Public Lands Clips: February 10, 2025

 

 

Trump recognizes Feb. 9 as first ever ‘Gulf of America Day’. “President Trump announced that Sunday was the first ever ‘Gulf of America Day,’ following an executive order that set in motion the process of changing the name of the Gulf of Mexico. The president signed a proclamation on Sunday and had the flight crew announce that Air Force One was passing over the newly renamed gulf when it flew from Palm Beach, Fla., to New Orleans. Trump made the trip on Sunday to attend the Super Bowl. The proclamation declares ‘February 9, 2025, as Gulf of America Day,’ adding, ‘I call upon public officials and all the people of the United States to observe this day with appropriate programs, ceremonies, and activities.’ Trump signed an executive order on Inauguration Day, giving the Department of the Interior 30 days to take ‘all appropriate action’ needed to facilitate the name change. He pledged to rename the Gulf of Mexico during his inaugural address, resurfacing a proposal he floated during a wide-ranging press conference during the transition.” [The Hill, 02/09/25 (=)]

 

Trump establishes Gulf of America Day after first flyover of newly renamed area. “President Donald Trump announced on Sunday that Feb. 9, 2025, will be Gulf of America Day after flying over the area for the first time since its renaming on his way to the Super Bowl. In a White House statement, Trump pointed to his executive order titled ‘Restoring Names That Honor American Greatness’ that directed Interior Secretary Doug Burgum to rename the Gulf of Mexico to the Gulf of America, saying it ‘has long been an integral asset to our once burgeoning Nation and has remained an indelible part of America.’ The president added that it is ‘fitting and appropriate for our great Nation to come together and commemorate this momentous occasion and the renaming of the Gulf of America.’ In footage of the proclamation signing posted on X, Trump called the day ‘even bigger than the Super Bowl.’” [Washington Examiner, 02/08/25 (=)]

 

 

Senate

 

Senators urge Burgum to halt impending ‘chaos’ at national parks. “GREENWIRE | Twenty-two leading Democratic senators are warning President Donald Trump’s newly minted Interior secretary, Doug Burgum, that the administration’s effort to dramatically shrink the federal workforce could cripple the National Park Service just as millions of visitors descend on public parks for the summer season. A hiring freeze ordered by Trump — which NPS insiders and observers say recently resulted in the halting of at least some seasonal job offers — could deal a blow to the park service’s ranks, especially if combined with his offer to the entire federal workforce to resign and receive administrative leave pay for several months, wrote Sen. Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.) and 21 other lawmakers in a Friday letter. ‘If a significant number of National Park Service employees take one of the offers — or further terminations are made — park staffing will be in chaos,’ they warned Burgum. A federal judge Thursday temporarily blocked the resignation payout offer, setting a hearing date for Monday afternoon on a lawsuit brought by federal employee unions seeking to block the effort.” [Politico, 02/07/25 (+)]

 

Murray, Cantwell among senators sounding the alarm on national park staffing decisions. “A group of senators is sounding the alarm about the potential impacts of the Trump Administration’s federal hiring freeze on the country’s national parks after seasonal employment offers were revoked. Washington’s Democratic Sens. Maria Cantwell and Patty Murray were among 21 senators who signed a letter Friday urging Interior Secretary Doug Burgum to step in and reissue offers to seasonal National Park Service employees that were revoked last month. Seasonal staff at national parks handle a wide variety of responsibilities, including cleaning bathrooms, staffing visitor centers and guiding tours. The letter says seasonal staffers ‘had offers in their hands that were yanked away just days after the inauguration,’ and that the loss of those employees could mean big problems at national parks this summer. ‘Without seasonal staff during this peak season, visitor centers may close, guided tours will be cut back or altogether cancelled, emergency response times will drop, and visitor services like safety advice, trail recommendations, and interpretation will be unavailable,’ the letter reads.” [The Idaho Spokesman-Review, 02/07/25 (=)]

 

Dems say they are open to shutting down government to oppose Trump ‘if we have to’. “WASHINGTON – Some Congressional Democrats say they are open to shutting down the federal government in March over the Trump administration’s moves to dismantle government programs and agencies. Federal government funding expires on March 14. To avoid a painful shutdown, Congress will need to pass legislation designating new spending level or extend current ones. For the last two years, the Republican-controlled House has needed Democrats to pass funding extensions as several conservatives oppose them. ’They should not count on that this time around,’ Sen. Andy Kim, D-N.J., said on NBC’s Meet the Press on Sunday. ’If we have to take steps to be able to hold (the Trump administration) accountable, use the leverage that we have to force it, I cannot support efforts that will continue this lawlessness that we’re seeing when it comes to this administration’s action.’ ... During a government shutdown, all government functions that are not deemed essential are put on hold and non-essential workers are furloughed without pay until government reopens. National parks would be closed to the public, Food and Drug Administration food safety inspections could be delayed, agencies would largely not be allowed to issue new loans, and there could be disruptions to passport and visa services.” [USA Today, 02/10/25 (=)]

 

Senate lines up votes on Kennedy, Lutnick, Rollins. “E&E DAILY | The Senate is preparing to vote in the coming days on Commerce nominee Howard Lutnick, Agriculture pick Brooke Rollins, and Health and Human Services nominee Robert F. Kennedy Jr. Democrats continued their blockade of nominees Thursday following the confirmation of Russell Vought to lead the Office of Management and Budget. But Republicans remained united through several procedural votes to overcome the minority’s efforts to protest contentious picks like Kennedy and Tulsi Gabbard and the Trump administration’s steps to gut several agencies and pause appropriated money. ‘My goal was to make sure every one of President Trump’s nominees got confirmed,’ Senate Majority Whip John Barrasso (R-Wyo.) told POLITICO. Vice President JD Vance has been a major part of the equation, meeting with senators concerned about picks like Kennedy and Gabbard, up for director of national intelligence.” [Politico, 02/10/25 (=)]

 

