Roughly 1 In 5 Sites Open During Shutdown. According to E&E News, “More than 80 national park sites have used money from unspent fees to remain open during the partial government shutdown, the National Park Service said today. That’s roughly one of every five, since NPS operates 418 sites across the country. Despite the shutdown, acting NPS Director P. Daniel Smith earlier this month ordered the parks to use their revenues from entry and recreational fees to pay for basic services during the shutdown, now in its 32nd day (Greenwire, Jan. 7). Jeremy Barnum, chief NPS spokesman, said parks have used money raised under the Federal Lands Recreation Enhancement Act (FLREA) to pay for picking up the trash, snowplowing, campground and custodial services, and providing visitor information, among other things. ‘The NPS estimates that over 80 national parks are already utilizing FLREA funds for these purposes,’ Barnum said. Critics say it’s illegal to use the fee money to pay for basic operations instead of park enhancements, but NPS officials say they got the green light after consulting with the Office of the Solicitor at the Interior Department.” [E&E News, 1/22/19 (=)]

 

As Shutdown Drags, States See Growing Effects To Air, Water Quality Efforts. According to Inside EPA, “State environmental regulators are growing increasingly concerned about the adverse effects of EPA’s shutdown on a wide range of their operations, undermining key federal reviews of state permits and water quality measures, joint air quality planning for the upcoming wildfire season and possibly certifications for state air quality monitoring equipment. ‘Our main priority right now is getting EPA back to work,’ Julia Anastasio, executive director and general counsel of the Association of Clean Water Administrators (ACWA) told Inside EPA Jan. 17. She said that the shutdown’s effects on states are becoming more pronounced as time passes and that permitting delays could cause economic harms. ‘We’re hearing more and more about actual impacts to our members,’ she said, adding that in its early stages, the shutdown was largely an inconvenience, while now permits are sitting in some regional offices awaiting review. ‘States may need to become a little more vocal about saying, ‘Hey, we need our federal partners on the field.’ … The effects on state regulatory programs appear to strike a blow to the Trump administration’s push for states to take the lead in implementing federally delegated environmental laws through cooperative federalism.” [Inside EPA, 1/22/19 (=)]

 

Shutdown Woes Sour Candy Darter Deliberations. According to E&E News, “An Endangered Species Act debate over the candy darter that started with a splash could effectively end in a whimper today, amid a partial government shutdown that has muffled the Fish and Wildlife Service. After several decades of deliberations sharpened by litigation, FWS has proposed designating 370 miles of streams in Virginia and West Virginia as critical habitat for the endangered little fish. Though the plan sounds ambitious, FWS has also determined that ‘significant economic impacts are not expected’ from the candy darter’s critical habitat designation. And instead of the conflicts that can accompany critical habitat calls, this one seemingly has evoked only calm. ‘I fully support providing habitat so that the candy darter can survive,’ one public commenter wrote. A public review period that began Nov. 21 and ends today has little to show for it, as only seven comments are currently posted on the Regulations.gov site devoted to the critical habitat proposal. The two comments that are visible both meander into wildly unrelated topics. In conventional times, this low-volume response would portend a routine affirmation of the original proposal, especially given its apparently minimal impact.” [E&E News, 1/22/19 (=)]

 

Gila National Forest Uses Honor System For Firewood Cutting. According to E&E News, “The Gila National Forest in New Mexico says it will allow people to cut firewood for personal use as long as they obtain permits after the federal government shutdown ends. Forest officials said yesterday they recognize that neighboring communities rely on the wood for heating and cooking. The public cannot buy permits during the partial government shutdown because the forest offices are closed. They cost $20 for four cords of wood. The forest also has areas that are free-use but still require a permit. The forest says anyone cutting wood during the shutdown must buy a permit or obtain a free-use one at one of its six district offices after the government reopens. It also will honor any firewood tags from a permit purchased last year.” [E&E News, 1/22/19 (=)]

 

 

 

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