National

Interior Chief’s Lobbying Past Has Challenged the Agency’s Ethics Referees. “Ethics experts have questioned why Mr. Bernhardt was given approval to take part in the Endangered Species Act decisions on the delta smelt, since Westlands would be among the largest beneficiaries of the policy change. They have also pointed to the appearance of an ethical breach raised by Mr. Bernhardt’s involvement in the Interior Department’s push to expand the Shasta dam in Northern California, a project that would also directly benefit Westlands. The agency’s own scientists had advised against the expansion.” [New York Times, 11/9/19 (=)]

Bernhardt OKs taking sand from protected zones for beaches. “The Interior Department has reversed a 25-year-old policy preventing communities from removing sand from protected areas to rebuild eroded beaches.” [E&E News, 11/8/19 (=)]

Oil lobbyist turned Interior chief proposes giving "coveted" contract to ex-client. “Center for Western Priorities policy director Jesse Prentice-Dunn concurred, tweetinglate Thursday that the situation represented "the absolute epitome of the swamp."” [Salon, 11/10/19 (=)]

Pendley Gets The Anger Over BLM’s Grand Junction Move, But ‘We Want To Get It Done’ “The acting head of the Bureau of Land Management said Thursday he understands the anger some employees feel over a large-scale reorganization and the agency’s headquarters move to Grand Junction.  William Perry Pendley, during a visit to the small city between Denver and Salt Lake, said some employees based in Washington, D.C., have told him to this face that they don’t want to go.” [Colorado Public Radio News, 11/8/19 (=)]

BLM aims to get it right; carefully prepares for ANWR 1002 lease sale. “The oil and gas lease sale planned by the U.S. Department of the Interior for the petroleum rich ANWR 1002 area will likely be held next year versus by the end of December. “We are still working through the process and want to get this right,” Derrick Henry, public affairs specialist at Interior’s Bureau of Land Management told Petroleum News Nov. 4.” [Petroleum News, 11/10/19 (=)]

Daines' answer to Pendley question prompts reaction. “A one-word response by Sen. Steve Daines sparked comment Friday when he was asked as to whether he would support making William Perry Pendley, now serving as acting chief of the Bureau of Land Management, the permanent head if nominated. The Montana Republican told Energy and Environment News “yes” on Thursday in what was described as a brief exchange on Capitol Hill if he’d support Pendley if President Donald Trump nominated him for the job.” [Great Falls Tribune, 11/9/19 (=)]

Trump cuts leach tribal and nonprofit funds, plaintiffs argue. “Plaintiffs challenging the Trump administration's cuts to a pair of national monuments in Utah allege in new court documents that the rescissions have harmed their organizations, effectively forcing nonprofit groups and Native American tribes to reallocate their own budgets and staff to monitor millions of acres of previously protected federal lands.” [E&E News, 11/8/19 (=)]

BLM chief trumpets wild horse project amid growing criticism. “Bureau of Land Management acting chief William Perry Pendley today touted a pilot project for veterans as he faces growing criticism over his agency's management of wild horse and burro populations. Pendley presented the project, which helps military veterans prep wild mustangs for sale and adoption, as a model for how to reduce the growing number of wild horses while helping combat veterans transition out of the military.” [E&E News, 11/8/19 (=)]

State and Local

Acting director of BLM says he'd like to live in Grand Junction. “William Perry Pendley wants to make something clear. If it were up to the acting director of the Bureau of Land Management, he'd be joining the ranks of its employees being moved from Washington, D.C., out West. More specifically, he'd love to move to Grand Junction and to assume the role of the BLM's official rather than acting director.” [Grand Junction Daily Sentinel, 11/8/19 (-)]

New Mexico oil and gas land sale denounced by activists, business owners. “The leasing of federal land in New Mexico by the U.S. Bureau of Land Management to the oil and gas industry continued to draw the ire of environmentalists after the BLM announced the results of a Nov. 7 sale. The sale, which offered tracts of land in New Mexico and Oklahoma produced about $18.4 million in revenue, records show, with almost half intended to be returned to the states where oil and gas is produced.” [Carlsbad Current-Argus, 11/8/19 (=)]

New oil and gas drilling could start soon near popular California parks. “The Trump Administration is moving forward with a plan that could open roughly 1.2 million acres across nine counties in California’s Central Valley to new oil and gas drilling. The proposed area spans across the heart of America’s breadbasket, where a quarter of the nation’s food is grown, on land that borders beloved national parks and monuments including Yosemite and Sequoia.” [USA Today, 11/8/19 (=)]

Calif. AG blocks Westlands' Shasta Dam plan. “California Attorney General Xavier Becerra (D) today announced a settlement that bars the influential Westlands Water District from working on a plan to raise Shasta Dam in Northern California. A proposal backed by the Trump administration called for raising the 600-foot dam by about 18.5 feet to store more water. That water would then be shuttled to federal contractors in California's Central Valley, including Westlands, the country's largest water district.” [E&E News, 11/8/19 (=)]

Op-Ed, Editorial, and Analysis

Editorial: Chaco protections strike right balance. “New Mexico U.S. Rep. Ben Ray Luján and his House of Representatives compatriots have done their part to create a reasonable and appropriate buffer around Chaco Culture National Historical Park.” [Albuquerque Journal, 11/9/19 (+)]

Op-Ed: Lee’s plan for public lands is like selling the cow to buy milk. “Lee’s plan is tantamount to selling the cow to buy milk. It’s a short-term gain that will ultimately devastate rural economies that depend on hunting, fishing and outdoor recreation as sustainable sources of revenue year after year.” [Salt Lake Tribune, 11/10/19 (+)]

Op-Ed: Outdoor recreation small businesses are the new frontier for rural communities. “We ask Republicans and Democrats to come together and commit to reinvesting in our shared natural resources. This will not only conserve them for future generations but will deliver the added benefit of bolstering small businesses across the country, and in turn, boosting the economies of countless rural communities. That is a triple bottom line we should all strive for.” [Salt Lake Tribune, 11/10/19 (+)]

Op-Ed: Sen. Cory Gardner needs to honor vets with ‘yes’ vote for CORE Act. “As we remember these veterans today, we encourage fellow citizens to contact Sen. Cory Gardner to ask him to honor them by voting “Yes” for the Colorado Outdoor Recreation and Economy (CORE) Act in the U.S. Senate. Earlier this month, we celebrated a landmark victory for the bill when it passed the U.S. House of Representatives — a victory that brings us closer than ever before to realizing protections for several beloved places in western Colorado.” [Aspen Times, 11/11/19 (+)]

Op-Ed: Land and Water Conservation Fund benefits veterans. “Earlier this year, Congress voted to permanently reauthorize the Land and Water Conservation Fund. It maintains public lands and outdoor recreation opportunities for all Americans across the nation, from wildlife areas to historic battlegrounds to community parks. It also has a profound impact on all Americans, including military veterans and their families.” [Knoxville Sentinel News, 11/11/19 (+)]

Op-Ed: LWCF, public lands provide solace to our nation's veterans. “That’s why as we approach this Veterans Day, I’m urging the Montana Congressional delegation to actively support the much-needed LWCF full funding bill. It’s important for our public lands and waters. It’s important for our outdoor recreation economy. But it’s also very important to the men and women who have served their country and who now want enjoy the lands they helped to protect.” [Montana Standard, 11/11/19 (+)]