Interior Secretary Zinke issues order on big game migration corridors. “Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke visited Utah for the third time in less than a year on Friday, issuing a secretarial order to improve conservation and coordination of big game migration and winter range corridors in 11 Western states. In a crowded exhibition hall at the Salt Palace Convention Center, Zinke detailed the importance of preserving habitat and boosting coordination among states so ‘our kids and our kids’ kids’ can enjoy the legacy of the outdoors and big game forged by sportsmen before them.” [Deseret News, 2/9/18 (=)]
Trump’s Interior Secretary announces wildlife initiative with hunting benefits, as protesters in Salt Lake City slam his public-lands policies. “The Center for American Progress called Zinke’s announcement an attempt to ‘apply some bureaucratic window dressing to cover up the damage he’s done.’ ‘If Secretary Zinke were serious about increasing America’s wildlife populations, he would stand by Western governors’ protections for sagebrush country, restore public input on drilling decisions, and stand up for America’s national monuments and wildlife refuges instead of selling them out,’ Kate Kelly, public lands director for the center, a public policy research group, said in an email.” [Salt Lake Tribune, 2/9/18 (=)]
AP | Interior secretary touts effort to improve big-game habitat. “The Center for Western Priorities, a conservation group, acknowledged that it’s important to plan for wildlife migration but noted that Zinke has inflicted major damage to lands by supporting the oil industry and recommending reductions to national monuments. ‘We won’t allow the secretary and his staff to greenwash this abysmal record with meager policy crumbs,’ group deputy director, Greg Zimmerman, said in the statement.” [ABC News, 2/9/18 (=)]
Group alleges sage grouse farm received special treatment from feds. “An oilman’s desire to breed the imperiled sage grouse at his northern Wyoming bird farm found preferential treatment with the Interior Department, an environmental group argued recently citing documents gathered from a recent public records request. Western Values Project obtained a series of emails between federal officials and prospective sage grouse-farmer Diemer True regarding his captive breeding trial. It is a controversial approach to conserving the bird and would be the first of its kind in the West. True’s correspondence with the Interior in July coincided with a review of the federal sage grouse management program. The following month, the Interior published a report mentioning support for captive breeding.” [Caspar Star Tribune, 2/11/18 (=)]
Hill wary of proposed Interior ‘maintenance’ fund. “As Congress readies a major legislative push on infrastructure, top lawmakers are keeping a cautious eye out for a Trump administration proposal to tackle the growing maintenance backlog on public lands by tapping federal oil and gas revenues. The White House is poised to release its infrastructure plan today, the same day it unveils its fiscal 2019 budget request (see related story). The maintenance plan, which surfaced last month in a draft six-page administration document, calls for the creation of an ‘Interior Maintenance Fund’ that would be funded by ‘additional revenues from the amounts due and payable to the U.S. from mineral and energy development on federal lands and waters’ (E&E News PM, Jan. 22).” [E&E News, 2/12/18 (=)]
Conservation funding, public lands bills face review. “A House panel Thursday will consider several bipartisan wildlife conservation and public lands bills. But the House Natural Resources Subcommittee on Federal Lands hearing will give members more than just a chance to tout measures that enjoy both Democratic and Republican support. Some modest debate over funding priorities and firearms could ignite. Two of the bills — H.R. 2591, by Rep. Austin Scott (R-Ga.), and H.R. 4647, by Rep. Jeff Fortenberry (R-Neb.) — would amend the existing Pittman-Robertson Wildlife Restoration Act.” [E&E News, 2/12/18 (=)]
Zinke met Israeli energy boss who called Arabs a ‘cancer’. “Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke met with a far-right former Israeli politician who heads an oil and gas company that experts say is violating international law and U.S. policy. The Sept. 14, 2017, meeting between Zinke and Efraim ‘Effie’ Eitam, a nationalist ex-Israeli member of its parliament, the Knesset, and known for anti-Arab sentiments, appeared on the Interior chief’s public calendar. Eitam leads Afek Oil and Gas, which has drilling operations in the Golan Heights, a disputed territory that the international community has explicitly said does not belong to Israel.” [E&E News, 2/9/18 (=)]