Graham’s budget blueprint pushes energy lease sales, repeals methane fee. “A budget blueprint released Friday by Senate Budget Chair Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) lays the groundwork for a party-line reconciliation bill that aims to spur U.S. energy development by eliminating a fee on methane leaks and auctioning off access to more federal land and water for oil and gas production. The budget resolution that Graham aims to mark up in committee next week is a first step in enacting President Donald Trump’s legislative agenda and sets topline instructions for committees on the revenue and spending targets for border, defense and energy measures. The bill would require the Energy and Natural Resources and Environment and Public Works committees to each find ways to cut $1 billion over ten years from programs they oversee. In a press release, Graham says the reconciliation bill — details of which still need to be negotiated among Republicans — would begin ‘unleashing American energy production’ by holding lease sales for fossil fuel exploration and repealing the Inflation Reduction Act’s methane emissions fee.” [Politico, 02/07/25 (=)]

 

Senators proposing new wildfire agency. “A bipartisan group of senators introduced legislation Thursday that would create a new Wildfire Intelligence Agency, seeking to streamline the federal response to fires. The bill, led by Sens. Alex Padilla (D-Calif.), Tim Sheehy (R-Mont.), John Hickenlooper (D-Colo.) and Steve Daines (R-Mont.), came in the wake of recent blazes that decimated parts of Southern California, primarily in the Los Angeles region. ‘The scale of the wildfire crisis demands a singular, whole-of-government wildfire intelligence center to foster cross-agency collaboration and save lives,’ Padilla wrote in a statement. The joint office would share information with the Department of Agriculture, the Department of Commerce and the Department of the Interior, according to the legislation. ‘Wildfires don’t care about state lines or forest service boundaries,’ Hickenlooper said. ‘A centralized wildfire intelligence center will speed our response to fires and promote cross-agency collaboration to tackle them.’” [The Hill, 02/07/25 (+)]

 

House

 

House passes bill to prevent fracking moratorium. “GREENWIRE | The House approved legislation Friday to prevent the president from enacting a moratorium on hydraulic fracking for oil and gas. H.R. 26, the ‘Protecting American Energy Production Act,’ passed in a 226-188 vote, with 16 Democrats joining Republicans in advancing the bill. The measure, sponsored by Texas Republican August Pfluger, would prohibit presidents from declaring a moratorium on fracking without congressional authorization and declares a ’sense of Congress’ that states regulate the oil and gas drilling practice. The legislation is largely symbolic, as President Donald Trump is near certain to protect fracking. President Joe Biden was also a supporter of the practice. Still, Republicans depicted the bill as a necessary response to Biden administration energy policies. The measure was one of the first that Republicans prepared to kick off the 119th Congress. ‘My legislation that’s being considered today is a necessary first step in reversing Biden’s war on energy and preventing the federal government from banning the use of hydraulic fracturing,’ Pfluger said during floor debate.” [Politico, 02/07/25 (=)]

 

Fracking bill passes house. “The House passed H.R. 26 (119), the ‘Protecting American Energy Production Act,’ on Friday to prohibit the president from unilaterally placing a moratorium on the use of fracking. The largely symbolic measure passed by a 226-188 vote, with 16 Democratic lawmakers joining.” [Politico, 02/10/25 (=)]

 

Republicans to pick apart Biden offshore drilling plan. “E&E DAILY | A House Natural Resources subcommittee will question energy executives and advocates this week on the Republicans’ quest to increase offshore drilling and reverse Biden administration limits. Leaders in both chambers have said more drilling on federal land and waters would help raise the revenue necessary for offsetting deep Republican tax cuts in budget reconciliation legislation. Part of that plan, lawmakers have said, is reversing at least part of President Joe Biden’s order to block offshore drilling on more than 600 million acres. ‘Reductions in new leasing artificially increases the cost to produce for operators, raises consumer costs, and decreases American energy independence,’ said a memo about the hearing. ‘Restrictions on domestic offshore drilling pushes private investment to foreign nations, leading to job losses in the U.S., diminished revenues for Gulf Coast States (GCS) and increases global emissions,’ it said. The Republican majority will direct particular scorn at the Biden administration’s five-year offshore leasing plan, the smallest in history.” [Politico, 02/10/25 (=)]

 

Hearing to focus on ‘ill-advised’ Biden public land actions. “E&E DAILY | A House Natural Resources subcommittee this week will highlight the Bureau of Land Management’s multiple-use mandate and moves by President Donald Trump to fully restore it after Republicans say the Biden administration undermined it with conservation-minded policies. The Federal Lands Subcommittee hearing will target ‘unpopular national monument expansions, restrictive resource management plans, and other ill-advised policies’ and their impacts, according to information provided by Republican staffers on the Natural Resources Committee. Rep. Tom Tiffany (R-Wis.) is chair of the subcommittee. BLM’s Conservation and Landscape Health Rule, commonly referred to as the public lands rule, will be a major point of discussion during the hearing, which will not focus on any specific bills, according to the GOP information. That rule, implemented in June, places conservation on par with livestock grazing, energy development, mining and other uses of bureau rangelands. Critics have said the rule’s intent is to restrict grazing and other uses on bureau rangelands.” [Politico, 02/10/25 (=)]

 

House Passes Bill Blocking Presidents From Banning Oil, Gas Drilling. “Why can’t all bills be as short as H.R. 26? H.R. 26 is the ‘Protecting American Energy Production Act.’ It’s simple, too. No future president can block oil and gas drilling without Congress’s approval: SEC. 2. Protecting American energy production. (a) Sense of Congress.—It is the sense of Congress that States should maintain primacy for the regulation of hydraulic fracturing for oil and natural gas production on State and private lands. (b) Prohibition on declaration of a moratorium on hydraulic fracturing.—Notwithstanding any other provision of law, the President may not declare a moratorium on the use of hydraulic fracturing unless such moratorium is authorized by an Act of Congress. Sixteen Democrats voted for the bill.” [Legal Insurrection, 02/07/25 (-)]

