Public Lands Clips: September 24, 2024

 

 

White House 'Strongly Opposes' Permitting Bill To Curb Wildfires, But Stops Short Of Veto Threat — “The Biden administration said Monday it ‘strongly opposes’ a bipartisan bill to ease permitting reviews for forest management projects, but did not threaten to veto the legislation. The ‘Fix Our Forests Act,’ H.R. 8790 (118), authored by Natural Resources Committee Chair Bruce Westerman (R-Ark.) and Democratic Rep. Scott Peters (D-Calif.), is set to get a House floor vote this week. The bill aims to reduce the growing risk of destructive wildfires. But the bill is unlikely to get a vote in the Democratic-controlled Senate, given the opposition from the Biden administration, along with some Democrats and environmental groups. The White House said in its Statement of Administration Policy it ‘appreciates that several provisions’ of the bill align with recommendations released last year from the Wildland Fire Mitigation and Management Commission. The commission is made up of members from the Departments of Agriculture and Interior, along with the Federal Emergency Management Agency. But the administration said the bill also contains provisions that would ‘undermine basic protections for communities, lands, waters, and wildlife’ and ‘reduce opportunities for public input,’ which it said would ‘heighten’ the likelihood for litigation and delay ‘on needed forest restoration and resilience work.’” [Politico, 9/23/24 (=)]

 

White House Slams House Forest Bill On The Floor This Week — “The White House said Monday it’s ‘strongly opposed’ to a Republican-led bill that could speed forest-thinning and related work in national forests. In a statement, the Office of Management and Budget said the ‘Fix Our Forests Act,’ H.R. 8790, set for consideration in the House this week, could instead delay forest work by spurring more conflict and environmental litigation. While the measure sponsored by House Natural Resources Chair Bruce Westerman (R-Ark.) and Rep. Scott Peters (D-Calif.) embraces some recent recommendations of a federal wildfire commission, other provisions would harm the environment, the administration said. The White House said the bill ‘contains a number of provisions that would undermine basic protections for communities, lands, waters, and wildlife,’ while reducing opportunities for public input on forest projects. The bill would ease some environmental reviews for projects in ‘firesheds’ designated by the forest service as highest risk for wildfire. It would free the Forest Service of certain Endangered Species Act consultations and would provide communities with funds for wildfire preparedness.” [E&E News, 9/23/24 (=)]

 

Rule On State Takeover Of Wetlands Permits At White House Review — “The Biden administration is preparing to finalize a new rule that could make it easier for states and tribes — rather than the federal government — to sign off on permits for polluting and filling in wetlands. EPA’s rule updating the permitting transfer process is now under review by the White House Office of Management and Budget, according to a notice posted last week. It would be the first update to the requirements for state takeover of wetlands permits in 30 years and comes amid controversy over the issue in Florida. Under the Clean Water Act, federally protected wetlands cannot be filled in for development, energy production or other uses without a permit. The permits are normally issued by the Army Corps of Engineers, but states and tribes can apply to run their own program instead. For years, only two states — Michigan and New Jersey — had been granted that authority. Then, under the Trump administration, EPA granted Florida’s request to handle permitting for wetlands in the Sunshine State. But the decision was controversial, and a judge ruled this year that it ran afoul of the Endangered Species Act. More states may be interested in handling permitting in the coming years, said Betsy Southerland, a retired EPA official who worked in the Office of Water. That’s because the federal government’s ability to protect wetlands shrank last year due to a Supreme Court ruling, Sackett v. EPA.” [E&E News, 9/23/24 (=)]

 

 

Senate

 

Manchin Schedules Mammoth 79-Bill Markup — “The Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee will vote on dozens of bills Thursday, including proposals on offshore wind and public lands. The markup will happen less than two months before Election Day and reflects a broad swath of priorities the panel is trying to wrap up before the end of this Congress. The committee will debate S. 373, the ‘Reinvesting in Shoreline Economies and Ecosystems Act,’ from Sens. Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.) and Bill Cassidy (R-La.) and 24 co-sponsors. … A similar bill from Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska), S. 620, the ‘Alaska Offshore Parity Act,’ will also get a vote. It would require the Treasury Department to share more revenues from energy and mineral leasing in the Alaska outer continental shelf for use in coastal restoration and to reduce energy costs and greenhouse gas emissions. … The committee will take up ranking member John Barrasso (R-Wyo.) and Sen. Ron Wyden’s (D-Ore.) S. 1553, to amend the Federal Land Policy and Management Act of 1976 to improve the management of grazing permits and leases. … Barrasso’s and Chair Joe Manchin’s S. 2867, the ‘Promoting Effective Forest Management Act,’ would set minimum annual targets on the Forest Service for thinning forests through logging instead of prescribed burning, while also pushing back on the Biden administration’s definition of ‘old growth’ forestland. The pair will also see its ‘America’s Revegetation and Carbon Sequestration Act,’ S. 2991, receive a vote. The bill aims to create interagency revegetation task forces. The Forest Service was lukewarm about both of the measures during testimony.” [E&E News, 9/24/24 (=)]