Ads blast Zinke over energy strategy. “The National Wildlife Federation today urged Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke to reconsider his agency’s energy dominance strategy, arguing in a pair of full-page newspaper ads that the scheme values ‘short-term profits’ from extraction over hunters and anglers. The conservation group purchased ads in both The Salt Lake Tribune and Deseret News as Zinke visits Salt Lake City today to meet with Gov. Gary Herbert (R) and attend the Western Hunting & Conservation Expo. The ad features images of sportsmen in the Rio Grande del Norte National Monument in New Mexico, Bears Ears National Monument in Utah, South Platte River in Colorado and Bureau of Land Management lands in Wyoming.” [E&E News, 2/9/18 (+)]
Methane gets a fresh look as Trump scraps rules. “Trump’s Interior Department soon will issue a final rule to officially roll back the Bureau of Land Management’s methane control regulations from the Obama administration.” [Washington Examiner, 2/12/18 (=)]
Trump administration plan would roll back environmental reviews covering use of public lands. “The Interior Department’s Bureau of Land Management has finalized a set of recommendations that would overhaul the way it permits energy exploration and other activities on public land by streamlining environmental reviews, according to a document obtained by The Washington Post. The Sept. 27 report — which was issued in response to a March 27 memo from Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke, but never publicly released — amounts to a blueprint for how the Trump administration plans to expedite extractive activities on 245 million acres of public land and 700 million acres of the mineral estate below the surface.’ [Washington Post, 2/8/18 (=)]
Taggers hit Utah’s Capitol with Bears Ears message. “Police say two people were caught on video vandalizing the state Capitol early Saturday morning. ‘Solidarity with Bears Ears’ was painted across a roughly 20-foot stretch of the building’s east side in red lettering. Sgt. Brady Zaugg, spokesman for the Utah Highway Patrol, which provides security at the Capitol, said there were also two anarchist symbols. Zaugg said surveillance footage shows two suspects approach about 12:45 a.m. Saturday and paint the political message.” [Salt Lake Tribune, 2/10/18 (=)]
Udall moves to protect national monuments. “Udall introduced a bill into the Senate that would reaffirm and enhance protections for national monuments and the procedures for altering them. President Donald Trump ordered a review of recent and large national monuments during his first months in office, and in late 2017 shrunk two controversial monuments by nearly 90 percent, a move criticized by Udall, some tribes and environmental groups.” [Taos News, 2/9/18 (+)]
Calif. Desert National Monuments Turn 2 Amid Development Concerns. “Two years ago today, President Barack Obama created three new national monuments in the California desert: called Mojave Trails, Sand to Snow and Castle Mountains. Supporters held a community event to celebrate, noting that tourism to the area has increased significantly, as people come to see Joshua Tree National Park and then, go on to explore the new monuments. Breanne Dusastre, marketing director for 29 Palms Inn, says the desert has unique natural, cultural and historical significance.” [Public News Service, 2/12/18 (+)]
Votes set on 3 bipartisan bills. “The House Natural Resources Committee will mark up a trio of measures Wednesday, including legislation to honor a slain civil rights leader. Mississippi Democratic Rep. Bennie Thompson’s H.R. 4895 would designate Medgar Evers’ former Jackson, Miss., home as a national monument and a new unit of the National Park Service. The home is operated as a museum by Tougaloo College and became a National Historic Landmark last year. It is also listed on the National Register of Historic Places (Greenwire, Jan. 31).” [E&E News, 2/12/18 (=)]
Bears Ears: Sleigh Bells singer Alexis Krauss defends National Monument. “Alexis Krauss is making music for Bears Ears. Krauss, a Manasquan native, is best known as the ferocious lead singer of the riotous, Brooklyn-based pop-rock duo Sleigh Bells. Joined by a musical outfit known as the Our Land Collective, in January Krauss unveiled ‘Our Land,’ a folksy protest anthem with a very serious mission.” [Ashbury Park Press, 2/9/18 (+)]
Zinke Trades Barbs With Protesters Over Shrunken Monuments. ”Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke pushed back against accusations that he reduced two national monuments in Utah to pave the way for mining and oil and gas companies during an outdoor exposition in Salt Lake City on Friday. ‘In terms of Bears Ears, there wasn’t one square inch removed from federal protection,’ Zinke said, saying much of the land will revert to federal management prior to former President Barack Obama’s designation in 2016.” [Courthouse News Service, 2/9/18 (=)]
AP | Lawmakers Seek Firmer Stance Against Drilling off Georgia. “While the governor sticks to cautious, measured responses to President Donald Trump’s proposal to expand oil drilling into waters off Georgia and its coastal neighbors, a bipartisan group of lawmakers wants the Georgia legislature to formally denounce the energy plan as a threat to tourism and fishing. Republican Gov. Nathan Deal, serving his last year in office, stands alone among governors of 22 coastal U.S. states in that he’s refrained from taking a firm stand for or against Trump’s plan to let private companies drill in federal waters currently off-limits to oil exploration.” [U.S. News, 2/11/18 (=)]
