National

 

Calendars shed light on Bernhardt's work. “It's complicated, which is one of the reasons Democratic lawmakers and critics care about the Bernhardt calendars and related documents now being made public by Interior. The documents show meetings abound, often with representatives of energy, mining and other industries. Advocacy groups like Ducks Unlimited get some time with Bernhardt, too, while he periodically ventures to Capitol Hill for one-on-one sessions with key Republican lawmakers. Many of the scheduled meetings appear to be part of the everyday grind of government in action, such as Bernhardt's March 5 session with Wyoming county commissioners or his March 12 drop-by with the Western States Land Commissioners Association.” [E&E News, 4/9/19 (=)]

Cliven Bundy’s public lands claim is 'simply delusional,’ judge rules. “A Nevada judge has dismissed a lawsuit by rancher Cliven Bundy that had sought to declare that all Nevada’s public lands belong to the state. The lands included the federal allotment in Bunkerville where Bundy grazes cattle without a permit. Nevada Circuit Judge Jim Crockett called the Bundy patriarch’s contention "simply delusional.’' He dismissed all of Bundy’s claims in a ruling made public Tuesday. The judge noted that three prior court decisions have rejected Bundy’s same arguments.” [Oregonian, 4/9/19 (+)]

Climate cases set the stage for oil and gas leasing reform. “While it would be foolhardy to expect the Trump administration to change its plans based on a climate analysis, just a few years ago the Interior Department appeared to be taking climate change more seriously. In 2016, Interior Secretary Sally Jewell issued a moratorium on federal coal auctions and initiated an environmental review of the entire federal coal-leasing program. Though that review was never completed — and the moratorium was overturned in short order by Trump’s then-secretary, Ryan Zinke — the data collected during it were published late last year in a report by the U.S. Geological Survey. That report shows that the extraction and combustion of fossil fuels from federal lands is responsible for approximately one-fourth of the carbon dioxide emissions produced in the United States.” [High Country News, 4/10/19 (+)]

Court tosses challenge to Obama rule. “A federal appellate court yesterday closed out an industry lawsuit against the Obama administration's original rule for emissions from oil and gas development on public lands. President Trump's Bureau of Land Management last year finalized a revised regulation, which gutted the Obama-era standards.” [E&E News, 4/10/19 (=)]

‘Dr. Seuss’s Garden’ Yields a Deep-Sea Discovery, but It Already Faces Threat. “Researchers announced on Tuesday that they had found two new species of cold-water coral in undersea canyons off New England, a discovery that highlighted concerns about the effects of global warming on the world’s oceans. The corals were found about 150 miles southeast of Boston in the Northeast Canyons and Seamounts Marine National Monument, a vast area of undersea mountains and valleys that was designated a monument by President Barack Obama in 2016.” [New York Times, 4/9/19 (+)]

State and Local

 

N.M. Dems urge greater protection for Chaco Canyon area. “New Mexico lawmakers today reintroduced legislation that would protect from future energy and mineral development more than 316,000 acres of federal land around Chaco Canyon, a sacred Native American cultural and UNESCO World Heritage site in the state. The bill would establish a 10-mile buffer around Chaco Culture National Historical Park banning new drilling or mineral extraction from the protected federal lands. It would not apply to minerals in the area owned by private, state or tribal entities.” [E&E News, 4/9/19 (+)]

Oil drilling plan threatens Trump's 2020 chances in Florida. “The Trump administration is considering auctioning off Florida’s coastal waters for oil and gas drilling — and Republicans are warning it could cost the president dearly in Florida in the 2020 election. An industry lobbying offensive has put it on the cusp of achieving its holy grail: access to the resource-rich eastern Gulf of Mexico. The idea is so politically toxic in Florida that past presidents haven't even entertained it. But behind the scenes, oil and gas interests are appealing to Trump's desire to turbocharge U.S. energy production, including his past openness to drilling off the Florida coast.” [Politico, 4/10/19 (=)]

Op-Ed, Editorial, and Analysis

 

Op-Ed: Florida delegation must compel Interior nominee Bernhardt to uphold moratorium on oil rigs off our coast. “Since Deepwater Horizon, we’ve been holding the line on eastward expansion of oil drilling and exploration in the Gulf of Mexico, and this opposition has benefitted from bipartisan recognition that offshore drilling is not work the risks to our coastal economy, our environment, and our communities. Florida’s environment and economy depend on clean beaches, thriving and abundant wildlife, and above all, unspoiled water. In Florida, oil and water don’t mix, and Bernhardt needs that message to be front and center.” [Tampa Bay Times, 4/9/19 (+)]

Op-Ed: Our land is under siege by our government. “Whether it involves canoeing, fishing, hiking or any other form of recreation, veterans’ connection with the outdoors is deeply powerful. Veterans have found solace in nature for decades to help transition off of active duty, reconnect to their families after deployments and help heal the wounds of war. That is why I traveled to Washington, D.C., in March with Vet Voice Foundation to meet with the Nevada congressional delegation and urge them to stand up to the president’s attacks on our public lands.” [Las Vegas Sun, 4/10/19 (+)]

Op-Ed: Bernhardt is a contradiction in terms. “There is a disconnect between the department’s unfettered approach to energy dominance and Bernhardt’s stated commitment to restore the mission of the Department of Interior back to its original intent: to balance the conservation, recreation and cultural values — along with natural resource development — to “best meet the present and future needs of the American people.” Millions of tribal people, hikers, campers, anglers and other outdoor enthusiasts across this country, now and in the future, are counting on David Bernhardt to bring back that balance and end the energy dominance doctrine that threatens the very survival of our wildlife and outdoor heritage.” [Colorado Springs Gazette, 4/10/19 (+)]

Op-Ed: Conservation and Secretary of the Interior nominee David Bernhardt. “Conservation today is not much different today than it was at its beginnings, except that now every conceivable demand on Interior has an organized constituency. This more often gridlocks than greases decisions. Therefore, the department needs a leader who can turn the wheels while engaging a multitude of advocates. The Boone and Crockett Club and its allies are among those calling upon the Senate to confirm David Bernhardt as the next secretary of the Interior. We look forward to working with him.” [Missoulian, 4/9/19 (-)]

Editorial: Protecting Chaco Canyon matters to all New Mexico. “Efforts by New Mexico’s congressional delegation to create a buffer zone around Chaco Canyon to protect the landmark are essential to safeguard this sacred place. U.S. Sens. Tom Udall and Martin Heinrich and U.S. Reps. Deb Haaland and Ben Ray Luján have introduced legislation that would withdraw federal lands around Chaco Canyon from further mineral development by the federal government by creating a 10-mile buffer zone. That, in turn, would protect both the Chaco ruins and the greater landscape around the Chaco Culture National Historical Park.” [Santa Fe New Mexican, 4/10/19 (+)]