 

U.S. Senators John Boozman And Martin Heinrich Unveils Every Kid Outdoors Extension Act — “United States Senators John Boozman (R-AR) and Martin Heinrich (D-NM) has introduced an act that will give 4th grade students free access to national parks, and other public lands. ‘Introducing young Americans to our national parks inspires an appreciation for the lands and resources that help define our country,’ said Boozman. ‘I’m proud to support this legislation that allows the next generation to discover our national treasures and explore the outdoors.’ The U.S. Department of the Interior has made free services available for fourth graders and their families to enter all federally managed public lands,since 2015. It is due to expire in 2026. Every Kid Outdoors program has garnered tens of thousands of families to journey America’s public lands, waters, historic sites, and national parks, according to the office of John Boozman.” [KATV-TV, 9/23/24 (=)]

 

House

 

Republicans Block Climate Amendments To Forests Bill — “House Republicans on Monday brushed back Democrats’ efforts to add environmental protections to a bill promoting more thinning of national forests. As the Republican-led Rules Committee sent the ‘Fix Our Forests Act,’ H.R. 8790, to the full House for consideration this week, lawmakers ensured that GOP-backed amendments to allow more livestock grazing and road construction as part of forest management projects, for instance, would receive consideration. Democratic proposals to add language on the dangers of climate change and to remove provisions easing environmental reviews of forest projects didn’t make the Rules Committee’s cut. The bill, sponsored by Natural Resources Chair Bruce Westerman (R-Ark.), would allow for faster approvals of forest thinning and related work in areas the Forest Service deems at highest threat of wildfire, through categorical exclusions of the National Environmental Policy Act. It would encourage the use of forest thinnings for wood products like biochar, which enriches the soil and saves carbon.” [E&E News, 9/24/24 (=)]

 

 

Bureau of Land Management (BLM)

 

BLM Failing To Consult On Arizona Copper Project, Tribe Says — “The San Carlos Apache Tribe accused Interior Secretary Deb Haaland and other department leaders of failing to ensure federally required consultation is occurring around a company’s bid to explore for copper in a sensitive and fragile watershed in Arizona. Terry Rambler, chair of the San Carlos Apache, criticized Haaland and Tracy Stone-Manning, director of the Bureau of Land Management, in a letter last week for not doing more to ensure consultation around Faraday Copper’s proposed exploration adjacent to the Aravaipa Canyon Wilderness and within the sensitive and fragile San Pedro Watershed, an area of cultural importance to the tribe. The activity, Rambler said, is ‘very close to our Tribe’s trust lands, and we think the drilling may be affecting the Tribe’s cultural and ancestral resources, water rights, and downstream interests.’ BLM ‘has yet to complete substantive steps in the processes required by the National Environmental Policy Act or to otherwise learn about and analyze our concerns,’ said Rambler, who added that the letter was signed on behalf of more than 17,000 tribal members.” [E&E News, 9/23/24 (=)]

 

BLM Plan For Solar On Public Lands Sparks Enthusiasm And Misgivings In Different Corners Of The West — “Delaine Spilsbury and her son Rick, both elders of the Ely Shoshone Tribe, have advocated for Bahsahwahbee’s protection for decades as the area was proposed for development as part of a missile transportation tract, for an oil and gas development and with a controversial water pipeline to Las Vegas. This year, it seemed the area was on the verge of finally being protected, after years of work from the Duckwater Shoshone Tribe, the Ely Shoshone Tribe and the Confederated Tribes of the Goshute. Their efforts to turn the area into a national monument garnered wide support across Nevada, leading Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto to introduce legislation this year to protect the area. But on Aug. 29, the Bureau of Land Management published the final draft of its updated Western Solar Plan, a federal assessment of the suitability of 11 Western states’ lands for utility-scale solar development. In it, 7,000 acres of the proposed monument’s boundaries would be made available for solar farms. ‘It’s really disappointing that [the BLM would] rather give the property to a corporation than show some respect for the people who died there,’ Rick Spilsbury said.” [Inside Climate News, 9/23/24 (=)]

 

Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS)

 

