Zinke cites ‘environmental disaster’ in sending park police to border. “Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke is doubling down on his decision to send law enforcement officers from his department, including from the National Park Service (NPS) and U.S. Park Police (USPP), to help apprehend immigrants in the country illegally along the U.S.-Mexico border. In a string of interviews this week, Zinke heavily promoted his decision to send 22 officers to patrol two national parks in Arizona and Texas — a move first reported by The Hill in early May.” [The Hill, 6/3/18 (=)]
US becoming more energy independent, on path to being ‘biggest oil producer in the world’. “And while some applaud the president’s rollback of regulations on fossil fuel production, Prentice-Dunn believes the environment and planet will suffer in the long run. ‘It seems like we’re going back in time almost 100 years now to where oil and gas are king. This administration has certainly pushed those forms of energy and actually pushed against renewables,’ he said.” [Fox News, 6/2/18 (=)]
With gas prices in mind, members to debate increased drilling. “A House Natural Resources subcommittee this week will consider a suite of draft legislation aimed at reducing what President Trump has called the ‘regulatory burden’ on oil and natural gas development on federal lands. Among the four measures to be discussed at Wednesday’s Energy and Mineral Resources Subcommittee hearing is a discussion draft that appears designed to discourage administrative protests of oil and gas lease sales and development. It will certainly spark opposition from conservation groups.” [E&E News, 6/4/18 (=)]
Lawsuit reveals politics in Obama‑era tribal land decision. “A fight over a proposed tribal casino in California has illuminated some hectic Interior Department decisionmaking at the tail end of the Obama administration. Citing the apparent ‘political pressure’ from Capitol Hill and a ‘rushed review process,’ U.S. District Judge Trevor McFadden this week granted opponents of the Wilton Rancheria’s proposed casino more leeway to seek additional Interior documents. It’s a technical decision, but a pointed one, with McFaddden concluding there was evidence of ‘bad faith’ by Interior officials. The 16-page decision is also instructive, offering a behind-the-scenes snapshot of an administration’s furious final days.” [E&E News, 6/1/18 (=)]
‘Minor’ climate errors shouldn’t halt leasing — Trump admin. “The Trump administration argued in a new court filing that leasing should not stop in one of the nation’s top fossil fuel-producing regions, saying the problems cited by a federal judge with agency climate analyses are ‘relatively minor.’ Federal attorneys made their case against a potential injunction on leasing coal, oil and gas in the Powder River Basin in a brief submitted last week to U.S. District Court for the District of Montana Judge Brian Morris. The leasing halt sought by environmental groups in the resource-rich region would freeze applications involving four-fifths of all the coal up for lease nationwide and imperil hundreds of leases for drilling oil and gas wells (Greenwire, May 10).’ [E&E News, 6/1/18 (=)]
Wildfire prevention to take center stage in dual hearings. “Two congressional committees this week will explore the Forest Service’s next steps to prevent catastrophic wildfires, now that the agency can stop dipping into non-fire-related accounts to pay for fire suppression. Forest Service interim Chief Vicki Christiansen is scheduled to testify to the House Natural Resources Committee and the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee on her agency’s preparations for the 2018 wildfire season, as well as on how the Forest Service will use the additional flexibility Congress recently granted it for faster, bigger forest management projects. Christiansen has said the Forest Service expects another bigger-than-average wildfire season, with parts of Southern California, Arizona and New Mexico seeing some of the most activity in June; the risk shifts to parts of Oregon, Washington and Montana by August (Greenwire, May 10).” [E&E News, 6/4/18 (=)]
Navajo Didn’t Support Shrinking Bears Ears. “The coalition not only condemned Trump’s decision to shrink the monument, but its member tribes also have filed a lawsuit, claiming the decision wasn’t legal. Swift, the DOI spokeswoman, also pointed us to sources that show Rebecca Benally, the commissioner for Utah’s San Juan County and a member of the Navajo Nation’s Aneth Chapter, opposed the initial creation of the monument and supported Trump’s decision to shrink it. We reached out to Benally for comment, but she hasn’t responded. Overall, there does appear to be some disagreement among members of the Navajo Nation living in the chapter territories near Bears Ears, but it’s not true that “all” support Trump’s decision to shrink the monument, as Zinke claimed.” [FactCheck, 6/1/18 (+)]
Votes set on monument, land bills. “The House will vote this week on bills under suspension of the rules to create a national monument and a park and to address other resource issues. Bills taken up under suspension bypass the Rules Committee, and no amendments are allowed. They need a supermajority to pass.” [E&E News, 6/4/18 (=)]
Public lands issues loom large in primaries. “Democratic Sen. Jon Tester, like many politicos in Big Sky Country, won’t make any predictions about an increasingly bitter and unpredictable GOP Senate primary tomorrow that will decide who challenges him this fall. “I just don’t know; primaries are so difficult to call, because it just depends on who shows up. And this one is kind of rough,” Tester told E&E News here last week as he alternated between official work and campaign events in a swing through the state’s largest city. What’s clear is that in the nation’s fourth-largest state, where about a third of the land is owned by the federal government and there is a thriving $7 billion outdoor recreation economy, conservation issues will be on primary voters’ minds as they cast ballots in the Republican Senate race, as well as a House Democratic primary.” [E&E News, 6/4/18 (=)]
