U.S. Interior Sec. Ryan Zinke to deliver keynote address at ND Republican convention. “U.S. Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke will deliver the keynote address during the North Dakota Republican state convention this weekend in Grand Forks, state GOP Chairman Rick Berg said Tuesday, April 3. Zinke was a Republican congressman from Montana before joining President Donald Trump’s Cabinet. His speech is scheduled for early Saturday afternoon at the Alerus Center. North Dakota Republicans emphasized Zinke’s tenure in Congress. In a news release, the state GOP said he has been a ‘champion’ for agriculture, small business, easing regulations and veterans affairs.” [Grand Forks Herald, 4/3/18 (=)]
Oversight Dems seek hearings on Trump officials’ travel controversies. “Democrats on the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee are asking the panel’s GOP chairman to convene hearings on recent controversies over taxpayer-funded travel by Trump administration officials. Rep. Elijah Cummings (Md.), the committee’s top Democrat, wrote to Chairman Trey Gowdy (R-S.C.) Tuesday to complain that some federal agencies and officials aren’t complying with a September request sent to 25 agencies inquiring about official travel costs. Trump officials like Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Administrator Scott Pruitt, Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin, Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke and former Health and Human Services Secretary Tom Price have come under fire over the last year for taxpayer-funded travel, including frequently flying first class or using charter or military aircraft.” [The Hill, 4/3/18 (=)]
A fierce opponent of the Endangered Species Act is picked to oversee Interior’s wildlife policy. “Susan Combs, a former Texas state official who compared proposed endangered species listings to ‘incoming Scud missiles’ and continued to fight the Endangered Species Act after she left government, now has a role in overseeing federal wildlife policy. Combs was selected by Interior Department Secretary Ryan Zinke as acting secretary for fish, wildlife and parks. Zinke made the move after his bid to make her an assistant secretary for policy, management and budget stalled in the Senate. The nomination has been on hold since July because of opposition from Republicans and Democrats for various reasons.” [Washington Post, 4/4/18 (=)]
National parks to rethink plan to hike entrance fees after widespread anger. “Swift would not comment on the details of the changes under consideration, writing that the plan was ‘still being reviewed and not yet finalized’. The Washington Post, which first reported the story on Monday, said there was fear inside the interior department that a steep fee increase might cause visitation to drop. ‘It seems to be par for the course at the interior department to shoot first and ask questions later,’ says Aaron Weiss, media director at the Center for Western Priorities, a conservation organization based in Colorado. ‘We are glad that interior is realizing what a terrible idea it would be to hike entrance fees by that amount. It would hurt American families and have a harmful effect on overall attendance at national parks.’” [Guardian, 4/3/18 (+)]
AP | Election Commission Seeks Details on PAC Once Tied to Zinke. “Federal election officials are asking a political fundraising committee formerly affiliated with U.S. Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke to explain why it didn’t initially disclose more than $600,000 in contributions. The Federal Election Commission on Sunday set a May 7 deadline for representatives of SEAL PAC to clarify the discrepancy between a report submitted last July and an amended version filed Jan. 31. Zinke spokeswoman Heather Swift said Tuesday the former Navy SEAL hasn’t been affiliated with the organization for more than a year and was not with it when the reports were produced.” [U.S. News, 4/3/18 (=)]
Anti-offshore drilling measures fail, but coastal Georgia lawmakers vow to keep trying. “Despite a bipartisan effort led by Savannah area lawmakers, Georgia still has no official state stance opposing offshore drilling. State Sen. Lester Jackson, D-Savannah, and State Rep. Carl Gilliard, D- Garden City, sponsored resolutions that asked the General Assembly to express its support for Georgia’s fishing and coastal tourism industries, extensive salt marsh and marine mammals, as well as opposition to offshore oil and gas exploration. Neither measure made it out of its respective chamber before the end of the 2018 Legislative Session last week.” [Savannah Morning News, 4/3/18 (+)]