Land Commissioner Enlists State Of Texas To Sue Biden-Harris Administration Over Classification Of Dunes Sagebrush Lizard — “AUSTIN Texas Land Commissioner Dawn Buckingham, M.D. enlisted the State of Texas to file a lawsuit Monday against the Biden-Harris Administration’s U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) over the classification of the Dunes Sagebrush Lizard (DSL) as endangered under the Endangered Species Act (ESA). The lawsuit filed today, follows comments previously submitted by Commissioner Buckingham to the USFWS more than a year ago outlining inconsistencies with listing the DSL as endangered and how moving forward with this classification ‘could have a crippling impact on the oil and gas industry’ which will result in job losses across the state and decreased revenue for the Permanent School Fund (PSF) and Permanent University Fund (PUF). ‘The Biden-Harris Administration will stop at nothing to cripple Texas’ robust oil and gas industry. As the steward of over 13 million acres of energy-rich land, I will do everything in my power to protect our state’s energy independence and our schoolchildren’s education,’ said Commissioner Buckingham. ‘This unwarranted, understudied classification of the Dunes Sagebrush Lizard directly threatens surface activities that are absolutely necessary for oil and gas exploration in West Texas, and I will not allow this to happen on my watch.’” [Odessa American, 9/23/24 (=)]

 

Texas AG Sues Biden Admin For Listing Lizard As "Endangered" — “Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton (R) is suing the Biden administration for classifying the dunes sagebrush lizard in May as an endangered species. The big picture: The sand-burrowing lizard is native to a portion of the oil-and gas-rich Permian Basin of West Texas and New Mexico and Paxton in a statement Monday called the designation an ‘unlawful misuse of environmental law’ and a ‘backdoor attempt to undermine Texas’s oil and gas industries.’ Context: The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service deemed the lizard to be endangered due to factors including habitat loss, ‘degradation from development by the oil and gas and the frac sand’ mining industries and ‘climate change and climate conditions.’ However, Paxton contends in the lawsuit, filed Monday in the U.S. District Court, Western District of Texas, that the designation was based on ‘inaccurate and arbitrary assumptions.’” [Axios, 9/23/24 (=)]

 

Texas Sues Biden Administration Over Rare Lizard’s Endangered Status — “The long litigation history over the dunes sagebrush lizard continued Monday when Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton sued the federal government for its decision to list the rare spiny lizard under the Endangered Species Act. Found only in parts of New Mexico and Texas, the dunes sagebrush lizard has been at the center of controversy for years. It lives in unique sand dune systems covered in shinnery oak in southeastern New Mexico and western Texas. But the problem is that a big part of its habitat is in the Permian Basin, which has been experiencing a boon in oil and gas production. The state argued in its lawsuit and in public comments to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service that classifying the lizard as endangered would threaten the state’s economy, the agriculture industry and energy independence. Claiming the move was one of ‘countless ways’ federal power was being weaponized to harm Texas’s oil and gas industries, Paxton warned the Fish and Wildlife Service and U.S. Department of the Interior in July that the state would sue over the unlawful listing if not withdrawn within 60 days.” [Courthouse News Service, 9/23/24 (=)]

 

Texas Sues Over Protections For Vulnerable Lizard In Oil Country — “Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton is heading to federal court to challenge the Interior Department’s safeguards for the dunes sagebrush lizard. Paxton, a Republican, argued in a lawsuit filed Monday that Interior’s Fish and Wildlife Service did not rely on the best available scientific and commercial data when it classified the reptile as endangered in May. The move provided special protections for the tiny light-brown lizard and limited availability of lands in Texas’ Permian Basin to oil and gas production. ‘The Biden-Harris Administration’s unlawful misuse of environmental law is a backdoor attempt to undermine Texas’s oil and gas industries which help keep the lights on for America,’ Paxton said in a statement. ‘I warned that we would sue over this illegal move, and now we will see them in court.’ Paxton’s lawsuit, filed in the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Texas, alleges that FWS made the Endangered Species Act listing decision without enough information about the full population of the dunes sagebrush lizard, which is found in both New Mexico and Texas. Instead, the agency used modeling to estimate the animal’s population and viability.” [E&E News, 9/24/24 (=)]

 

Texas Fighting ESA Listing For Tiny Lizard In Permian Basin — “Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton is asking a judge to overturn a U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service rule that listed the dunes sagebrush lizard as an endangered species, calling it a ‘backdoor attempt’ to undermine energy development in the Permian Basin. The federal agency issued the challenged rule in May after being petitioned by conservation groups. The light brown, 2.5-inch-long lizard is found only in parts of western Texas and southeastern New Mexico, where it inhabits shifting sand dunes partially stabilized by shinnery oaks and other shrubs. ‘The Biden-Harris administration’s unlawful misuse of environmental law is a backdoor attempt to undermine Texas’s oil and gas industries which help keep the lights on for America,’ Paxton said in a statement Monday. According to Texas’ complaint Monday, the federal agency made inaccurate and arbitrary assumptions about the status of the species, including relying on flawed habitat models it developed to estimate the size and viability of the lizard’s populations.” [Law360, 9/23/24 (=)]

