National

Daines signals he's not sold on Pendley. “Sen. Steve Daines is backing away from his earlier commitment to confirm President Trump's divisive nominee to lead the Bureau of Land Management. A spokeswoman for the Montana Republican, Katie Schoettler, confirmed to E&E News this morning that the senator "has not made a final decision" on whether to support William Perry Pendley, who is serving as the agency's de facto acting director.” [E&E News, 7/23/20 (=)]

Lawmakers, Trump rush to take credit for lands package. “The victory lap for passage of the "Great American Outdoors Act" continues. This morning, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi gathered colleagues for an enrollment ceremony for H.R. 1957 on the upper west terrace of the Capitol building, where members praised the legislative achievement against the backdrop of the National Mall.” [E&E News, 7/23/20 (=)]

Democrats hit Interior secretary for reportedly refusing to wear mask in meeting with tribes. “Three Democratic senators are criticizing Interior Secretary David Bernhardt over reports that he refused to wear a mask in a meeting with tribes in Oregon earlier this month. “On your July 9 visit with the Klamath Tribes of Oregon, the tribe expressed concerns that you and a member of the U.S. House of Representatives from the State of California refused to wear a mask ” wrote Sens. Elizabeth Warren (Mass.), Ron Wyden (Ore.) and Jeff Merkley (Ore.).” [The Hill, 7/23/20 (=)]

Interior Approves Mining Road Through Alaska National Park. “The Interior Department on Thursday announced its approval of a 211-mile road through an Alaska national park and other federal lands, a major step toward opening a remote and roadless 70-mile swath of mountains to precious metals mining. The road’s chief proponent, Trilogy Metals Inc., hired Interior Secretary David Bernhardt’s former lobbying firm to push the project through approval. Trilogy plans to mine copper, zinc, gold, molybdenum and other metals in the undeveloped Ambler Mineral Belt, in far northwestern Alaska.” [Bloomberg, 7/23/20 (=)]

Interior may shift projects to former Bernhardt client. “The Trump administration is working to transfer ownership of federal water infrastructure to California's Westlands Water District, the country's largest irrigation provider and a former lobbying client of Interior Secretary David Bernhardt. Westlands, an agricultural powerhouse in the San Joaquin Valley, has requested title transfer of several facilities under new authority in a 2019 public lands law, according to documents obtained in a Freedom of Information Act request and shared with E&E News.” [E&E News, 7/23/20 (=)]

Tester introduces Senate bill to permanently protect Badger-Two Medicine. “Nearly 40 years after the Department of the Interior opened the Badger-Two Medicine up to oil and gas development, Congress is now poised to enact protections for the area that would ban such proposals in perpetuity. On Wednesday, Montana Sen. Jon Tester introduced the ‘‘Badger-Two Medicine Protection Act’’ into the U.S. Senate. If passed by Congress and signed into law the act would designate the 127,447 acre Badger-Two Medicine a protected "Cultural Heritage Area" within the Helena-Lewis and Clark National Forest.” [Great Falls Tribune, 7/23/20 (=)]

Murkowski worried as hunting, fishing sales decline. “Efforts to reduce the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic could have an unintended impact on conservation and wildlife programs as drops in the sales of hunting and fishing licenses cut into state coffers used to match federal grants, Alaska Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R) warned yesterday. Murkowski raised her concerns during a Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee hearing examining the impacts the novel coronavirus outbreak has had on federal public lands in recent months.” [E&E News, 7/24/20 (=)]

DOJ watchdog to probe alleged use of force by law enforcement against protesters. “The D.C.-focused probe will be in coordination with the Interior Department's inspector general, who has recently announced a review of the events that unfolded at Lafayette Square in early June. If circumstances warrant, Horowitz said, the DOJ's Office of Inspector General will consider including other issues that may arise during the course of the review.” [The Hill, 7/23/20 (=)]

Oil and gas firms, groups cut spending amid pandemic. “Major companies and associations in the oil and natural gas sector greatly cut back their spending on federal lobbying efforts in the second quarter this year. Across the oil industry, from producers to refiners, lobbying activity has fallen greatly, according to disclosure reports lobbyists had to file with Congress this week.” [E&E News, 7/24/20 (=)]

State and Local

Groups launch million-dollar campaign to protect Bears Ears artifacts. “Friends of Cedar Mountain has teamed up with a worldwide monument organization to begin a $1 million initiative to protect at-risk cultural resources in the Bears Ears monument region from harmful human disturbances. The World Monument Fund has contributed $300,000 to start the four-year effort, which will play out in collaboration with federal and state land managers in the region.” [Deseret News, 7/23/20 (=)]

Ivanka Trump heads to Colo. to tout maintenance, Gardner. “Ivanka Trump traveled to Colorado today to celebrate passage of the "Great American Outdoors Act," touting it as "the most consequential conservation legislation" since the days of President Theodore Roosevelt. "I look forward to visiting Rocky Mountain National Park this morning!" Trump, a senior adviser to her father, said in one of several tweets publicizing her trip.” [E&E News, 7/23/20 (=)]

Op-Ed, Editorial, and Analysis

Op-Ed: Federal act holds promising future for SC public lands and wildlife. “The importance of this legislation cannot be overstated, but we shouldn’t stop here. We need to see more bipartisan climate solutions coming through Congress, and we need more champions like Rep. Joe Cunningham, D-S.C., leading the way. Now more than ever, we need role models for action who will shape the future of our country and lay the foundation for the reality that future generations will face here in South Carolina and across the country.” [Charleston Post and Courier, 7/23/20 (+)]

Op-Ed: Great American Outdoors Act will deliver critical investments to our national parks, forests.“President Theodore Roosevelt, grandfather to America’s system of National Parks, said: “This country will not be a permanently good place for any of us to live in unless we make it a reasonably good place for all of us to live in.” President Roosevelt, Chairman Dingell, and Congressman Young: we admire you for your leadership, and are finally delivering critical investments in our national parks, forests, state and local parks, wildlife refuges, and public lands for the betterment of American wildlife and people.” [The Hill, 7/23/20 (+)]