 

House appropriators dig into US-Mexico water spat. “E&E DAILY | Farming advocates and a Texas congresswoman will testify before a House Appropriators subcommittee this week about the impact of persistent water shortages on their livelihoods, as lawmakers weigh how to require Mexico to meet its own water obligations to the U.S. The House National Security and Department of State Appropriations Subcommittee (formerly State-Foreign Operations) will meet Tuesday to discuss frustrations with the 1944 Water Treaty, under which the United States and Mexico share water from the Rio Grande and Colorado River. The panel will focus on Mexico’s looming shortfall on deliveries of flows from the Rio Grande to Texas farmers, which total more than 1.3 million acre-feet ahead of an October deadline. Under the 1944 treaty, Mexico is supposed to send an average of 350,000 acre-feet of water annually to the United States. The flows are tallied on five-year cycles, for a total of 1.75 million-acre feet. An acre-foot of water is equal to about 326,000 gallons, or enough to fill a football field to a depth of 1 foot. It can support two to three families for a year.” [Politico, 02/10/25 (=)]

 

 

 

Firefighter Hiring Stalls at Federal Agencies After Trump’s Freeze. “The hiring of thousands of federal firefighters has stalled amid a governmentwide freeze ordered by President Trump, just as agencies were beginning to ramp up staffing for the summer wildfire season, according to a firefighters’ union. The executive order issued by Mr. Trump hours after his inauguration stated that the freeze exempted ‘public safety’ positions. Yet federal firefighters in recent weeks have had their job offers rescinded or had their start dates pushed back as a handful of agencies worked to clear up confusion about the freeze or secure exemptions from it, said Steve Gutierrez, a spokesman and member of the National Federation of Federal Employees, a union that represents roughly 15,000 federal firefighters. Federal agencies that hire firefighters include the U.S. Forest Service, the Bureau of Land Management, the National Park Service and the U.S. Department of Fish and Wildlife. ‘My phone has been ringing off the hook,’ Mr. Gutierrez said. ‘These men and women are fighting fire since January only to be slapped in the face. It doesn’t give them confidence that the federal government is going to take care of them.’” [The New York Times, 02/07/25 (+)]

 

CNN | Trump’s federal hiring freeze halts onboarding of federal firefighting crews ahead of wildfire season. “(CNN) — The federal hiring freeze implemented by President Donald Trump has affected the hiring of a crucial group of federal workers: firefighters. The freeze comes at a critical time, when fire departments across the country would typically onboard thousands of seasonal federal firefighters in preparation for wildfires in the spring and summer. ‘It’s going to be really bad, really quick,’ said Ben McLane, a federal hand crew captain and board member with Grassroots Wildland Firefighters. ‘We’re going to have a lack of personnel when fire season gets going,’ McLane told CNN on Friday. ‘The precedent that we’ve seen over the last few decades at this point is making us pretty certain that it’s going to be a big fire season again.’ The federal hiring freeze, initiated through one of the executive orders the president signed on his first day in office, dictates that no new federal civilian positions can be created and no vacant positions can be filled.” [WXOW-TV, 02/09/25 (=)]

 

Pre-Trump hiring freeze putting strain on Forest Service. “Thinner federal budgets could affect national forests in New Mexico as the U.S. Forest Service grapples with a truncated workforce. In January, an executive order from new President Donald Trump put a freeze on most federal hiring. But even before Trump took office, the Forest Service was already working under an employment freeze on seasonal and temporary workers, with the exception of seasonal firefighters. According to the Center for Western Priorities, that could mean around 2,400 seasonal jobs nationwide that will no longer be filled. In September, an email was sent out to the Southwest regional team announcing a ‘difficult change’ around temporary and seasonal hiring.” [The Santa Fe New Mexican, 02/08/25 (=)]

 

 

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA)

 

Trump team weighs drastic cuts to NOAA staff. “CLIMATEWIRE | The Trump administration is looking to halve the NOAA workforce, say two former officials of the agency, a member of Congress and a congressional staff member. The draconian cut, they say — which would reduce the number of NOAA employees from about 12,000 to 6,000 — threatens to cripple an agency that provides climate and weather information across the U.S. economy. ’The goal is to just crush [it] with a hammer, hard blows, and shrink that federal workforce,’ said Craig McLean, who served as the assistant administrator of NOAA Research until he retired in 2022 after a 40-year career at the agency. ’There really isn’t any consideration about what the mission impact is.’ NOAA’s products include the National Weather Service and the National Hurricane Center. It manages the nation’s fisheries. Its free streams of data are widely used by scientists, governments and businesses around the globe. NOAA also is one of the world’s leading climate science agencies, which has long made it a target for conservatives and the fossil fuel industry.” [Politico, 02/07/25 (=)]

 

Huffman demands probe of DOGE’s ‘illegal’ NOAA actions. “E&E NEWS PM | House Natural Resources ranking member Jared Huffman on Friday demanded Chair Bruce Westerman conduct oversight into Elon Musk’s incursion into NOAA. Musk and President Donald Trump’s so-called Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) entered NOAA earlier this week, according to Democratic lawmakers who said they received reports of DOGE operatives in several of their offices. Democrats fear that NOAA could be next on DOGE’s chopping block after it effectively annihilated the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) earlier this week. They also fear that DOGE going in could end with Musk, the owner of SpaceX and Starlink, in control of a privatized National Weather Service. It comes as DOGE continues to run through scores of agencies in Washington at lightning speed, gaining access to key information systems and sidelining federal employees. In urging Westerman to act, Huffman said in a letter that DOGE’s actions at NOAA, including threats of mass layoffs and apparent intimidation, are illegal.” [Politico, 02/07/25 (=)]

 

 

Video: U.S. Energy Secretary Chris Wright: LNG exports will lower natural gas prices. “U.S. Energy Secretary Chris Wright discusses Japan’s plans to increase imports of U.S. LNG on ’The Claman Countdown.’” [Fox Business Network, 02/09/25 (-)]

