National

Biden Revokes Oil Drilling Permits for Additional Review. “The Biden administration is revoking dozens of invalid drilling permits issued by agency workers without the approval of political appointees, despite a temporary order for such reviews. The Interior Department on Friday notified affected oil and gas producers that roughly 70 permits were improperly issued and that the companies need to seek new approvals.” [Bloomberg, 1/29/21 (=)]

Biden may hike royalty rate for 1st time in 100 years. “President Biden's order freezing the sale of federal drilling rights on public land and waters could end in a requirement that fossil fuel companies give the government a larger cut of their revenues. It's something green advocates have sought for years, as onshore drilling royalty rates haven't changed in a century. Increasingly, greens have centered their case for higher royalties around climate change, saying drillers and coal companies tapping public resources need to pay more for their products' role in increasing greenhouse gas emissions in a warming world.” [E&E News, 2/1/21 (=)]

Biden’s Freeze on Drilling Leases Disrupts New Mexico. “But with President Biden moving Wednesday to halt new oil and gas leasing on federal land, Mr. Wilbanks is worried that the bounceback might never come. The freeze is “a gut punch to follow up the worst year we’ve had since the early 2000s,” he said, noting that he has already had to cut down from 300 to 100 employees over the past year. “I expected there to be changes, but to move this fast, I didn’t expect it at all,” he added.” [Wall Street Journal, 1/28/21 (-)]

Pingree aims for urgency at Interior-Environment appropriations. Rep. Chellie Pingree, D-Maine, says she understands the importance of seizing opportunities to advance environmental policies. She joined other House Democrats her first term in passing a major cap-and-trade bill in 2009, only to see that legislation languish in the Senate. Democrats lost the House in the ensuing midterm elections and only now, more than a decade later, do they once again control both chambers and the White House. “” [Roll Call, 2/1/21 (=)]

Trump’s Public Lands Giveaways Won’t Easily Be Reversed. ““The Trump administration was smart,” says Charles Wilkinson, an emeritus professor at the University of Colorado Law School and an expert in public land law. “They went underground and did not have broad policies, but just took all kinds of actions opening up public lands to exploitation. The most dramatic was oil and gas leasing. By and large it was parcel by parcel, and program by program. And they got away with a lot.”” [Mother Jones, 1/31/21 (+)]

Top aide: Start using @realDonaldTrump in all tweets. “In the middle of the 2020 election cycle, a top Interior Department official indicated to a staffer she had been told to use President Trump's personal Twitter handle in "all of her tweets," according to newly disclosed internal emails. The government watchdog group Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington released the emails — in which communications aides discuss how to promote the then-looming enactment of the Great American Outdoors Act — after procuring the documents through an ongoing Freedom of Information Act lawsuit.” [E&E News, 1/29/21 (=)]

Republican Ties to Extremist Groups Are Under Scrutiny. “The video’s title was posed as a question, but it left little doubt about where the men who filmed it stood. They called it “The Coming Civil War?” and in its opening seconds, Jim Arroyo, who leads an Arizona chapter of Oath Keepers, a right-wing militia, declared that the conflict had already begun. To back up his claim, Mr. Arroyo cited Representative Paul Gosar of Arizona, one of the most far-right members of Congress. Mr. Gosar had paid a visit to the local Oath Keepers chapter a few years earlier, Mr. Arroyo recounted, and when asked if the United States was headed for a civil war, the congressman’s “response to the group was just flat out: ‘We’re in it. We just haven’t started shooting at each other yet.’”” [New York Times, 1/29/21 (=)]

With 287 staffers gone, should Biden return BLM to D.C.? “Interior Department data showing that the Bureau of Land Management's relocation of its Washington-based headquarters staff out West prompted 87% to leave the bureau could bolster arguments to move BLM's headquarters back. But would doing so help BLM in its mission to manage 245 million acres of federal lands? And is it worth the time and trouble of doing so? The answer is yes, according to several BLM insiders, most of whom talked to E&E News on condition they not be named for this story.” [E&E News, 1/29/21 (=)]

Once united in support of Biden, environmentalists and unions clash over pipelines.“Environmentalists and labor unions that threw their support behind U.S. President Joseph Biden now find themselves on the opposite sides of a battle over the construction of big pipeline projects between Canada and the United States.” [Reuters, 2/1/21 (=)]

Rosemont Copper to Defend Arizona Mine’s Federal Approval. “Rosemont Copper Co. will make its case in defense of the federal government’s environmental review of its mine in Arizona’s Coronado National Forest, in an oral argument before the Ninth Circuit on Monday. The U.S. Forest Service found Rosemont had a “right and entitlement” to conduct its operations on federal lands regardless of the type of minerals on the mining claims, environmental groups and tribes argue.” [Bloomberg, 2/1/21 (=)]

State and Local

Key cabinet nominees have opposed mining near Boundary Waters, but Biden’s been silent. “When President Joe Biden was vice president, the Obama administration in 2016 did not renew key mineral leases for Twin Metals, the proposed underground copper-nickel mine in the same watershed as the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness, and initiated a 20-year moratorium on mining in the watershed. But the Trump administration made quick work of reversing those changes, moves that revived the Twin Metals proposed copper nickel mine project and paved the way for it to submit its mine plan to state and federal regulators in December 2019.” [Duluth News Tribune, 1/29/21 (=)]

Gordon directs state to examine impacts of federal moratorium on oil and gas leasing. “Gov. Mark Gordon on Friday issued an executive order directing state agencies to examine the financial effects of a moratorium on new federal oil and gas leases issued earlier this week by President Joe Biden. The order further directs the state to explore potential legal options available to Wyoming, the governor announced in a statement.” [Casper Star-Tribune, 1/29/21 (=)]