U.S. waters poised for new activity after years of downturn. “Another offshore drilling rig left the U.S. Gulf of Mexico last week, leaving just 12 active rigs, according to data by Baker Hughes, a General Electric company. But that’s about to change. Experts say companies are gearing up for a wave of higher upstream investment spending that’s poised to favor offshore deepwater oil and gas frontiers. The rosier outlook is coming from the companies themselves, said Ajit Thomas, a researcher with the industry monitoring firm 1Derrick. Research shows that major oil companies are planning to drill far more offshore wells than they had during the past three downturn years, a positive sign for struggling offshore rig contractors.” [E&E News, 4/4/18 (=)]
DOJ's Calif. lawsuit could affect Utah land transfers. “Center for Western Priorities Deputy Director Greg Zimmerman suggested that Utah lawmakers may want to kill the effort entirely in the wake of Sessions’ comments. ‘A small number of extremist lawmakers in the West have been arguing that the U.S. government has an obligation to dispose of U.S. public lands into state and private hands. Attorney General Jeff Sessions is putting this harebrained policy proposal to rest,’ Zimmerman said. Zimmerman noted that under the Constitution, the property clause gives sole authority over federal lands to Congress. ‘Only Congress — not Utah, not California, not Oregon nor Nevada — has the authority to transfer or sell off America’s parks and public lands,’ he added.” [E&E News, 4/3/18 (+)]
Walker abandons push for $10M ANWR survey, instead asks for statewide 911 call center. “Gov. Bill Walker is abandoning a push to spend up to $10 million on oil and gas survey work in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. In a Monday letter to the co-chairs of the Alaska Legislature’s House and Senate finance committees, Walker asked that his $10 million budget request be changed: $8.3 million of the request should go to a new statewide 911 call center envisioned by Walker, and $1.5 million should go to the trans-Alaska natural gas pipeline project.” [Juneau Empire, 4/3/18 (=)]
Op-Ed: Trump’s monumental deception unravels. “Bears Ears and Grand Staircase contain priceless cultural and wilderness riches that are the very definition of what the Antiquities Act was designed to protect. This sandstone landscape is undeniably valuable and beautiful – and it belongs to all of us. Efforts to convince the federal government to preserve Bears Ears date to the 1930s. Our national monuments were never meant to be held hostage by self-interested politicians. Their treasures are the birthright of generations of Americans, offering us a window into the past and holding our wild heritage into the future. Now, it’s up to Congress and the courts to protect what should have always been protected.” [The Hill, 4/3/18 (+)]
Op-Ed: Of Course Zinke Doesn't Care About Diversity. “Dan Smith is now the highest-ranking white dude at the Park Service—and of course he is. Before this, he was best known for allowing an NFL owner to improve his view by cutting down trees on federally protected land. That was until last week, when Smith became the focus of an Interior Department investigation for allegedly grabbing his nether regions and pretending to urinate on the walls of the same hallways where Zinke is presumed to be pissing on diversity. ‘I can think of no one better equipped to help lead our efforts to ensure that the National Park Service is on firm footing to preserve and protect the most spectacular places in the United States for future generations,’ Zinke said in a release about Smith’s promotion. Ah, the sweet sound of transparency.” [Outside Online, 4/3/18 (+)]
Editorial: Zinke an unexpected ally for Cascade grizzlies. “This is why grizzly bears should return to the North Cascades: The bears were native to the region, as they were throughout much of the West, until hunted here to near extinction in the late-1800s. Since then, the ecosystem has been without an important part of its ecology. The North Cascade’s forests are less without them. Zinke made this point himself. ‘The loss of the grizzly bear in the North Cascades would disturb the ecosystem and rob the region of an icon,’ he said. Give Zinke credit for coming to the Mount Baker-Snoqualmie National Forest’s headquarters in Sedro-Woolley to announce the restart of the review. We hope he’ll make a return trip to visit North Cascades communities when a final plan is ready for adoption.” [Daily Herald, 4/3/18 (+)]