 

Reuters | Texas Sues Biden Administration Over Lizard's Endangered Status, Cites Oil Industry Threat — “Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton sued the Biden administration on Monday for declaring the dunes sagebrush lizard an endangered species, saying the politically motivated decision could harm property owners and energy production. Paxton, a Republican, said the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service relied on faulty data and arbitrary assumptions about the lizard’s future in adopting a final rule on May 20 declaring the animal endangered. He said the move threatened private landowners’ ability to conduct business while ensuring the lizard’s survival in its large geographic range overlapping the Permian Basin, the highest-producing oil region in the United States. The lawsuit filed in the federal court in Midland, Texas, seeks to void the final rule. Paxton has filed many lawsuits challenging Biden administration policies. In a statement, he accused the Democratic administration of ‘weaponizing environmental law’ in a ‘backdoor attempt to undermine Texas’s oil and gas industries which help keep the lights on for America.’” [U.S. News & World Report, 9/23/24 (=)]

 

Ken Paxton Sues Biden Administration Over Listing Texas Lizard As Endangered — “Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton announced Monday that his office is suing the U.S. Department of the Interior, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, and Biden administration officials for declaring a rare lizard endangered earlier this year. The dunes sagebrush lizard burrows in the sand dunes in the Mescalero-Monahans ecosystem 30 miles west of Odessa — the same West Texas land that supports the state’s biggest oil and gas fields. For four decades, biologists warned federal regulators about the existential threat that oil and gas exploration and development poses for the reptile’s habitat, while industry representatives fought against the designation, saying it would scare off companies interested in drilling in the nation’s most lucrative oil and natural gas basin. In May, federal regulators ruled that the industry’s expansion posed a grave threat to the lizard’s survival when listing it as endangered.” [The Texas Tribune, 9/23/24 (=)]

 

Texas AG Ken Paxton Files Suit Against Biden Administration For Classifying West Texas Lizard As Endangered — “Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton has filed a lawsuit against the administration of President Joe Biden over an endangered lizard found in West Texas. The dunes sagebrush lizard, found in southeastern New Mexico and four Texas counties, was classified as endangered by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service in May. Typically about 2.5 inches long, the lizards are found in the Permian Basin, which is an epicenter of oil and gas production in the U.S. However, Paxton argues that this classification is improper and violates the Endangered Species Act, and says the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service failed to use the best data available when designating the lizard as endangered. He also argues that this actin would undermine important economic development in the Permian Basin, leaving industries and landowners in the area uncertain about what they can do, despite the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service saying otherwise. ‘The Biden-Harris Administration’s unlawful misuse of environmental law is a backdoor attempt to undermine Texas’s oil and gas industries which help keep the lights on for America,’ Paxton said in a statement. ‘I warned that we would sue over this illegal move, and now we will see them in court.’” [WFAA-TV, 9/23/24 (=)]

 

 

Feds, SunZia Urge 9th Circ. To Toss Power Line Challenge — “The federal government and SunZia Transmission LLC have asked the Ninth Circuit to uphold a lower court decision tossing a suit by a coalition of tribes and conservation groups challenging the government’s decision to let the company route a 520-mile power line through cultural and historical sites. In briefs submitted to the appeals court Friday, the government and SunZia argued that the tribal and conservation groups’ challenge to the U.S. Department of the Interior’s 2015 record of decision is time-barred and that the Arizona district court correctly dismissed the suit because the plaintiffs failed to show that the DOI didn’t meet its obligations under the National Historic Preservation Act. ‘Interior set the project’s final route in 2015, eight years before plaintiffs filed suit, and if plaintiffs suffered an injury from the route, they suffered it then,’ according to the government’s brief. ‘Any challenge to the project approval or the project route is time-barred by the six-year statute of limitations.’” [Law360, 9/23/24 (=)]

 

 

Clean Energy

 

GE Vernova Could Cut 900 Jobs As It Aims To Curb Offshore Wind Losses — “Dive Brief: GE Vernova, the largest wind turbine manufacturer in the U.S., could cut up to 900 jobs globally as it looks to restructure its offshore wind business, according to Sept. 19 proposal submitted to the GE Vernova European Works Council. CEO Scott Strazik told investors earlier this month that the company’s wind division faces a likely $300 million loss this quarter as a result of delays at the Vineyard Wind farm off the coast of Massachusetts, and at Dogger Bank, an offshore wind project in the U.K’s North Sea. Both projects experienced ‘blade events’ this summer, he said. Inflation, global supply chain challenges and other industry-wide issues have also contributed to the company’s decision to downsize its offshore wind unit, a company source said on Friday.” [Manufacturing Dive, 9/23/24 (=)]