Only 41 Bureau of Land Management employees moved west. Nearly 300 left the agency instead of relocating. “Critics of the move have long argued that it would hollow out the agency and deprive it of expertise. Aaron Weiss, deputy director of the Center for Western Priorities, said the Trump administration was “so secretive” about the numbers and the details about the move.” [Colorado Sun, 1/31/21 (=)]

Op-Ed, Editorial, and Analysis

Op-Ed: For Biden's climate agenda to succeed, he must start with parks. “Instead of piecemeal protections and fragmented fights, President Biden’s “30 by 30” plan could bring together an enormous coalition founded upon an appreciation for the value of each and every one of America’s national parks. By building outward from places people know, love and value, this “30 by 30” plan can make enormous strides in protecting every place on Earth from the impacts of climate change. We can protect our common ground, together.” [The Hill, 2/1/21 (+)]

Op-Ed: Monument designations in a changing world. “National monument designation does not have to be a zero-sum proposition. We can sustain and grow our rural communities, preserve our history, protect traditional lifestyles, and pursue new economies, without one goal having to come at the expense of another. The likely reinstatement of the original boundaries for both Grand Staircase-Escalante and Bears Ears National Monuments provides significant economic opportunities for the communities in those regions. By sharing these special places with visitors and newcomers, as well as celebrating our outdoor lifestyles, rural Utah has an opportunity to use these special landscapes to prosper and advance in the 21st century.” [Salt Lake Tribune, 1/29/21 (+)]

Op-Ed: We can make outdoors accessible to all. “According to a recent statement from Heinrich, “Outdoor opportunities in our parks and public lands should be accessible to all Americans regardless of wealth, where you grow up, or the color of your skin.” We’re honored to have future generations of conservationists see themselves in us — a responsibility we take very seriously. It is on our shoulders to make sure every single young person in this country has the opportunity to get outside and discover the true value of our public and tribally recognized traditional lands and wild spaces.” [Santa Fe New Mexican, 1/30/21 (+)]

Op-Ed: NM must invest in its outdoors and its young people. “The COVID-19 emergency has emphasized the urgency of investing in our young people and our outdoors. This special appropriation would do both, with a long-term goal of transforming the outdoor industry, nurturing the next generation of land and water stewards, and building a greener economy from the ground up. If you also believe in those goals, call your local lawmakers and say you support the Outdoor Recreation Division’s call to invest in the Outdoor Equity Fund.” [Albuquerque Journal, 1/31/21 (+)]

Op-Ed: It’s simple: Parks build democracy. “He knew then what is also possible now: Parks build democracy. Public space is a commons that strengthens our social fabric, narrates a story of shared heritage, improves community health, and expands participation in civic processes. Parks are an essential infrastructure for our republic, and today, this infrastructure needs renewal.” [New York Daily News, 1/29/21(+)]

Op-Ed: We need open space, and Washington can help us get it. “In addition to tax savings and safety nets, parklands provide reservoirs of carbon sequestered in unlogged forests, reducing the greenhouse effect that's the root cause of global warming. Land kept free from development protects watersheds that are the sources of our drinking water. And with climate change triggering a shocking loss of biodiversity, the U.S. should join 50 other nations in committing to protect 30% of the world's wildlife habitat.” [Yahoo News, 2/1/21(+)]

Op-Ed: Trump's assault on the environment is over. Now we must reverse the damage. “The Restoration Project was written for the government as a tactical plan for progress. But it is also a call to action for a broader conservation movement that includes those working to restore civil rights, rural economies, public health, scientific integrity, and environmental justice. The new administration should be supported in its progress, applauded for its successes – and held accountable when action is forestalled or lacking.” [Guardian, 2/1/21 (+)]

Op-Ed: A Renaissance For America’s Greatest Outdoor Pastime. “It’s not enough to be satisfied with millions of new hunters in 2020. The key is to keep hunters heading back to the fields and woods in the future, bringing a son, a daughter or friend along as well. NSSF’s +ONESM Movement is aimed at encouraging hunters to recruit and engage the next generation of hunters and recreational shooters to ensure the opportunities to enjoy these great American pastimes remain for all.” [Daily Caller, 1/29/21 (-)]

Editorial: Biden administration should renew the push to protect the BWCA. “The bill supposedly would prevent political interference in mining decisions, but its effect would be the exact opposite given the influence of wealthy special interests on elected officials. It also would upend a venerable tradition of Republican and Democratic administrations expanding buffer zones. Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke and the Trump administration took that step in 2018 to protect Yellowstone National Park from mining. Stauber, whose office declined to answer an editorial writer's questions, often claims to defend "our way of life" as he campaigns or pushes policy. His bill is misguided, and he needs grasp this truth: Clean water and conservation are part of "our way of life" in Minnesota.” [Minneapolis Star-Tribune, 1/30/21 (+)]

Editorial: Don't turn out the lights on Wyoming's energy workers. “We could go on. The point here is not to argue that climate change isn’t real (it is) or that renewables are bad (they aren’t) or that our state leaders adequately prepared for this day (they didn’t). The point is that for a long time, our country relied on Wyoming’s oil workers and coal miners and welders and machinists to keep the lights on. Now, it owes those workers some assurance that our country won’t turn out the lights on them.” [Casper Star-Tribune, 1/31/21 (-)]

Editorial: Joe Biden goes to war with oil, and will lose. “However politicians tried to polish their halos in coal country with the slogan, economic reality was the driver of decisions. So it will be with Joe Biden’s “war on oil,” as GOP critics have already dubbed the new president’s energy plans. That’s a recycled slogan just about as relevant to the marketplace as the old war on coal.” [Advocate, 1/31/21 (-)]