National

 

New Trump rules weaken wildlife protections. “Three months after a U.N. report warned that 1 million species face extinction because of human activity, the Trump administration on Monday finalized rule changes to the Endangered Species Act that make it harder to protect plants and animals whose populations are in serious decline. The rules, jointly announced by the Interior and Commerce departments, were changed as part of President Trump’s mandate to scale back government regulations on behalf of businesses. In that vein, language in the act that required officials to rely heavily on science when considering whether to place a species on the threatened or endangered list, regardless of economic impact, was erased.” [Washington Post, 8/12/19 (=)]

 

Bernhardt to lead U.S. delegation to Pacific Island Forum. “Interior Secretary David Bernhardt will lead the U.S. delegation to the Pacific Island Forum Leaders Session with Forum Dialogue Partners next week for a discussion that will include sustainability and illegal fishing. The Pacific Island Forum (PIF) is the "region's premier political and economic policy organization," composed of 18 member states dedicated to making the Pacific "a region of peace, harmony, security, social inclusion and prosperity, so that all Pacific people can lead free, healthy, and productive lives," the organization's website says.” [E&E News, 8/12/19 (=)]

 

State and Local

 

Court upholds $587K in damages for illegal grazing. “A federal appeals court has upheld more than half a million dollars in damages that a Nevada rancher was ordered to pay the government for illegally grazing cattle on public lands. The case against E. Wayne Hage's cattle grazing stretched on more than a decade, becoming a touchstone in the Western property rights movement.” [E&E News, 8/12/19 (=)]

 

Could Colo. airport boondoggle become BLM headquarters? “Local officials are promoting a long-unfinished office building at the Grand Junction Regional Airport — which could cost as much as $9.5 million to complete — as the new headquarters of the Bureau of Land Management. Airport Executive Director Angela Padalecki touted the structure as "high-end office space" for BLM's recently announced relocation of top officials to Colorado. Her comments were first reported by the Grand Junction Daily Sentinel.” [E&E News, 8/12/19 (=)]

 

AP | Arizona Copper Mine Ruling Expected To Have National Impact. According to The Virginian-Pilot, “A federal court ruling against a planned Arizona mining project is expected to have national repercussions if upheld by higher courts, experts said. The mining industry has decried the ruling against the proposed $1.9 billion Rosemont Mine, The Arizona Daily Star reported . The U.S. Forest Service’s approval of plans for the new copper mine in southeastern Arizona was overruled July 31 by U.S. District Court Judge James Soto. Conservation and tribal groups praised the ruling, saying it recognized the Forest Service’s failure to protect public land and resources. Toronto-based Hudbay Minerals Inc. has said it would appeal the ruling blocking construction of its project southeast of Tucson.” [The Virginian-Pilot, 8/12/19 (=)]

 

$18M Project Fights Coastal Erosion At La. Wildlife Refuge. According to E&E News, “Louisiana is adding 3 miles of breakwaters to protect a state wildlife refuge where the shoreline is rapidly eroding and the bottom is extremely soft. The new work is in addition to 4 miles of breakwaters already built along the Rockefeller Wildlife Refuge in southwest Louisiana. Like the earlier one, the new breakwater will put big rocks over a core of 10-foot-long geotextile ‘pillows’ filled with very light clay baked at extremely high temperatures. Such breakwaters can be built higher than all-rock construction, making them much better at slowing waves and preventing erosion, a study in 2011 found. It said that land behind the lighter, higher breakwater was worn back about 3 feet during a 14-month test, compared with nearly 18 feet behind the less expensive all-rock breakwater and more than 45 feet along an unprotected area.” [E&E News, 8/13/19 (=)]

 

Massachusetts Wind Project Postponed After Interior Delays Environmental Review. According to Politico, “Vineyard Wind says it will postpone building the nation’s first major offshore wind farm after the Interior Department’s Bureau of Ocean Energy Management delayed its publication of an environmental assessment last week. BOEM had been expected to deliver its final environmental impact statement on the project this month, allowing Vineyard Wind to begin construction of the 800 MW facility off Martha’s Vineyard. But last week, the agency said it would expand that assessment, adding months to the process — something Vineyard called ‘not feasible’ for the project timeframe. ‘Vineyard Wind will continue to engage with all relevant stakeholders, including our contractors, policy makers, and many supporters, to evaluate options for delivering the project at a later time,’ the company said in a statement. BOEM says it needs more time to study the potential impacts of other planned offshore wind facilities on Atlantic fisheries. But Massachusetts officials have criticized the decision, fearing the Trump administration was trying to kill the offshore wind industry before it gets off the ground.” [Politico, 8/12/19 (=)]

 

Op-Ed, Editorial, and Analysis

 

Op-Ed: Public lands: It’s who we are as Nevadans. “These places are too important to be damaged to a point of no return. We need to ensure our public lands in Nevada remain open and pristine for future generations to enjoy. We must reject the BLM’s plan to lease these lands. Nevada’s communities, lands, water and wildlife, need strong advocates now more than ever.” [Nevada Current, 8/12/19 (+)]

 

 

 

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