 

 

Burgum’s promise to Interior: No more ‘soul-suckingly boring’ work. “E&E NEWS PM | Interior Secretary Doug Burgum assured his staff in a speech earlier this week that the administration’s efforts to streamline the department will make their jobs better. ‘I believe that the work you are doing, you chose to do it because you believed it had purpose,’ Burgum said, striking an uplifting tone after arriving at the Interior Department on Monday, according to a partial video of the speech shared on the social media site X. He said: ‘I also know that there’s a chunk of your job that you are doing today that is probably mind-numbingly, soul-suckingly boring.’ He continued: ‘Our job is to find those pieces of your job and make them go away. We’re cutting red tape not just for Americans, but we want to cut it for all of you, so you can work on the stuff, the reason why you chose the field that you did.’” [Politico, 02/07/25 (=)]

 

Bureau of Land Management (BLM)

 

Western governors pleased sage grouse plans in Trump’s hands. “GREENWIRE | Interior Secretary Doug Burgum’s order this week signaling the agency wants to reopen greater sage grouse management plans developed by the Biden administration was a victory for Western Republican governors who delayed them until President Donald Trump took office. The governor’s offices in Wyoming and Montana, which collectively oversee tens of millions of acres of grouse habitat, celebrated the new approach, which included Burgum’s secretarial order signed Monday titled ’Unleashing American Energy’ that directed Interior assistant secretaries to develop plans to revisit the sage grouse blueprint devised by the Biden-era Bureau of Land Management, and suggest potential ways to reopen and possibly redo them. In Wyoming, which is home to nearly a third of the sage grouse population, Republican Gov. Mark Gordon’s office told POLITICO’s E&E News this week that state officials are working with the new administration on potentially significant changes to the plans covering millions of acres of federals lands there. In a separate statement Thursday, Gordon praised Burgum’s secretarial order as it relates to greater sage grouse management, as well as other issues like coal mining, calling it ‘a refreshing change of direction,’ and taking some of the credit for it.” [Politico, 02/09/25 (=)]

 

Bureau of Reclamation (USBR)

 

Trump admin extends environmental review of Columbia River dams. “GREENWIRE | The Trump administration is pushing back a review into how dams on the Columbia River system could be operated to benefit endangered salmon and steelhead population, extending a deadline set under the previous White House by nearly two months. In a joint statement Thursday night, both the Army Corps of Engineers and the Bureau of Reclamation announced a new May 9 deadline for a supplemental environmental impact statement focused on 14 dams on the waterway. Related public meetings are also being rescheduled to take place in April, instead of next week. ’This extension will allow additional time to receive vital public input and engagement on this important topic,’ the agencies said in the statement. The deadline had been in March. ’USACE and Reclamation are committed to transparency and meaningful public participation, and both agencies are still available to discuss the SEIS and provide information related to this process.’” [Politico, 02/07/25 (=)]

 

Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS)

 

Climate-smart farming review hits home for Rollins, Perdue. “GREENWIRE | Agriculture Department officials reviewing the agency’s $3.1 billion in grants for climate-smart farming may soon face a curious choice: whether to snub their own boss’s alma mater. Texas A&M University, where Agriculture secretary nominee Brooke Rollins graduated with an agriculture degree, is a major participant in USDA’s climate-smart commodities program, working with a nearly $65 million grant to produce and market farm goods in ways that cut down on greenhouse gas emissions. Rollins, on what appears to be a smooth path to Senate confirmation, touts her credentials as an Texas A&M ‘Aggie’ — an official term owing to the school’s agricultural roots — and has said she’ll make the interests of farmers a top priority if confirmed. She grew up in agriculture, active in 4-H and the FFA, which used to be called Future Farmers of America.” [Politico, 02/07/25 (=)]

 

National Park Service (NPS)

 

These 13 national monuments may be ‘at risk’ of losing federal protections, advocates warn. “The Department of Interior is exploring ways to use federal lands for energy production, and national park advocates worry that could put some park sites at risk. Citing an executive order by President Donald Trump encouraging ‘energy exploration and production on Federal lands and waters,’ Interior Secretary Doug Burgum ordered the department’s assistant secretaries to review current oil, gas and mining on public land and submit an action plan this month on ways to reduce ‘barriers to the use of Federal lands for energy development,’ ‘offer more parcels of the public land for oil and gas leasing’ within the limits of existing law, and more. ... Aztec Ruins National Monument (New Mexico) Baaj Nwaavjo I’tah Kukveni National Monument (Arizona) Bears Ears National Monument (Utah) Devils Tower National Monument (Wyoming) Dinosaur National Monument (Colorado, Utah) Grand Canyon–Parashant National Monument (Arizona) Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument (Utah) Hovenweep National Monument (Colorado, Utah) Jewel Cave National Monument (South Dakota) Natural Bridges National Monument (Utah) Scottsbluff National Monument (Nebraska) Sunset Crater Volcano National Monument (Arizona) Vermillion Cliffs National Monument (Arizona)” [USA Today, 02/07/25 (=)]

 

Interior Secretary’s new order sparks concerns over national monument protections. “Environmentalists say that a new order issued this week by the new Interior Secretary puts national monuments at risk. On Monday, Interior Secretary Doug Burgum issued a Secretarial Order, prompting an internal review of agency actions related to oil, gas, and mining regulations on public lands. The order requires all assistant secretaries to submit an action plan within 15 days, outlining how to comply with President Trump’s Executive Order, Unleashing American Energy. ‘Our focus must be on advancing innovation to improve energy and critical minerals identification, permitting, leasing, development, production, transportation, refining, distribution, exporting and generation capacity of the United States,’ Burgum wrote, ‘to provide a reliable, diversified, growing, and affordable supply of energy for our nation.’ Daniel Hart, director of clean energy and climate resiliency policy for the National Parks Conservation Association (NPCA) says the move puts national monuments designated under the Antiquities Act at risk– landmarks like Chiricahua or Montezuma Castle National Monuments.” [azpm.org, 02/07/25 (=)]