‘No is never no’: Drilling foes say Florida still in play. “Supporters and opponents of oil drilling closer to Florida’s shoreline refused Thursday to accept U.S. Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke’s declaration that the state wouldn’t be part of a White House plan to expand exploration. The federal Bureau of Ocean Energy Management held the only Florida open house on a proposed five-year program to open more waters to oil and gas exploration. But participants in competing press conferences doors away at a Tallahassee hotel agreed on one thing: Zinke’s stance on a Florida exemption isn’t final.” [Tampa Bay Times, 2/9/18 (=)]
Interior says $160 oil won’t help most areas; industry differs. “Record high oil prices aren’t likely to attract significant oil and gas drilling in the vast majority of U.S. offshore areas targeted in the Trump administration’s recent draft five-year oil and gas leasing plan. According to an Interior Department report, even if oil prices climbed to $160 per barrel, little or no oil is likely to be pumped from the offshore Straits of Florida, the Oregon/Washington outer continental shelf areas or 10 of the 14 Alaska planning areas identified in Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke’s 2019-24 leasing program. Oil prices of $100 to $160 per barrel could boost extraction in the nation’s most promising fields in the central and western Gulf of Mexico and Alaska’s Chukchi and Beaufort seas.” [E&E News, 2/9/18 (=)]
In shift, Rep. Harris says he opposes drilling off Maryland's coast, but supports it elsewhere. “After previously saying he supports President Donald Trump’s plans to expand offshore drilling, Rep. Andy Harris is opposing such energy projects off Maryland’s coast because of opposition in Ocean City and other communities. Last month, the Trump administration unveiled its plans to expand drilling off the coast of California, in the Arctic and along the Eastern Seaboard, from Maine to Florida. At the time, the proposal drew criticism from Democrats as well as Republicans, including Gov. Larry Hogan.” [Baltimore Sun, 2/9/18 (+)]
Battle over public lands shifts to D.C. as Flake, Gosar push for sale in La Paz County. “Less than two weeks after state lawmakers attacked federal ownership of public land in Arizona, members of the state’s congressional delegation turned their attention to the issue in Washington, D.C. Sen. Jeff Flake, R-Ariz., testified Wednesday before the Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources about a bill he sponsored aimed at turning federal land in rural La Paz County over to local officials, potentially opening it to energy exploration. Lawmakers from Western states often square off over how much land the federal government should control in their own states. In January, representatives in the Arizona Legislature introduced a bill that could authorize the state to join a Utah lawsuit over federal ownership of public lands.” [Arizona Republic, 2/10/18 (=)]
BLM director in Nevada leaving for firefighting post. “The director of the Bureau of Land Management in Nevada is leaving to take over as the bureau’s top man at the National Interagency Fire Center in Boise, Idaho. John Ruhs announced his departure in an email to BLM staff members Friday. Ruhs has served as state director since September 2015, when he was appointed to the post by Neil Kornze, national director of the BLM under former President Barack Obama.” [Las Vegas Review-Journal, 2/9/18 (=)]
Exploratory Mining Plan Near Mount St. Helens Moves Forward. “The Forest Service has given its consent for exploratory mining on public land near Mount St. Helens. The Canadian mining company Ascot USA wants to take 63 rock-core samples in Washington’s Gifford Pinchot National Forest, which involves creating 2-3 inch boreholes down into the earth. The company is testing for valuable mineral deposits – including copper and gold. According to Forest Service findings, the exploratory drilling would result in no significant environmental impact. The total area of the project is about 900 acres, but the drill sites would disturb less than a quarter acre.” [Oregon Public Broadcasting, 2/9/18 (=)]
Gov. Doug Ducey signs order to keep Grand Canyon open in future government shutdowns. “After two government shutdowns in less than a month, Gov. Doug Ducey issued an executive order Friday to keep the Grand Canyon open should Congress fail to pass a spending bill again. In a release, Ducey cited ‘continued dysfunction in Washington, D.C.’ and announced the Grand Canyon Protection Plan.” [Arizona Republic, 2/9/18 (=)]
