associated Governments of Northwest Colorado (AGNC), a council of city and county governments in that part of the state, advocated for opening the area to helium extraction in public comments to the agency, citing the potential economic benefits. “Helium possesses substantial economic potential and could potentially serve as a vital resource in supporting communities grappling with impending economic challenges,” the AGNC wrote in the comments. Other communities disagree, however, and the plan revealed the ongoing tension between rural communities that depend on resource extraction and those that rely on outdoor recreation, such as Pitkin and Eagle counties. The Mountain Pact, a coalition of local elected officials from over 100 mountain communities with outdoor recreation-based economies, argued in public comments that leaving the helium leases open would be detrimental to the natural resources that attract tourism dollars and investment. “Protected public lands are tremendous assets to Western Colorado communities,” the Mountain Pact wrote to the BLM in a public comment. “They play a critical role in our way of life. They help make the communities where we live what they are while contributing to a healthier and better tomorrow for future generations. In addition to the on-the-ground impacts of helium production, which echo those of natural gas extraction, opponents also brought up concerns about processing. Helium is separated from natural gas through a cryogenic process that uses cooling and pressure changes, which require energy, often from natural gas. Western Colorado currently lacks a facility that can process helium, however, and conservationists fear that building one, together with the necessary roads and other infrastructure, would disrupt wildlife habitat and potentially remove some parcels from consideration for future wilderness protections. “We’re really concerned about these wild places,” said Meehan, “and protecting areas that are currently not developed. There are really high-priority wildlands in this area, as well as high-priority habitat.” A message from Grist is the only award-winning newsroom focused on exploring equitable solutions to climate change. It’s vital reporting made entirely possible by loyal readers like you. At Grist, we don’t believe in paywalls. Instead, we rely on our readers to pitch in what they can so that we can continue bringing you our solution-based climate news. Donate now and your gift will be DOUBLED. Join us as a $25/month donor or make a $300 one-time gift, and we’ll send you a limited-edition gift bundle as a token of our gratitude. It’s our way of saying thanks for supporting our work. Grist is the only award-winning newsroom focused on exploring equitable solutions to climate change. It’s vital reporting made entirely possible by loyal readers like you. At Grist, we don’t believe in paywalls. Instead, we rely on our readers to pitch in what they can so that we can continue bringing you our solution-based climate news. Donate now and your gift will be DOUBLED!PDP chieftain spits fire as 5 federal lawmakers dump party for APC, give reason
NBA memo to players urges increased vigilance regarding home security following break-ins