Field hearing promotes Colo.’s role in ‘energy dominance’ “Increasing production from Western natural gas and oil shale formations could support local economies and feed a proposed West Coast export terminal, industry advocates, local officials and congressional Republicans said during a field hearing in Colorado last week. Their push to develop western Colorado’s Piceance Basin comes as the Trump administration is prioritizing expedited drilling permit processing and other changes as part of its “energy dominance” agenda.” [E&E News, 6/4/18 (=)]
Hunters can now kill pythons with shotguns in Everglades. “The battle against invasive Burmese pythons in Everglades National Park just intensified. The park announced yesterday that it will allow python hunters who are contracted by Florida to use shotguns to kill the giant snakes within its boundaries. It also increased the maximum number of snake hunters in the park from 40 to 120.” [E&E News, 6/1/18 (=)]
AP | Hunting Won’t Be Expanded on South Dakota Wildlife Refuge. “The U.S. Department of Interior is not moving forward with a proposal to expand waterfowl hunting at Sand Lake National Wildlife Refuge in northeastern South Dakota. The federal agency cited overwhelming public opposition for its decision, saying the refuge northeast of Aberdeen is widely valued as a sanctuary for migratory birds and other wildlife. Hunting is allowed on certain areas of the refuge as a management tool with specific rules and regulations.” [U.S. News, 6/1/18 (=)]
Op-Ed: Trump administration’s plans would harm South Florida waters. “However, the House, like the president, accepted a $60 million cut to Climate Research and eliminated the Ocean and Coastal Security Fund. Both of the proposed cuts hamper coastal regions’ ability to address a changing climate and protect their communities. Now it is the Senate’s turn. This month, the Senate Appropriations Committee will have its opportunity to accept the good and reject the bad from the president’s and House bill. Florida deserves Washington’s full support for our beaches so that we and the next generation of Floridians can continue to prosper in this place that we love.” [Sun-Sentinel, 6/1/18 (+)]
Op-Ed: Let the Trump administration know Arctic Refuge is no place for oil and gas drilling. “We should not be a nation that trades away our children’s future for reckless, shortsighted political gimmicks. We are better than this. We have a small window of time in which to the let the Trump administration know that the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge is no place for oil and gas drilling — not now and not ever. The rushed leasing process includes a 60-day public comment period that expires on June 19. It remains my hope that the administration will listen to the American people and reconsider their ill-conceived, dangerous and costly rush to sell out one of the last truly wild places on earth.” [Seattle Times, 6/1/18 (+)]
Op-Ed: Mining rider would gut bedrock environmental law. “Minerals and mineral development are important to our economy, and indeed, even to our way of life. But we can accommodate mining, even here in the United States, without sacrificing bedrock principles. That means that when the government considers public land mining projects they should be designed to protect our environment and carried out in a manner consistent with our values. Because it not only fails to achieve but actively undermines these goals, the Senate must reject the Amodei rider. But it should follow up with public hearings on sensible mining law reform proposals, such as those offered by Sen. Udall and Rep. Grijalva. That’s a subject truly worthy of congressional debate.” [The Hill, 6/2/18 (+)]
Op-Ed: ‘Here is your country’ “Roosevelt knew our public lands are our heritage, and he championed the Antiquities Act to help keep America’s history, culture and outdoor treasures intact. We who fought to protect American values understand this. Along with the many veterans who have relied on our national monuments and other protected public lands for peace, solitude, recreation and more, our hope as we celebrate the 112th anniversary of the Antiquities Act is for Interior Secretary Zinke to understand this as well, and finally begin to lead like Theodore Roosevelt.” [Albuquerque Journal, 6/3/18 (+)]
Op-Ed: Gutting BLM methane rule hurts ND taxpayers. “Federal lands in North Dakota recorded the second-most wasted gas in 2016 — more than 7 billion cubic feet — none of which incurred a royalty. This same problem is occurring on federal lands in oil and gas producing states across the country. Now actions to fix this system are being taken off the table. Senators Heitkamp, Hoeven, and Rep. Cramer must stand up for taxpayers by telling the Department of the Interior to stop this waste. Taxpayers in North Dakota cannot afford more broken policies.” [Minot Daily News, 6/3/18 (+)]
Editorial: BLM should host a tour of home on public land. “If the BLM decides a sale of public land is the best option, the BLM must make a decision to offer it for public sale or directly to McGrath and Grudzien. The BLM is not going to get the best value for public land if McGrath and Grudzien and the BLM are the only ones who truly appreciate its value. The BLM’s own manuals suggest ‘field tours’ can be important for public understanding in such matters. It needs to host one here. But it’s as if the Prineville BLM doesn’t want the public to grasp what’s going on.” [Bend Bulletin, 6/1/18 (+)]