 

 

Alaska

 

NOAA Sends $277M To Alaska Fisheries After Years Of Delays — “The Biden administration has released $277 million in fishery disaster aid to Alaska that was held up for years by a problem-plagued software update at NOAA. The release of long-awaited disaster assistance dollars will help communities affected by 10 disasters that contributed to the collapse of critical commercial species, including cod, crab and salmon that drive the state’s multibillion-dollar fisheries economy. Half of those disasters — including sharp declines in Copper River and Prince William Sound salmon dating to 2018 — preceded the Biden administration and were to be paid with funds already appropriated by Congress. The allocations were approved by Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo, who in February 2022 wrote to Alaska Gov. Mike Dunleavy saying that disaster aid requested as early as 2021 would be received by Alaska authorities ‘in the near future.’ More than two years after that letter and six years after the first reported disasters occurred, the money is on its way, Alaska Rep. Mary Peltola (D) confirmed Friday.” [E&E News, 9/23/24 (=)]

 

KTUU-TV | Get Your Brackets Set, It’s Time To Bet On Some Bodacious Bears — “Alaska’s favorite pastime is just weeks away, as Fat Bear Week returns to Katmai National Park and Preserve. The annual chunky championship has people vote on which bears they think will pack on the most pounds in preparation for hibernation, while simultaneously engaging the public with wildlife through the park’s webcams. Last year, nearly 1.4 million votes were cast by people in over 100 countries. The competition started in 2014 and is entering its 10th year. Katmai National Park’s visual information specialist, Sarah Bruce, said the beloved Alaska-based tradition started as a small social media competition called Fat Bear Tuesday before it grew into the March Madness-style tournament that it is today. ‘Ten years later, we have kind of been able to capture the stories of a lot of the bears over the summer,’ Bruce said. ‘It’s been really exciting to watch over the years, how it’s grown from Fat Bear Tuesday — one day in October — to an entire week where the entire nation gets involved.’” [Alaska’s News Source, 9/23/24 (=)]

 

Don't Miss Fat Bear Week 2024! Vote For Your Favorite Chunky Bear At Brooks River — “Fall is officially here, which means its nearly time for Katmai National Park and Preserve’s annual Fat Bear Week, in which fans can vote for the Alaskan bear they believe has what it takes to survive winter hibernation. The National Park Service on Monday announced that voting will be open for the tenth annual Fat Bear Week from Oct. 2 to 8 on fatbearweek.org. The March Madness-style bracket competition will begin with Fat Bear Junior voting on Sept. 26 and 27, after the bracket is revealed on Tuesday, Sept. 24. The final Fat Bear Week bracket will be revealed on Sept. 30. Alaska’s brown bears are some of the largest bears in the world, with adult males averaging 700 to 900 pounds in mid-summer, and reaching more than 1,200 pounds in the fall before hibernation. As they prepare for hibernation from late June to October, brown bears gather at Brooks River to feast on sockeye salmon, helping them store enough fat to survive winter. According to park officials, the river hosts one of the greatest salmon runs on Earth.” [Asbury Park Press, 9/23/24 (=)]

 

Arizona

 

'Little Vampires': Wildlife Agencies Release 10 Black-Footed Ferrets In Northern Arizona — “Wildlife officials released 10 endangered black-footed ferrets at Arizona’s only active ferret reintroduction site Wednesday, the latest development in a decades-long effort to save the species from extinction and create a sustainable wild population in the state. Wildlife biologists released the ferrets into abandoned prairie dog burrows in a stretch of juniper-studded prairie called the Aubrey Valley/Double O Ranch reintroduction site, located west of Seligman in northern Arizona. The animals emerged from purple and gray cat carriers, crawled through sections of black corrugated tubing and darted into their new, wild homes under the light of a full moon. All 10 of the animals are only four months old, born at the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s National Black-Footed Ferret Conservation Center in northern Colorado. At the center, FWS officials provided them with live prairie dogs to hunt and kill once every week. The 10 kits will now hunt wild prey for the first time in their lives.” [Arizona Republic, 9/23/24 (=)]

 

California

 