 

The Interior secretary is calling for a review on federal land protections. What will this target? “As one of his first in-office moves this week, Interior Secretary Doug Burgum is calling for the review and potential rollback of protections on federal lands, including national monuments. The Center for Biological Diversity Southwest Director Taylor McKinnon said the order targets both national monuments and mineral withdrawals, federal land policies that block new mining claims on public land, on more than 900,000 acres of protected land, including the recently established Baaj Nwaavjo I’tah Kukveni, or Ancestral Footsteps of the Grand Canyon, National Monument. ‘It puts both Baaj Nwaavjo I’tah Kukveni National Monument potentially on the chopping block,’ said McKinnon, ‘and also its underlying withdrawal that provides for 20 years of protection.’ Amber Reimondo, the Grand Canyon Trust’s energy director on Baaj Nwaavjo I’tah Kukveni, said even just assessing the land’s mining potential isn’t ideal.” [KJZZ-Radio, 02/07/25 (=)]

 

 

Wright defends DOGE ‘kids’ at Energy Department. “GREENWIRE | Energy Secretary Chris Wright said Friday that staffers at the Department of Energy brought in from the so-called Department of Government Efficiency do not have security clearances, dismissing suggestions that DOGE is accessing nuclear secrets or ‘anybody’s proprietary information.’ ‘We’ve got some young kids … think young gun management consultants … coming in to take a critical look at how things are run,’ Wright told CNBC’s Brian Sullivan on ’Squawk on the Street.’ ‘I’ve heard these rumors. They’re like seeing our nuclear secrets and all that. None of that is true at all. They don’t have security clearances.’ Musk was a major financier to President Donald Trump’s campaign. Atop DOGE, he’s sought to crack down on federal staffing and funding, taking particular aim in recent days at the U.S. Agency for International Development, where work has largely shut down. On Friday, Wright said the DOGE staffers are ‘friends in Elon’s broader circle that are very good at IT and very good at systems.’” [Politico, 02/07/25 (=)]

 

 

Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA)

 

Kristi Noem: ‘Get rid of FEMA the way it exists today’. “CLIMATEWIRE | Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem said she supports the idea of getting ‘rid of FEMA’ as part of President Donald Trump’s massive overhaul of the federal government. ’I would say, yes, get rid of FEMA the way it exists today,’ Noem said on CNN’s ‘State of the Union’ on Sunday. ‘We still need the resources and the funds and the finances to go to people that have these types of disasters, like Hurricane Helene and the fires in California, but you need to let the local officials make the decisions on how that is deployed.’ Trump said he would consider shuttering the Federal Emergency Management Agency during a Jan. 24 visit to western North Carolina — an area devastated by Hurricane Helene last fall. He said state governments should handle disasters and, that same day, signed an executive order establishing a council to review the agency. Cameron Hamilton, Trump’s appointee as acting administrator of the agency, has championed Republican falsehoods that accuse FEMA of depleting its disaster aid, including blocking shipments to North Carolina after Hurricane Helene.” [Politico, 02/07/25 (=)]

 

Kristi Noem says she would recommend Trump ‘get rid’ of FEMA. “Homeland Security Secretary Kristi L. Noem said Sunday that she would recommend to President Donald Trump that he ‘get rid of FEMA the way it exists today’ and allow local officials to have more say about how federal aid is used after disasters. ‘We still need the resources and the funds and the finances to go to people that have these types of disasters, like Hurricane Helene and the fires in California,’ Noem, whose department oversees the Federal Emergency Management Agency, said on CNN. ‘But you need to let the local officials make the decisions on how that is deployed, so it can be deployed much quicker.’ The Trump administration has been weighing the future of the disaster relief, and The Washington Post has reported that a small team from Elon Musk’s U.S. DOGE Service has gained access to sensitive data to carry out a review of FEMA’s grants. Noem’s comments are similar to what Trump said last month after touring communities in North Carolina and California that were devastated by floods and wildfires.” [The Washington Post, 02/09/25 (=)]

 

Elon Musk’s agents have gained access to FEMA’s sensitive disaster data. “Less than two weeks after President Donald Trump said his administration would consider making the Federal Emergency Management Agency ‘go away,’ representatives of Elon Musk’s U.S. DOGE Service were at the agency and reviewing the grant programs it uses to help communities prepare for and respond to disasters, according to four current and two former FEMA officials. The presence of DOGE, or Department of Government Efficiency, at FEMA has caused uncertainty and confusion, raising fears that Trump could soon follow through on his pledge to dismantle the agency, as his administration is doing with the U.S. Agency for International Development. According to the officials, a small team that does not have security clearance has access to FEMA’s network, which contains the private and sensitive information of tens of thousands of disaster victims. For example, FEMA officials said that on Feb. 5, Edward Coristine, a 19-year-old former college student who goes by the moniker ‘Big Balls’ online and now works for Musk, was given a FEMA badge. The officials, like others interviewed for this report, spoke on the condition of anonymity because of fears of professional retaliation.” [The Washington Post, 02/09/25 (=)]

 

 

U.S. Agency for International Aid (USAID)

 

Trump could remake USAID to promote fossil fuels. “CLIMATEWIRE | The Trump administration’s dismantling of the U.S. Agency for International Development may be the first step in a broader plan to use foreign aid as a support system for fossil fuels. Since taking office, President Donald Trump has put a 90-day freeze on most foreign assistance, ordered an end to diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) programs, and deployed Tesla CEO Elon Musk to slash federal agencies and personnel. It’s all in line with Project 2025, the policy handbook produced by the Heritage Foundation with input from more than 100 conservative organizations. The administration’s attempts to entirely dismantle USAID — led by unelected billionaire Musk — go beyond what Project 2025 proposed. Musk has said he is ’feeding USAID into the woodchipper,’ and the Trump administration has moved to fold the agency into the State Department. A federal judge Friday temporarily blocked the Trump administration from putting thousands of the agency’s employees on leave.” [Politico, 02/07/25 (=)]

