Interior sending officers to assist patrolling the US, Mexico border. “The Interior Department is sending its law enforcement officers to help the Department of Homeland Security secure the U.S.– Mexico border, according to an internal email obtained by The Hill. The announcement from the U.S. Park Police (USPP) Planning Unit and National Park Service (NPS), sent last Thursday, says that officers from both agencies will assist the Border Patrol along the southwest border starting May 13 as part of ‘Secretary [Ryan] Zinke’s offer of assistance to the Department of Homeland Security.’ USPP officers are traditionally tasked with policing NPS property around Washington, D.C., New York and San Francisco.” [The Hill, 5/7/18 (=)]
Montanans visit sites, want strong protections — poll. “Voters in Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke's home state of Montana frequently visit national monuments, forests and wildlife refuges to hunt and fish and want them protected even as the Trump administration works to boost energy development on federal lands, according to a new bipartisan poll commissioned by the University of Montana. More than half of the 500 voters who participated in the statewide poll, conducted via telephone survey last month, said they would support Congress designating new wilderness areas in their state.” [E&E News, 5/7/18 (+)]
Gov. Deal signs Georgia Outdoor Stewardship Act. “Gov. Nathan Deal signed a constitutional amendment Monday that will let Georgia voters decide whether to dedicate a portion of taxes levied on sales of outdoor recreation equipment for conservation.” [Atlanta Business Chronicle, 5/8/18 (=)]
Yellowstone visitors spent $499 million in gateway towns in 2017. “Yellowstone National Park visitors spent about $499 million in towns near the park last year, according to a report from the National Park Service. A visitor spending analysis conducted by economists with the National Park Service and the U.S. Geological Survey found that park visitors nationwide spent $18.2 billion near national parks last year, supporting thousands of jobs in gateway communities.” [Bozeman Daily Chronicle, 5/8/18 (+)]
State park visitors toss dino tracks into reservoir. “Dinosaurs sloshed through a bog in northeastern Utah some 200 million years ago, leaving behind tracks that are now immortalized in sandstone at Red Fleet State Park. But over the past several months, visitors to the park have been vandalizing the footprints left in the red rock, chipping them away and tossing them into a nearby reservoir. ‘It’s become quite a big problem,’ said Utah Division of State Parks and Recreation spokesman Devan Chavez. ‘They’re just looking to throw rocks off the side. What they don’t realize is these rocks they’re picking up, they’re covered in dinosaur tracks.’ Some rocks sink to the bottom of the reservoir, while others shatter or dissolve. Park manager Josh Hansen said he has responded to two cases of vandalism in the past two weeks.” [E&E News, 5/7/18 (=)]
Op-Ed: America risks being left behind on clean energy. “U.S. energy leadership with an eye toward the future has never been more needed. Unfortunately, President Trump’s cabinet prioritizes fossil fuels at the expense of public health. His most recent policies and budget proposal cut spending for advanced energy research and would cripple our thriving solar industry.” [Washington Examiner, 5/8/18 (+)]
Op-Ed: Secretary Ryan Zinke can get it right on western wildlife. “Secretary Zinke’s wildlife migration policy has the potential to be an important advancement in conservation policy. That policy, along with properly implemented 2015 sage-grouse plans, could provide a model for striking a balance between development and conservation throughout the West. By safeguarding unbroken stretches of public land, Zinke would preserve habitat for millions of animals, along with huge areas for recreation, far into the future.” [Washington Examiner, 5/8/18 (+)]
Op-Ed: What happened to Zinke's support for Land and Water Conservation Fund? “So, if I was sitting around a campfire with Zinke in the Flathead National Forest, I’d use some colorful language to try to get him to go back to D.C. and fight like hell to restore LWCF funding. To be fair, Zinke presides over one of the largest departments in the federal government and is no doubt subject to intense lobbying from all sides. I’m guessing that after spending some time out in the woods and out of the swamp in Washington, D.C., he might just rediscover that Teddy Roosevelt conservative deep down inside him. Secretary Zinke: if you do make it back home in the Flathead, give me a call. Let’s go camping. If nothing else, it will give me a chance to tell you that joke about what happened that time when the Army ranger, the recon Marine, a Navy SEAL and a Delta Force member were sitting around the campfire.” [Montana Standard, 5/8/18 (+)]
Editorial: Maine can’t afford to give up its offshore wind power leadership. “It would, again, show that Maine is not an honest broker when it comes to business negotiations, especially if a project is controversial or doesn’t align with the governor’s whims. ‘It damages the prospects for future private investment in Maine if a state government develops a reputation for repudiating or nullifying its agreements,’ David Flanagan, the former president of CMP, said in comments filed with the commission asking it not to reopen the contract. A contract is a business agreement that shouldn’t be changed without urgent reason. There are urgent reasons — climate change, high electricity rates, UMaine’s wind power leadership — for Maine to move ahead with Aqua Ventus. There is no reason to delay it.” [Bangor Daily News, 5/7/18 (+)]