Californians Who Steal Water From Rivers Will Soon Be Subject To Much Steeper Fines — “Californians will soon be subject to a sharp rise in punitive fines for illegal diversions of water resources, after Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) signed a bill into law this weekend. Newsom on Sunday granted his approval to A.B. 460, which will raise potential fines for those who steal water from rivers to up to $10,000 daily. That’s 20 times more than violators had to pay two years ago, when state officials charged $4,000 — about $50 per person — when a group of Siskiyou County ranchers diverted water from Shasta River, according to CalMatters. A $50-per-person fine ‘is not precisely what I would call a deterrent,’ Analise Rivero, associate director of policy at the conservation group California Trout, told The Hill. ‘For us, this is a massive victory,’ added Rivero, whose organization co-sponsored the bill. The increased fines come as years of rising temperatures and drought driven by climate change have jeopardized California’s water supplies and species of wildlife that make their homes in the state’s waterways, leading the government to implement wide-ranging conservation measures.” [The Hill, 9/23/24 (+)]

 

Florida

 

Feds Propose Much Bigger Critical Habitat For Florida Manatee — “The federally protected Florida manatee’s designated critical habitat would double to more than 1.9 million acres under a Fish and Wildlife Service proposal floated Monday. If it survives public review, the redrawn area would become one of the largest critical habitats designated under the Endangered Species Act. It would also mark a notable victory for environmental organizations, which have pressed the Fish and Wildlife Service for years to update the existing 965,394-acre critical habitat set for the Florida manatee in 1976. ‘The Service is dedicated to the recovery and protection of manatees, which face significant threats such as declining food sources and water pollution,’ Mike Oetker, the Fish and Wildlife Service’s Southeast Region director, said in a statement. In a related move, the Fish and Wildlife Service is proposing the new designation of 78,121 acres as critical habitat for the Antillean manatee in Puerto Rico. The Florida and Antillean manatees are sub-species of the West Indian manatee.” [E&E News, 9/23/24 (=)]

 

U.S. Plan Doubles The Acres Designated As Critical Habitat For Manatees In Florida — “Revisions proposed by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service would double the critical habitat for Florida manatee in the state. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service on Monday announced a plan to more than double the critical habitat designated for manatees in Florida to 1.9 million acres. The proposed revisions also include a new designation of 78,121 acres in Puerto Rico for the Antillean manatee. In Florida, the lands affected are 34% federal, 57% state, 7% local government and 2% private. Federal permits or funding within the habitat has to be reviewed by the Fish and Wildlife Service to prevent harm to the species. Nikki Colangelo, a supervisor with the agency in Florida, said the maps benefit from decades of information gathering and data about manatees. ‘We’ve learned a lot about the areas that they’re really using and are most critical to their their survival and conservation,’ she said. The maps represent ‘the physical and biological features that are essential for their conservation.’” [Central Florida Public Media, 9/23/24 (=)]

 

Judge Keeps Alive Environmentalists’ Lawsuit Over Manatee Deaths — “A federal judge last week refused to dismiss a lawsuit brought by environmentalists that implicates the state of Florida in manatee deaths in recent years in the eastern part of the state. The Florida Department of Environmental Protection was sued by environmentalist group Bear Warriors United in 2022. The organization alleges that the state violated the Endangered Species Act by not properly regulating sewage runoff in the Indian River Lagoon, which contributed to the disappearance of seagrass and left manatees to starve and die. The state filed a motion to dismiss the lawsuit, with lawyers citing a series of concerns about standing, including that the government would not be able to grant relief in this issue. District Judge Carlos Mendoza last Wednesday denied the motion in a 30-page ruling. ‘The Court can easily conclude that if this Court were to find in favor of Plaintiff, it is likely that fewer protected manatees would be harmed by pollutive sewage,’ Mendoza wrote in the ruling.” [E&E News, 9/23/24 (=)]

 

Idaho

 

CuMo Mine Exploration Would Have No Major Environmental Effects, U.S. Forest Service Finds — “A proposed mine exploration project in mountains outside Boise is advancing toward possible approval. A 45-day objection period to the 2023 CuMo Exploration Project is open until Nov. 4. That’s after the Boise National Forest on Friday issued a decision notice and review document, finding that the CuMo project would have no significant environmental impact. Proposed by the Idaho Copper Corporation, the CuMo exploration project would be a four-year test drill, slated in an area 14 miles north of Idaho City, a small town about northeast of Boise. An analysis found the project area could have deposits of silver and critical minerals used in renewable energy, national defense and last-ditch efforts to expand drinking water availability. The decision notice isn’t approval of the project plan, Boise National Forest Forest Supervisor Brant Peterson wrote in the notice. Whether the project plan is approved relies on the company accepting measures to mitigate the project’s impacts ‘on surface resources and the posting of financial assurance to ensure reclamation for project-related disturbance,’ he wrote. The U.S. Forest Service anticipates making a decision on the project by Jan. 1.” [Idaho Capital Sun, 9/23/24 (=)]