 

 

Trump EPA admin Zeldin visits Asheville, talks riverfront debris, pollution, businesses. “ASHEVILLE - In his first visit to Asheville since being confirmed, Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Lee Zeldin said his office is focusing on making the ’air, land, water safer and healthier and cleaner’ in Western North Carolina, but it would not pursue regulating businesses or buildings that are placed in the floodplain that contributed to the pollution of local waterways after Tropical Storm Helene hit in September. Zeldin’s visit to the River Arts District capped off a busy week for the newly confirmed EPA admin. On Feb. 3, Zeldin visited East Palestine, Ohio, where a massive toxic train derailment forced evacuations in 2023, and then Zeldin visited the Palisades in Los Angeles, where wildfires rapidly spread in early 2025, burning over 37,000 acres and killing at least 29, before traveling to Asheville. In Western North Carolina, the EPA’s role is primarily responding to oil spills and damaged wastewater treatment facilities, Zeldin said. Both could pose long-term challenges and discussions about where local cities and towns place public and private resources, along with how they’ll recover those resources.” [The Asheville Citizen-Times, 02/10/25 (=)]

 

 

Trump Killed a Major Report on Nature. They’re Trying to Publish It Anyway. “The draft was almost ready for submission, due in less than a month. More than 150 scientists and other experts had collectively spent thousands of hours working on the report, a first-of-its-kind assessment of nature across the United States. But President Trump ended the effort, started under the Biden administration, by executive order. So, on Jan. 30, the project’s director, an environmental scientist named Phil Levin, sent an email telling members of his team that their work had been discontinued. But it wasn’t the only email he sent that day. ‘This work is too important to die,’ Dr. Levin wrote in a separate email to the reports’ authors, this one from his personal account. ‘The country needs what we are producing.’ Now key experts who worked on the report, called the National Nature Assessment, are figuring out how to finish and publish it outside the government, according to interviews with nine of the leading authors.” [The New York Times, 02/10/25 (+)]

 

 

How environmental groups are battling the 1st actions of the Trump administration. “Environmental nonprofits are gearing up to challenge some of the actions President Donald Trump has issued since taking office. There is litigation coming for the majority of the executive orders Trump has signed so far that affect the environment, conservation and decarbonizing the economy, several nonprofits told ABC News. Environmental lawyers are also on standby for any directives issued in the future that could violate existing environmental laws, according to several sources familiar with the lawsuits already being prepared against the Trump administration. ... Trump began his second term as president by signing a slew of executive actions, including an order that attempts to revoke action taken by President Joe Biden in the last weeks of his term to ban all future offshore oil and natural gas drilling on America’s East and West coasts, the Eastern Gulf of Mexico and Alaska’s North Bering Sea. While Trump immediately vowed to reverse the ban when it was signed on Jan. 6, that could prove difficult. The law Biden invoked, the Outer Continental Shelf Lands Act, was written so a presidential action under its authority is permanent -- providing legal precedent to ensure it stands, several environmental lawyers told ABC News, describing Trump’s move as illegal.” [ABC News, 02/08/25 (+)]

 

 

Alaska

 

Trump says U.S. and Japan ‘talking’ about Alaska energy. “ENERGYWIRE | President Donald Trump said Friday that Japan will soon import ’historic new shipments’ of U.S. liquefied natural gas, seemingly touting the potential of the state’s long-delayed and unbuilt natural gas pipeline. ‘We’re talking about the pipeline in Alaska, which is the closest point of major oil and gas to Japan, by far,’ Trump said during a press conference with Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba. ‘We’re talking about a joint venture of some type between Japan and us having to do with Alaska oil and gas and it’s very exciting.’ Trump didn’t offer details Friday about his proposal, and the Japanese embassy in the United States did not respond to questions from POLITICO’s E&E News. But Trump’s comments were welcomed by the Alaska Gasline Development Corp., or AGDC, a state corporation that’s working on a cross-state pipeline and liquefied natural gas export project. Federal energy regulators gave the $44 billion Alaska LNG project a green light almost five years ago, but the effort has faced legal challenges and difficulty securing firm commitments from buyers.” [Politico, 02/10/25 (=)]

 

Arizona

 

’Fewer and smaller monuments’: Republicans seek to limit the use of Antiquities Act. “When he established northern Arizona’s Baaj Nwaavjo I’tah Kukveni – Ancestral Footprints of the Grand Canyon National Monument in 2023, Joe Biden became the latest of nine presidents who have established national monuments in Arizona. Now, he could become the last president to establish a monument anywhere in the country. Republicans have introduced two bills in Congress that would end the president’s authority to create national monuments, while the new Interior secretary has moved on executive action that could open 18 of Arizona’s existing monuments to mining and drilling. … For supporters of national monuments, the efforts represent an attack on the public lands that most residents of the western United States hold dear. ‘President Trump and Secretary Burgum are headed down the wrong path with this monument review,’ Center for Western Priorities Executive Director Jennifer Rokala said in a statement. ‘They should stop now, before they upset millions of Westerners by illegally reducing or eliminating national monuments.’” [The Arizona Republic, 02/10/25 (+)]

 

California

 

California Democrat slams Trump water release order as harmful ‘PR stunt’. “A Southern California Democrat blasted President Trump on Thursday for ordering a release of water in the state’s Central Valley, describing the move as both wasteful and destructive to the region. ‘When you solve for the wrong problem, not only do you not get the solution, you can cause harm,’ Rep. Ted Lieu (D) said at a session of the House Committee on the Judiciary focused on ‘California Fires and the Consequences of Overregulation.’ ‘Donald Trump has it in his mind that somehow there’s a spigot in Northern California, and he’s going to open a valve and dump water to Southern California,’ added Lieu, who serves the South Bay and Westside areas of Los Angeles. The congressman was referring to Trump’s order last week to release billions of gallons of water from two lakes in California’s agriculture-rich Tulare County — with the purported goal of dousing fires that were already contained and located about 100 miles away.” [The Hill, 02/07/25 (+)]

