National

 

Trump's Salute to America cost DC, feds more than $5 million. “President Donald Trump's Fourth of July celebration last week cost the federal government and Washington, D.C., $5.35 million, according to an Interior Department letter released exclusively to ABC News. The Interior Department and National Park Service spent $2.45 million on staffing, medical services, barricades, and other logistics for the event, called Salute to America, which does not include the cost of other Fourth of July events like the Capitol Fourth concert.” [ABC News, 7/10/19 (=)]

AP | Congress probes approval of Trump backer’s housing project. “A congressional committee is investigating whether the U.S. Interior Department helped an Arizona developer and supporter of President Donald Trump get a crucial permit. U.S. Rep. Raúl Grijalva is leading an investigation into the proposed 28,000-home development. The Arizona Democrat chairs the House Committee on Natural Resources.” [Washington Post, 7/10/19 (=)]

BLM under fire for overlapping coal hearings. “Environmental groups in Colorado are calling foul on the Bureau of Land Management after a Monday announcement that it will hold public hearings for two proposed expansions of coal mines in the state at the same time — a five-plus-hour drive between them. BLM's Colorado office released two environmental assessments Monday. One considered a cement company's push to expand its thermal coal mine, King II, near Durango. The other analysis supports the expansion of a metallurgical coal operation near Trinidad.” [E&E News, 7/10/19 (=)]

 

IG quiet on details about 'ongoing investigation' at BSEE. “Investigators are probing alleged problems at the Interior Department's Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement, but they are keeping mum about most details. Interior's Office of Inspector General noted what it termed the "ongoing investigation" in a letter to E&E News, dated July 3 and received yesterday.” [E&E News, 7/10/19 (=)]

Dems seek to expand wilderness protection in the West. “Democrats drew mixed responses at a House Natural Resources panel hearing yesterday as they promoted bills to add new wilderness areas in California, Colorado and Washington. The move come on the heels of Congress' February vote to designate another 1.3 million acres as wilderness, bringing the total acreage in the United States to more than 111 million, a mass roughly twice the size of Minnesota.” [E&E News, 7/11/19 (=)]

 

Outdoor group hunts for new leader. “Outdoor Industry Association Executive Director Amy Roberts will step down from her post this fall, the recreation trade group announced today. Roberts will end her tenure in September to join The North Face as its new senior director for communications and corporate social responsibility.” [E&E News, 7/10/19 (=)]

 

BLM preps herd management plans for Congress. “The Bureau of Land Management will submit a detailed report to Congress next month outlining strategies to reduce the growing numbers of wild horses and burros on federal rangelands. Bruce Rittenhouse, acting chief of BLM's Wild Horse and Burro Program, told members of a national wild horse advisory panel meeting today in Boise, Idaho, that the report will be very detailed. It will include, among other things, protocols for a permanent sterilization program to slow population growth, as well as anticipated funding levels needed to remove tens of thousands of excess horses and burros trampling federal rangelands, he said.” [E&E News, 7/10/19 (=)]

 

State and Local

Can Grand Junction Save Itself By Becoming the Next Home for the Bureau of Land Management? “Grand Junction is ringed by the stunning red rock canyons of the Colorado National Monument, but hasn't emerged as a tourist destination. Despite having a four-year college, it's not seen as an economic hub; a robust oil and natural gas economy faces a rocky future amid the state's push to renewable energy. Even as jobs have come back, Grand Junction may never get back to pre-recession levels. But the city has a plan to put itself on the map: convince the Department of the Interior to relocate the headquarters of the Bureau of Land Management there.” [Pacific Standard, 7/11/19 (=)]

NM Land Office revenue hits record $1.1BIL. “The State Land Office projects a record $1.11 billion in revenue from activities on public lands throughout New Mexico for the fiscal year that ended June 30, up from the $852 million earned last year. The oil and gas boom in southeastern New Mexico accounts for most of the increase. Industry-related income from royalties, lease sales and other recurring payments jumped 31 percent to $1.04 billion in FY 2019, up from $791.7 million in FY 2018.” [Albuquerque Journal, 7/10/19 (=)]