 

Maryland

 

BOEM Proposing Additional Offshore Wind Turbines Off Ocean City — “There will be a public meeting on offshore wind on Tuesday, September 24th at the Roland E. Powell Convention Center. The Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) is holding the meeting to present plans for another set of offshore wind turbines that could be as close as 3.5 miles from the Ocean City shoreline. This is in addition to the 114 938-foot tall turbines BOEM has already approved on September 4th that would be just over 10 miles offshore. The meeting on September 24th begins at 5pm at the Roland E. Powell Convention Center. Ocean City Mayor Rick Meehan told the Talk of Delmarva that this meeting has been moved from the smaller Dockside Hall to A Hall – look for signs to direct you to the correct meeting hall. Written public comment will be accepted on the plans for this additional lease area.” [WGMD-Radio, 9/23/24 (=)]

 

Mississippi

 

Judge Dismisses Lawsuit Seeking To Protect Dolphins Along Miss. Coast — “A federal judge has dismissed a lawsuit that sought to protect dolphins along the Mississippi Gulf Coast after dozens were killed or sickened in 2019 following the prolonged opening of a spillway used for flood control. U.S. District Judge Louis Guirola Jr. ruled Wednesday that local governments and business groups that filed the civil complaint in January had no legal standing to sue. The judge said the plaintiffs, who called themselves the Mississippi Sound Coalition, failed to show they faced imminent harm. The coalition had sued the Army Corps of Engineers over its operation of the Bonnet Carré Spillway upriver from New Orleans. The spillway is used to divert Mississippi River water to lakes Pontchartrain and Borgne, after which it flows to the Mississippi Sound in the Gulf of Mexico. When the river is high, opening the spillway eases pressure on the levees that protect New Orleans. However, it also flushes pollutants and nutrients into the Mississippi Sound and reduces salinity. The coalition’s lawsuit said that polluted freshwater flowing into the gulf in 2019, when the spillway for opened 120 total days, left dead and sickened bottlenose dolphins stranded along Mississippi beaches. One expert quoted in the lawsuit said 142 sick and dead dolphins washed onshore.” [E&E News, 9/23/24 (=)]

 

Montana

 

Report Summarizes Recent Research Related To Grizzly Delisting — “Two grizzly bear experts have compiled dozens of biological findings discovered after the federal Grizzly Bear Recovery Plan was published that should be considered to help grizzly bears survive a fraught future. Two weeks ago, conservation consultant Mike Bader of Missoula and Paul Sieracki, geospatial analyst and wildlife biologist of Priest River, Idaho, released a 27-page technical report titled ‘Spatiotemporal Dimensions of Grizzly Bear Recovery’ that reviews all the grizzly bear research that has occurred since the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service published its 1993 Grizzly Bear Recovery Plan. Among other things, several studies have documented the need for grizzly bear populations to be connected across a large area of suitable habitat so the species can persist in high enough numbers to remain genetically healthy. In 1975, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service gave grizzly bears endangered species protection. But instead of designating critical habitat as the Endangered Species Act requires, the agency designated five grizzly recovery areas in the Northern Rockies and wrote a Recovery Plan based on those areas in 1993.” [Missoula Current, 9/23/24 (=)]

 

Oregon

 

Feds To Auction Off Dead Trees In The Applegate That Conservationist Says Are Healthy — “The federal Bureau of Land Management plans to auction off almost 500 acres of forestland on Thursday to log dead or dying trees. But, one conservationist says many of the trees are actually healthy. The Boaz and Forest Creek timber sales in the Applegate Valley are meant to harvest Douglas fir trees impacted by recent outbreaks of invasive beetles and drought. The Medford BLM said trees were marked for removal based on criteria developed with Oregon State University scientists to identify which trees are dead or dying. But Luke Ruediger, executive director of the Applegate Siskiyou Alliance, said a number of the areas proposed for logging don’t meet the BLM’s criteria for dead and dying trees. ‘The BLM is clearly manipulating the public’s concern around beetles to implement clearcut logging in previously controversial stands that have been opposed by the public,’ Ruediger said.” [Jefferson Public Radio, 9/23/24 (=)]

 

South Dakota

 

Video: US Forest Service Requests Withdrawal Of Land Around Pactola Reservoir From Mining Business — “Mining may soon be banned around Pactola Reservoir.” [KOTA-TV, 9/23/24 (=)]

 

Wyoming

 