 

Utility says its equipment may have started a small blaze that erupted during January’s LA firestorm. “LOS ANGELES (AP) — A California utility said Thursday that its equipment may have sparked a small wildfire in Los Angeles that broke out the same day as two massive blazes in the area that killed at least 29 people and destroyed thousands of homes. Southern California Edison said the Los Angeles Fire Department is investigating the cause of the Hurst Fire and believes the utility’s equipment caused the blaze, which did not destroy any structures or cause any deaths. In a required filing with state utility regulators, SCE said ‘absent additional evidence, SCE believes its equipment may be associated with ignition of the Hurst Fire.’ In a second filing, the utility said it is looking into whether an idle transmission line became energized and possibly sparked the deadly Eaton Fire, which also sparked Jan. 7 devastated Altadena. But it still maintains there’s no evidence that its equipment was responsible for starting that blaze.” [Associated Press, 02/07/25 (=)]

 

Op-Ed: The Los Angeles wildfires are finally contained, but Californians still aren’t safe. According to Judith Enck and Heather McTeer Toney, “The Los Angeles fires have been devastating, and the health consequences for residents, first responders and those handling the cleanup are not yet fully understood. The smoke may be temporary, but toxic air pollution is an ever-present danger with effects that linger for generations. Historically, the image of West Coast firefighters is battling large forest fires when mostly trees are burned. But the LA fires have created an entirely different risk; as homes and buildings burn in Los Angeles, so does the plastic inside of them. This includes insulation, flooring, vinyl siding, paint, decking and PVC pipes, just to name a few. All of that plastic contains chemicals that become dangerous when burned and released into the air, water and soil. Residents are experiencing not only the tragedy of what is in the fire, but also the serious health effects found in the air pollution and ashes left behind. ... At the same time, there’s been a 761 percent increase in the number of buildings destroyed in California wildfires. These wildfires in urban areas are becoming much more common as previously less dense areas get developed and hot temperatures and drought conditions fueled by climate change get worse. With more buildings on fire comes more plastic burning.” [The Hill, 02/06/25 (+)]

 

Colorado

 

Despite Trump’s anti-public lands stance, Colorado advocates still hope to protect Dolores River. “The concept of giving federal land to the states is not new, but the incoming administration’s stances have likely renewed vigor in the movement, said Devin O’Dea, the western policy and conservation manager at Backcountry Hunters and Anglers. The state actions serve as a public relations campaign against federal public lands, he said. ‘Legislators are emboldened perhaps to take another bite at the apple again,’ he said. The anti-public lands movement has not reached the mainstream political culture in Colorado, public lands advocates said. ‘Colorado thankfully sees its public lands as an asset,’ said Kate Groetzinger, the communications director for the Colorado-based Center for Western Priorities. ‘Colorado is in a good place to protect its public lands, which is more than we can say for other Western states.’” [The Denver Post, 02/09/25 (+)]

 

Solar projects proposed for BLM land in 21 Road area. “The Bureau of Land Management is considering two competing solar power project proposals that each would involve nearly 3,000 acres in the 21 Road area near Grand Junction.” [The Grand Junction Daily Sentinel, 02/08/25 (=)]

 

What will Trump’s “Unleashing American Energy” mean for Colorado, nation? “The mantra of ‘drill, baby, drill’ could become reality if President Donald Trump’s executive orders succeed in ramping up oil and gas production in Colorado and nationwide, a goal of industry supporters and a fear for advocates of public lands and renewable energy. Trump declared an energy emergency he said the previous administration created by pursuing ‘a precariously inadequate and intermittent energy supply,’ a broadside at the increasing deployment of renewable energy. But it’s unclear if the U.S., the world’s leading producer of oil and natural gas, will see stepped-up drilling even with Trump’s push for more. Analysts note the industry has been more focused in recent years on cash flow rather than more flows from wells. And environmental organizations said Coloradans and other Westerners have consistently supported conservation of public lands and protections for air, water and wildlife in the face of increased development.” [The Denver Post, 02/08/25 (+)]

 

New Mexico

 

For your radar. “Former Interior Secretary Deb Haaland is teeing up an announcement this week, amid reports she’ll launch a bid for governor of New Mexico. The former secretary was the first Native American to join a president’s Cabinet and would be the first Native American governor of any U.S. state, should she run and be elected.” [Politico, 02/10/25 (=)]

 

Legislation seeks to raise royalty rates in the high-production areas of the Permian Basin. “Oil and gas royalty rates could increase in premium parcels on state trust lands in the Permian Basin, if state legislation passes. SB 23, which cleared its first committee on Thursday, would increase the rates oil and gas producers pay to extract oil from the top producing parts of the Permian Basin. This could bring in up to $75 million in revenue for the state’s land grant permanent fund, according to the fiscal impact report. The legislation cleared the Senate Conservation Committee on a 5-3 vote The higher royalty rates would only apply to new leases and would not impact existing leases. Because production doesn’t typically begin until a couple years after new leases are signed, the increase in revenue will not be seen until fiscal year 2028, at the earliest. Under SB 23, the top royalty rates charged on new leases in the top-producing parts of the Permian Basin would be between 20% and 25%.” [NM Political Report, 02/07/25 (=)]

 