AP | Wyoming legislation seeks conservation fee at Yellowstone. “A proposal introduced in the Wyoming Legislature advocates for imposing a fee at Yellowstone National Park to help pay for wildlife conservation efforts in the states surrounding the park. Sublette County Rep. and cattleman Albert Sommers, the proposed resolution’s primary sponsor, said the idea is to generate money for the states of Wyoming, Montana and Idaho to deal with issues like wildlife collisions, large-carnivore conflicts and preserving migration routes.” [Spokesman-Review, 2/10/18 (=)]
NV Groups Challenge Interior Secretary To Protect Public Lands. “Western hunters and anglers are using a speaking engagement by Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke in Salt Lake City to send a message to do more to protect public lands in the west. Full-page ads in the Deseret News and Salt Lake Tribune include the tag line ‘Protect the land and you protect everything that comes with it.’ On Thursday, United States Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke was in Nevada, helping clear trash from public land near Las Vegas that’s been used for target practice. On Friday, Zinke is in Salt Lake City to give a speech, where hunter, anglers and conservation groups are running full-page newspaper ads to send him a message.” [CBS Las Vegas, 2/9/18 (+)]
In Duluth, more opposition to PolyMet mine. “At the first public hearing in Aurora Wednesday, on Minnesota’s Iron Range, PolyMet enjoyed near unanimous support. But Thursday night in Duluth was a different story. There were lots of PolyMet supporters in blue T-shirts and hats. But this time opponents of the project, waving orange bandannas, dominated the comment period. ‘We believe this process has failed in fundamental ways, especially with respect to downstream communities,’ said J.T. Haines with the group Duluth for Clean Water.” [MPR News, 2/9/18 (=)]
Reorganization of Interior Department could result in a Grand Junction office. “The Interior Department’s reorganization plans for three of its agencies still could include moving Bureau of Land Management personnel to Grand Junction. ‘More under this administration than any other administration, it’s highly likely,’ Mesa County Commissioner Scott McInnis, a six-term congressman, said of relocating the BLM headquarters. ‘I think we’ve got a great chance’ to land the agency, McInnis said, acknowledging that there will be in-state competition for the headquarters. ‘There will be competition, as if Denver doesn’t have enough going on right now,’ McInnis said.” [Grand Junction Daily Sentinel, 2/12/18 (=)]
Moffat County BOCC proposes resolution in support of moving BLM headquarters to Grand Junction. “The Moffat County Board of County Commissioners is putting a resolution on the table in support of moving the headquarters of the Bureau of Land Management from Washington D.C. to Grand Junction. U.S. Sen. Cory Gardner (R-CO) has introduced a bill that would authorize moving the BLM to one of the following western states: Alaska, Arizona, California, Colorado, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, New Mexico, Oregon, Utah, Washington or Wyoming. The BLM manages a combined 385,000 square miles in those states. Republican U.S. Rep. Scott Tipton introduced a similar measure in the House, and three Democrats signed on as co-sponsors: Reps. Kyrsten Sinema, of Arizona, and Jared Polis and Ed Perlmutter, of Colorado.” [Craig Press, 2/11/18 (=)]
Op-Ed: Veterans depend on national monuments. Zinke should leave them alone. “My hope is that the president and secretary will stop attacking our outdoor heritage. Americans, including its veterans, have relied on our national monuments and other protected public lands for peace, solitude, recreation and more. Our leaders should listen to those who fought for this country in defense of our fellow Americans' liberties. That includes keeping our monuments open and accessible to all.” [Oregonian, 2/9/18 (+)]
Op-Ed: I joined the Marines to fight for the best of America — including the public lands that Trump should be protecting not attacking. “It is a new year, and members of the House of Representatives and Senate have returned to Washington for the 2nd session of the 115th Congress. My hope, along with many other veterans who have relied on our national monuments and other protected public lands for peace, solitude, recreation and more, is that the president and Zinke will stop attacking our outdoor heritage. Our leaders should listen to its citizens, including those who fought for this country in defense of its fellow Americans’ liberties. That includes keeping our monuments open and accessible to all. The attacks on our monuments must stop.” [Salt Lake Tribune, 2/10/18 (+)]
Op-Ed: Select the Worst Trump Minion. “Secretary of the Interior Ryan Zinke is well known for his enthusiasm for fossil fuel drilling. But even some of his fans were a little perplexed when he announced a policy for expanding offshore oil and gas drilling, and then abruptly added that there would be an exception for … Florida. Think it was all about Mar-a-Lago? You can contemplate that, or the fact that taxpayers paid $6,000 to helicopter Zinke to a critical appointment going horseback riding with Mike Pence.” [New York Times, 2/9/18 (+)]