Over 4,000 Acres Of Wyoming Oil And Gas Land Up For Lease In December — “In a new release, the Bureau of Land Management announced that it will be leasing a total of 4,641.95 acres of land over eight separate parcels for oil and gas production beginning with a sale Dec. 3. Scoping on these eight parcels, spread all throughout eastern and southern Wyoming, was completed by the BLM in May this year. A subsequent public comment period was open until August regarding potential deferrals, environmental concerns and analysis and the parcels themselves, according to the BLM. This process refined the total list of parcels from 14 to eight, with some being deferred and others being completely deleted. The total proposed acreage also went from 6,762.47 acres to the final 4,641. Environmental concerns are especially relevant as a federal court last week blocked the BLM and the U.S. Department of the Interior from issuing permits to companies who had already purchased stakes in a separate energy field the size of Delaware in the Powder River Basin on the grounds that the BLM overestimated the amount of necessary groundwater required for drilling. Those companies had already purchased their leases in the area and were looking for permits to drill.” [Oil City News, 9/23/24 (=)]

 

Biden’s BLM Puts Up 159 Acres For Oil And Gas Lease Sale, Record Low For Wyoming — “Wyoming is about to hit another record low for new oil and gas leases, with the upcoming auction Wednesday offering just 159 acres. It’s a small number with enormous implications for the future of oil and gas in the Cowboy State. Kirkland Oil and Gas Landman Steve Degenfelder will be among those participating in what he expects to be a very short, 8-minute sale. He’s been on the front lines in Wyoming fighting against the Biden administration’s war on oil and gas. Tracking the disquieting drop-off in oil and gas lease acres is part of his job. ‘I’m very disappointed as an explorationist, but I’m just as disappointed as a citizen of the state,’ he told Cowboy State Daily. ‘This is going to hurt the state. It’s already hurting the state, in fact, because Wyoming gets a share of each of these lease sales.’” [Cowboy State Daily, 9/23/24 (-)]

 

 

Gulf of Mexico

 

Oil Firms Evacuating US Gulf Of Mexico Staff As Major Hurricane Looms — “U.S. oil producers were scrambling on Monday to evacuate staff from Gulf of Mexico oil production platforms as the second major hurricane in two weeks was predicted to tear through offshore oil producing fields. The U.S. National Hurricane Center said a potential Tropical Cyclone in the Caribbean was expected to rapidly intensify over the gulf’s warm waters and could become a major hurricane with winds of up to 115 miles per hour (185 kph) by Thursday. The storm, which would be called Helene, could hit the U.S. as a category 3 hurricane on the Saffir-Simpson wind scale, bringing the ‘risk of life-threatening storm surge and damaging hurricane-force winds’ to the northeastern Gulf Coast and Florida Panhandle, according to the NHC. Oil companies BP (BP.L), opens new tab, Chevron (CVX.N), opens new tab, Equinor (EQNR.OL), opens new tab and Shell (SHEL.L), opens new tab, have begun evacuating offshore staff, and several have paused some production.” [Reuters, 9/23/24 (=)]

 

 

Op-Ed: Mountain Lions Are Our Natural Allies — According to Dan Ashe, “I’ve hunted practically as long as I can remember, pursuing small game, upland birds, waterfowl, and deer, elk and caribou. It’s been a lifelong passion, and helped shape my values as a career wildlife conservation professional in the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. I was privileged to lead America’s 570-unit National Wildlife Refuge System, the world’s largest system of lands and waters dedicated to wildlife conservation, at nearly 1 billion acres. And I was honored to be nominated by President Barack Obama and confirmed by the U.S. Senate as the 16th director of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, serving as director for nearly six years. I readily admit, I’ve never been much for so-called ‘trophy hunting,’ the subject of Proposition 127. Especially so, when the animals are chased to exhaustion by commercial outfitters, using dogs and GPS tracking, and then shot by a ‘hunter,’ while perched helplessly in a tree. It violates a foundational value for ‘fair chase’ that I was taught as a child. I was also taught that hunting is a form of harvest, yielding ‘free range’ delicacies that reconnect us to the land and water. Part of that connection is a learned respect for the game we hunt, not desire to dominate or eliminate them.” [Colorado Newsline, 9/24/24 (+)]

 

 

 

RESPONSES TO THIS EMAIL ARE NOT MONITORED

 

 

To be added to the People over Polluters (POP) listserv to receive clips and other postings, please contact:

 

LAUREN LANTRY – Senior Director, Arc Initiatives (She/Her)

(laurenlantry@team-arc.com)

 

 

For any other questions or comments, please contact:

 

MITCH DUNN – Director of Media Monitoring and Analysis, Beehive Research (He/Him)

(mitch@beehivedc.com)

 

 

***