Interior: Officers arrested 13 people in new border surge. “Law enforcement officers apprehended 13 people at the U.S.-Mexico border this week during the first two days of the Trump administration’s border surge. Twenty-two officers were sent to the border by the Interior Department where they made arrests on federal land in Texas and Arizona that is managed by the agency, according to a statement on Wednesday from the department.” [The Hill, 5/16/18 (=)]
Panel votes to shift salmon jurisdiction, ease water projects. “The House Natural Resources Committee today approved a bill that would give the Interior Department more power to make decisions on managing salmon and other fish that move between fresh water and salt water. On a 22-14 vote, the panel advanced the ‘Federally Integrated Species Health Act,’ sponsored by California Republican Rep. Ken Calvert. The bill, H.R. 3916, now goes to the full House for its consideration.” [E&E News, 5/16/18 (=)]
AP | Pruitt Denies Aide Shopped Bad Press About Zinke. “EPA chief Scott Pruitt is denying that a member of his press staff sought to plant negative media reports about Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke in the hopes of deflecting attention from Pruitt’s problems. Multiple media outlets reported that Pruitt press aide Michael Abboud shopped allegations about Zinke to Washington reporters. Asked about the issue by Democratic Sen. Tom Udall of New Mexico, Pruitt replied that it didn’t happen. ‘We’ve investigated that with the gentleman in question,’ Pruitt said.” [U.S. News, 5/16/18 (=)]
AP | Civil Rights Leader’s Home Closer to Being National Monument. “The Mississippi home of a slain civil rights leader is one step closer to becoming a national monument. The U.S. House voted Tuesday to pass a bill that would establish the Medgar Evers National Monument in Jackson. The Senate must still vote on the measure filed by Democratic Rep. Bennie Thompson of Mississippi. As Mississippi’s first NAACP field secretary, beginning in 1954, Evers organized protests and boycotts to fight segregation. He was assassinated by a white supremacist outside his family’s Jackson home in 1963.” [U.S. News, 5/16/18 (=)]
Enviros sue to stop logging near Yellowstone. “Two Montana conservation groups yesterday sued to stop a logging project near Yellowstone National Park. The Native Ecosystems Council and the Alliance for the Wild Rockies filed the suit in federal district court in Missoula. The project, which would harvest about 3,610 acres and thin 2,060 acres, was proposed by Custer Gallatin National Forest. Work began in 2011.” [E&E News, 5/16/18 (=)]
AP | Yellowstone launches program to establish new bison herds. “Yellowstone National Park is launching a new program to capture and quarantine wild bison with the goal of establishing new, disease-free herds across the nation, park officials said Tuesday. The program aims to help the conservation of the species by relocating wild Yellowstone bison to ‘suitable public and tribal lands’ after they pass rigorous testing for disease, according to the National Park Service’s decision. It also would cut down the number of bison that are slaughtered when they wander outside the park over concerns about the spread of disease.” [Idaho Statesman, 5/16/18 (=)]
Effort to save Nevada’s starving wild horses riles up community. “Residents of this small hamlet an hour from Las Vegas have grown accustomed to admiring the wild horse herds that run freely in their town, becoming a source of pride for the close-knit community and a tourism hotspot of sort. But those horses have grown hungry and emaciated because of a lack of forage in the area. Some horses’ ribs are showing, their fur is mangy and their bodies are rapidly declining. But an effort to try and rehabilitate them is riling up the community.” [Fox News, 5/16/18 (=)]
New Mexico State Land Office touts ‘record-breaking’ year in lease sales. “Land leases to the oil and gas industry generated more state income this year than the last six. This year’s oil and gas lease sales on State Trust land surpassed the one-year record this month, for a total of $102.2 million for fiscal year 2018. The May sale generated about $5.5 million, surpassing the past annual records of about $101.9 million set in fiscal year 2012.” [Carlsbad Current-Argus, 5/17/18 (=)]
‘The divide holds up’: How two rural Utah counties disagree on most everything, but especially environmental policies. “Grand and San Juan counties, neighbors in the southeastern corner of Utah, are divided by a dusty 60-mile border and, according to a new poll, a stark split in public opinion. It’s an unusual but not wholly unexpected fracture for this rural — and mostly red — area of the state. But at its heart, more pronounced here than anywhere else, are decades of differences over land management policies that have largely determined economic prosperity, population growth, unemployment rates, poverty and, as the survey suggests, political leanings, too.” [Salt Lake Tribune, 5/16/18 (=)]
Op-Ed: Give our lands a hand - protect climate. “This Public Lands Day, let’s give our lands a hand and act on the climate. Demand that our lawmakers stand up for our public lands in Washington, D.C., and take more ambitious climate action. Ensure that protections remain for national monuments and other public lands by experiencing these places for yourself. See what inspiration strikes you, share your stories and encourage others to get out and stand with our lands, too.” [Pueblo Chieftain, 5/17/18 (+)]
Op-Ed: Get outdoors to celebrate Colorado Public Lands Day. “Celebrated this year on Saturday, May 19, Colorado Public Lands Day is a holiday that can be enjoyed by every Coloradan. The more people who come out in support of it, the more tangible proof our legislators have to know they did the right thing when they chose to support our public lands. All over the state, events are planned to celebrate the holiday, including trail clean-ups and bike rides. All events are connected by a common theme: to serve as stewards for our lands and to teach stewardship to the next generation. I can think of no better way to spend a Saturday. Get involved with the holiday by looking up an event near you at COPublicLandsDay.com.” [Durango Herald, 5/17/18 (+)]
Editorial: Comment on the plan to restrict wilderness access. “The worst part of this process is there is no clarity about any new fees. The Forest Service actually can’t tell people what it would charge at this stage because limiting access and setting fees are separate processes under federal law. A crazy requirement in the law, though, is not an adequate justification to do something in a dumb way. It’s a justification for a push to change the law. To its credit, the Forest Service provided us with examples of fees ranging from $10 to $20. But to judge options, people need to know the actual fees. They need to know if fees are going to be per person or per group. And what, if any, plans does the Forest Service have to ensure some families aren’t going to be priced out of the wilderness?” [Bend Bulletin, 5/16/18 (~)]