National

AP | Senators Reach $2B Deal to Boost Conservation, Parks. “Senate leaders and the Trump administration have reached an election-year deal to double spending on a popular conservation program and devote more than a $1 billion a year to clear a growing maintenance backlog at national parks.” [U.S. News, 3/4/20 (+)]

There's Finally Real Hope for Public Lands Funding. “A Conservation in the West Poll from February shows that 70 percent of voters in Western states, with a strong majority in both parties, support full funding for the LWCF. “Fighting every year to figure out how much money the program will receive doesn’t provide the long-term planning certainty that our outdoor and conservation community deserves,” Gardner said in a press release.” [Outside Online, 3/4/20 (+)]

Interior secretary defends budget amid heated criticism of Trump policies. “Interior Secretary David Bernhardt faced a contentious hearing Wednesday with the Senate Appropriations Committee filled with accusations he is working on behalf of the oil industry and ignoring climate science. “When I look across the landscape, here's what I see,” panel ranking member Tom Udall (D-N.M.) said.” [The Hill, 3/4/20 (=)]

Bernhardt Defends Bird Treaty Rule Amid Verbal Combat in Senate. “Interior Secretary David Bernhardt, visibly shaking and combative during a Senate hearing Wednesday, defended the Interior Department’s plan to re-interpret the Migratory Bird Treaty Act so that oil companies would not be fined for killing birds due to oil spills. Sparring with Sen. Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.), Bernhardt said during a Senate Appropriations subcommittee budget hearing that Interior will proceed with the reinterpretation regardless of objections from Congress. The proposed rule codifies a 2017 Interior solicitor’s opinion that said only intentional killings can be prosecuted under the MBTA.” [Bloomberg Environment, 3/4/20 (=)]

Most Interior Employees Reject Mandatory Reassignments, Secretary Says. “Less than half of employees at the Washington headquarters of the Bureau of Land Management have accepted mandatory reassignments to various western states, instead opting to retire or find new jobs.” [Government Executive, 3/4/20 (=)]

Trump about-faces on LWCF funding, credits Republicans. “President Trump yesterday embraced mandatory funding for the Land and Water Conservation Fund — an election year about-face from his latest budget proposal that recommended virtually eliminating the popular, bipartisan program. "I am calling on Congress to send me a Bill that fully and permanently funds the LWCF and restores our National Parks," Trump tweeted.” [E&E News, 3/4/20 (=)]

Interior Department to Appeal Overturned Grazing Permit. “The Department of the Interior is appealing the ruling that found former Secretary Ryan Zinke violated the law by renewing a grazing permit on his last day of office without proper review. The Bureau of Land Management revoked Hammond Ranches Inc.'s grazing permit in 2014 after the ranchers were convicted of arson on federal lands.” [Bloomberg Environment, 3/4/20 (=)]

Interior keeps public sites open as coronavirus fears spread. “Despite the imminent spread of COVID-19 — with cases now confirmed across 13 states — the Interior Department indicated this week it does not plan to immediately shutter popular public sites — including national parks. An Interior spokesman told E&E News the agency "is actively involved in supporting" the federal response to the new respiratory illness led by the Department of Health and Human Services and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.” [E&E News, 3/4/20 (=)]

State and Local

Sanders Fracking Ban Doesn’t Scare Dems in Colorado’s Oil Field. “Bernie Sanders’s vow to ban fracking if he’s elected president isn’t scaring off Democrats living atop Colorado’s biggest oil field. The Vermont senator took 38% of the vote in Weld County, the epicenter of Colorado’s booming oil production, racking up almost twice as many votes as rival Joe Biden, who has taken a more moderate position on oil development. The outcome comes amid aggressive industry warnings that a fracking ban would cut jobs and hurt families in oil-rich areas, including Colorado.” [Bloomberg, 3/4/20 (=)]

Marco Rubio and Rick Scott want 10-year ban on drilling off Florida coast in Senate energy bill. “Florida’s two U.S. senators are pushing their colleagues this week to ban companies from drilling for oil in the east Gulf of Mexico for another decade, a moratorium that would extend well beyond President Donald Trump’s time in office.” [Tampa Bay Times, 3/4/20 (+)]

In a win for public lands — and Cory Gardner — Trump vows to fully fund Land and Water Conservation Fund.“Environmental groups have been pushing for years to stop those diversions, with Democrats attacking Gardner for not doing enough to help bring change. The Sierra Club even recently ran an ad blasting the senator over LWCF funding.  But groups like the Wilderness Society and Center for Western Priorities applauded the funding bill this week.” [Colorado Sun, 3/5/20 (+)]

He was a popular California tour guide. Then, the NPS found out he was breaking the law. “As the Los Angeles Times now reports, Mattern was doomed from the beginning. According to the Times, he failed to obtain the federal permits required to lead such tours, and in November, pleaded guilty to a criminal charge of receiving payment for doing so in a national park.  The National Park Service reportedly began the investigation when Newsweek published a profile on Mattern in 2016, lauding him as an expert and climate advocate.” [SFGate, 3/4/20 (=)]

Op-Ed, Editorial, and Analysis

Op-Ed: Educational outcomes are a result of underfunding. “Fortunately, Sens. Tom Udall, D-N.M., and Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, are sponsoring bipartisan legislation — the Fair Return for Public Lands Act of 2020 — that would raise royalties, rental rates and other fees, pulling in significantly more revenue for the federal government and states. We applaud them for their work and urge other lawmakers to support this bill.” [Albuquerque Journal, 3/4/20 (+)]

Op-Ed: Colorado’s state parks are struggling, but not for long. “Access to the outdoors is critically important, especially in a time of climate instability and increased tourism. We must work to preserve our treasured open spaces so we can ensure that our public lands are protected for generations to come.” [Denver Post, 3/4/20 (+)]

Op-Ed: Values, faith, and the Land and Water Conservation Fund. “This commitment of funding deserves recognition as an example of the values we all hold as Americans and as individuals of faith. The awareness that utilization of our resources comes with great responsibility and that obligation is to ensure that public lands and waters are preserved for the future. I encourage members of Congress to continue to work together, particularly in these partisan times, to ensure the Land and Water Conservation Fund is permanently and fully funded.” [Reno Gazette Journal, 2/25/20 (+)]