National

Grijalva urges White House to block mysterious royalty rule. “Giving oil and gas companies a grace period for paying royalties during the coronavirus pandemic would be favoritism "beyond the pale," said House Natural Resources Chairman Raúl Grijalva (D-Ariz.). The Democrat is calling on the White House regulatory office to block an Interior Department Office of Natural Resources Revenue (ONRR) rule to potentially offer a three-month royalty payment delay.” [E&E News, 5/27/20 (=)]

Water, Highway Bills Among Must-Pass Legislation, Hoyer Says. “He also said bills that would permanently fund the Land and Water Conservation Fund and fix the country’s ailing parks could ultimately be rolled into an infrastructure package. “I think they are both good candidates for that, and we’ve brought that up” with leadership, Grijalva said.” [Bloomberg, 5/26/20 (+)]

Jason Chaffetz Finds His COVID-19 Calling. ““It is bizarre. It’s a really odd fixation for Chaffetz to have right now considering a lot of these small towns in Utah are totally unprepared and would be unable to handle a resurgence of COVID-19,” said Aaron Weiss, media director at Colorado-based conservation group Center for Western Priorities. “He knows full well there is no way to socially distance in Zion.”  “I don’t know why Chaffetz in particular is on this tear,” Weiss added, “but it truly is going to endanger the lives of Utah residents.” [HuffPost, 5/27/20 (+)]

New Trump public land rules will let Alaska hunters kill bear cubs in dens. “Jesse Prentice-Dunn, policy director for the Center for Western Priorities, called the rule change “amazingly cruel” and said it was “just the latest in a string of efforts to reduce protections for America’s wildlife at the behest of oil companies and trophy hunters”.” [Guardian, 5/28/20 (+)]

D.C.-area Dems oppose Trump's July 4 'vanity project' “Nearly a dozen Democratic members of Congress from the Washington region yesterday asked the Trump administration to suspend planning for another July 4 celebration on the National Mall, calling it "a vanity project" for the president. The lawmakers said an event such as last year's "Salute to America," which included a military flyover and extended fireworks, "would needlessly risk the health and safety of thousands of Americans."” [E&E News, 5/27/20 (=)]

Wyden hopes to garner GOP support for conservation bill. “Sen. Ron Wyden said he believes he can pull together Republican support for his latest public lands bill by enlisting the timber industry and touting the benefits to rural areas. "Republicans have been talking a lot about rural America," the Oregon Democrat said in conference call with reporters, in which he promoted a broad bill he introduced earlier this month.” [E&E News, 5/28/20 (=)]

'I refuse to partake': GOP shuns oil and gas well briefing. “Arizona Republican Rep. Paul Gosar said he would not participate in an upcoming virtual hearing on cleaning up orphaned oil and gas wells because the House Natural Resources Committee majority was playing politics during the pandemic, he said. Since April, House Democrats have launched several virtual roundtables on topics such as environmental justice, coronavirus impacts to Indian Country and wildlife trade.” [E&E News, 5/28/20 (=)]

Tribes lack standing in Bears Ears lawsuit — Trump admin. “The Trump administration on Friday urged a federal judge to rule against Native American tribes in a lawsuit challenging reductions to the Bears Ears National Monument, asserting the groups have failed to show any "concrete, and particularized injury" stemming from the shrunken site.” [E&E News, 5/27/20 (=)]

Bipartisan bill would lease space in petroleum reserve. “A bipartisan group of Gulf Coast lawmakers introduced legislation this week to lease up to 200 million barrels of unused space in the Strategic Petroleum Reserve. The "Strategic Petroleum Reserve Reform Act" — H.R. 7019 and S. 3816 — follows a push to use the nation's crude storage facilities to help the ailing oil industry (E&E Daily, April 13).” [E&E News, 5/28/20 (=)]

State and Local

Mount Hood National Forest to reopen most trailheads Friday. “Oregon's tallest mountain will reopen for recreation over two months after trailheads and day-use areas were closed amid the coronavirus pandemic. Most developed recreation sites will reopen Friday, according to Mount Hood National Forest officials. Some sites will remain closed, including most campgrounds and areas that are still under seasonal closures, The Oregonian/OregonLive reported.” [E&E News, 5/27/20 (=)]

Judge OKs reopening mine near Grand Canyon. “A uranium producer may reopen a mine near the Grand Canyon after a federal judge on Friday ruled against groups that challenged the company's mineral rights. Energy Fuels Resources Inc.'s Canyon mine is positioned 6 miles south of the Grand Canyon in Kaibab National Forest. Following the Interior Department's 2012 mineral withdrawal from new mining claims on public lands around the Grand Canyon, the Forest Service determined Energy Fuels had a "valid existing right" at the mine.” [E&E News, 5/27/20 (=)]

Op-Ed, Editorial, and Analysis

Op-Ed: Trump-connected lobbyists are cashing in on COVID-19 relief. “As millions of Americans continue to get sick and lose their jobs, and with more than 100,000 dead as a result of the novel coronavirus, President Donald Trump’s allies are exploiting the public health and financial crisis to cash in. Lobbying firm Brownstein Hyatt Farber Schreck (BHFS), the former employer of Trump’s Interior Secretary David Bernhardt, has reported taking over $10 million to lobby for COVID-19 bailouts amid an influx of new clients.” [Boulder Weekly, 5/28/20 (+)]

Op-Ed: We all need public lands to recover from the coronavirus outbreak. “Investing in our public lands, and providing full, permanent funding for LWCF is a low-cost economic stimulus that will pay big dividends for communities like Frisco across America. Sens. Cory Gardner and Michael Bennet and Rep. Joe Neguse, please include full and permanent LWCF funding in efforts to stimulate our economy. We in the West know firsthand the powers of the great outdoors, and it’s time to protect those spaces for generations to come.” [Colorado Sun, 5/26/20 (+)]