Santa Fe New Mexican | New Mexico State Land Office Confident Royalty Rate Hike Will Prevail With Senate Finance Leader’s Support. “State Land Commissioner Stephanie Garcia Richard is optimistic her yearslong effort to raise New Mexico’s oil and gas royalty rate on the top tracts of land is finally poised for success. The current legislative session marks the fourth time in recent years her agency has advocated for royalty rate increases, which she says are falling behind private land leases and neighboring states like Texas — costing the state tens of millions of dollars each year. Garcia Richard stopped leasing the states prime oil and gas tracts in March, after the Legislature failed to pass an increase on royalty rates in 2024. The vast majority of the best tracts already have been leased. Senate Bill 23 would raise the royalty rate on some of the state’s most valuable parcels — the amount oil producers pay on the value of oil or gas removed from the land — to 25% from its current ceiling of 20%. It cleared its first hurdle Thursday with a 5-3 vote of approval by the Senate Conservation Committee. Notably, SB 23 is sponsored by Sen. George Muñoz, D-Gallup, chair of the powerful Senate Finance Committee, which literally holds the state’s purse strings. That committee is the measure’s next stop before it reaches the Senate floor.” [Los Alamos Daily Post, 02/10/25 (=)]

 

South Dakota

 

Teddy Roosevelt is getting a climate-friendly presidential library. “Transcript: President Teddy Roosevelt left behind an extensive environmental legacy, from creating the U.S. Forest Service to protecting the Grand Canyon. Now Roosevelt’s presidential library is being built in North Dakota – and honoring the Republican president with climate-friendly design features. Jenn Carroll is the library’s sustainability manager. Carroll: ‘With T.R.’s history being the conservation president, we felt like continuing that legacy was extremely important for our mission.’ Native grasses planted on the roof will help insulate the building. Geothermal wells will provide low-energy heating and cooling. Solar panels will generate the library’s electricity. And water will be filtered and reused for toilets and irrigation. The library is set to open next year, with programs to teach visitors about these sustainable design features and Roosevelt’s environmental legacy.” [Yale Climate Connections, 02/07/25 (+)]

 

Wyoming

 

Senate advances resolution to transfer federal lands to state. “In a reversal on Thursday, Feb. 6, the Wyoming Senate reconsidered its rejection of SJ0002 (SJ2), a resolution that demanded the U.S. Congress to dispose of all federally-owned lands, except Yellowstone National Park, to the state. In a vote of 16 to 15, the state legislature narrowly passed the resolution to transfer nearly all of Wyoming’s public lands. Teton County Representative Mike Yin told Buckrail on Friday, Feb. 7, that Senator Ogden Driskill of Devils Tower flipped the vote on the Senate Joint Resolution 2, ‘Resolution demanding equal footing,’ which covers approximately 30 million acres in Wyoming, after initially opposing the action. According to the Wyoming Legislative Service Office (WLSO), the federal government owns 50.6% of the total area within the state. This land includes Grand Teton National Park, eight national forests, Devils Tower National Monument, the Thunder Basin National Grassland and 18.4 million acres of Bureau of Land Management (BLM) public lands.” [Buckrail, 02/07/25 (=)]

 

Gordon and Officials Pleased with Order to Review, Revise Rock Springs RMP. “ROCK SPRINGS –– An order that aims to unleash American energy was issued Wednesday will have impacts in our backyard is being celebrated locally. The order signed by new Secretary of the Interior Doug Burgum calls for the review and appropriate revision of the Bureau of Land Management’s proposed resource management plan and final environmental impact statement for the Rock Springs Field Office. It calls for a similar review and revision of the proposed resource management plan amendment and final environmental impact statement for greater sage-grouse rangewide planning, which also impacted BLM-administered land in western Wyoming. Gov. Mark Gordon praised the order in a statement. Advertisement - Story continues below... ‘Secretary Burgum’s Order is a refreshing change of direction,’ Gordon said. ‘It recognizes the state’s priorities, encourages responsible development of our domestic energy resources, and reduces the unilateral regulatory burdens placed on Wyoming’s oil, gas, and coal industries by the previous administration. The Secretary and I talked about this order before it was issued and I am pleased that he included my recommendations.’” [SweetwaterNOW, 02/08/25 (-)]

 

 

Analysis

 

New Trump energy, environment chiefs vow to promote oil and gas. “The new secretaries of the US Energy and Interior departments and the administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) vowed to achieve President Trump’s vision for ‘American energy dominance’ by prioritizing most energy sources (except wind and solar), slashing regulations, quickly approving LNG permits, streamlining and fast-tracking permitting, gutting greenhouse gas regulations, and allowing greater access to develop oil and gas on federal lands and waters. New Department of Energy (DOE) chief Chris Wright, former Liberty Energy president, promised to boost energy production, rather than seek to lower greenhouse gas emissions, he said in a statement Feb. 6, 2025. ‘Net-zero [carbon future] policies raise energy costs for American families and businesses, threaten the reliability of our energy system, and undermine our energy and national security,’ he said, adding that the policies have also achieved ’precious little in reducing global greenhouse gas emissions.’ ... New Interior Secretary Doug Burgum Feb. 3, 2025, issued six executive orders designed to execute Trump’s energy vision by maximizing domestic energy production and making it faster and easier for companies to drill on federal lands. The former North Dakota governor’s orders detail how the Interior Department (DOI) intends to enact Trump’s day-one executive orders.” [Oil & Gas Journal, 02/07/25 (-)]

 

Misc. Opinions

 

Op-Ed: Beware the Trojan Horse targeting public land. According to Ben Long, “One more value is worth pointing out. Even if these public lands don’t have houses on them, public lands are being used. Undeveloped canyons help control floods. Open lands provide habitat for wildlife—not just rare species—but also the deer and elk we like to hunt and the birds we like to watch. Public lands are valuable for recreation that’s good for our souls and are the goose that lays the golden egg for many rural economies. The bottom line is that this debate has virtually nothing to do with the price of homes, which are high for a complex mix of reasons ranging from local growth policies, wealth disparity, and high interest rates. There’s a shortfall of millions of homes nationwide, but most of the demand simply isn’t where the public lands are. The BLM already has a process to liquidate lands when it needs to or when it makes sense. There is no screaming need for reform of that process, even if there is a screaming need for affordable housing. To a local eye with any perspective, it’s clear that the argument to sell public lands for housing is a Trojan horse to take public lands out of public hands.” [writersontherange.org, 02/07/25 (+)]

 

 

 

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