Senators propose up to $6.5B for upkeep. “Four senators today offered a new plan that could set aside up to $1.3 billion for each of the next five years to pay for maintenance projects at national parks. If it’s approved, the legislation could eliminate more than half of the nearly $12 billion maintenance backlog now facing the National Park Service. The bill, called the ‘Restore Our Parks Act’ and sponsored by Sen. Rob Portman (R-Ohio), would create a ‘National Park Service Legacy Restoration Fund.’ It would rely on existing revenues the government receives from onshore and offshore energy development.” [E&E News, 6/29/18 (=)]
Still No Nominees For Park Service, BLM, A Year And A Half Into Trump's Presidency. “Murphy says the current lack of leadership at the BLM is a big problem for long-term projects, such as a multi-year sage grouse research project that was nearly cancelled. In prior years, the project was approved at the BLM state level. But with no director at the helm, the paperwork had to go all the way up to the high levels of the Interior Department, and it took months and months. That’s kind of like a CEO having to review an order for new pens. A BLM director could have pushed for funding approval. ‘These aren’t decisions that are ground-breaking. Like the fourth year of continued research to get good science,’ says Murphy. ‘We almost lost the partnership. That is just one example.’” [Boise State Public Radio, 6/29/18 (=)]
Court affirms public access to popular trail into Madison Range that crosses ranch property. “Hunters, anglers, hikers and horsepackers can use the Indian Creek Trail into the Lee Metcalf Wilderness Area in southwest Montana, a federal appeals court has affirmed. A lawyer for Wonder Ranch LLC had requested in April that the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals overturn U.S. District Court Judge Sam Haddon’s 2016 ruling that the Forest Service has a prescriptive easement across the ranch’s property.” [Helena Independent Record, 7/1/18 (=)]
Affordable housing on Utah's federal lands? Lee proposes trio of bills. “Utah Sen. Mike Lee said the federal government maintains its ‘stranglehold on the West,’ a grip he wants to extinguish with a trio of public lands bills he detailed on Friday. In an impassioned speech at the Sutherland Institute, the GOP senator compared today's era of land control to feudal England in which the designation of ‘royal forests’ for hunting resulted in the ejection of ordinary people from the land.” [Deseret News, 6/29/18 (=)]
Local coal in Wyo. may not be so cheap — study. “Coal power generated by plants owned by PacifiCorp, Wyoming's largest utility, may not always be the cheapest option for the state's consumers, according to a study commissioned by the Sierra Club. The study, carried out by Utah consulting firm Energy Strategies, found that Wyoming consumers' proximity to the plants may not always mean they get cheaper power from coal, especially compared to wind power.” [E&E News, 7/2/18 (+)]
Enviros, BLM spar over Idaho habitat project. “An environmental group is challenging a proposed project that the Interior Department says will protect greater sage grouse habitat by removing western juniper trees from hundreds of thousands of acres in southwest Idaho. Western Watersheds Project yesterday filed a formal appeal with the Interior Board of Land Appeals, claiming the project approved by the Bureau of Land Management in May ‘will lead to imminent, irreparable environmental harm to Idaho’s public lands, greater sage grouse, and WWP’s interests in both.’ The project will do this, the 24-page appeal says, ‘by disturbing important sage grouse habitats and spreading invasive species.’” [E&E News, 6/29/18 (=)]
Op-Ed: Privatizing public lands is precisely the wrong way to go. “Our public lands are an absolute treasure which some people, whether for ideological or mercenary reasons, want to wrest from the many and give to the few. We should not allow them to.” [Madison Capitol Time, 6/29/18 (+)]
Op-Ed: Stepping up to the plate: A new paradigm for American energy. “The intention of this plan is to give states that want to develop their resources the ability to do so while simultaneously providing states that don’t want to develop resources the ability to say no. While this approach is new, it strikes the right balance between reflecting the will of the people of the state but also incentivizes the responsible development of America’s vast and abundant natural resources. We want our patience to pay off. Ernie Banks tragically passed away before he could see his beloved Cubs win the World Series. But we have an opportunity to implement real reform that levels the regulatory playing field, brings sanity to how the federal government manages our land and taps into abundant, American energy that will benefit the entire country. ” [The Hill, 6/29/18 (-)]
Op-Ed: Land ahoy! Fishermen challenge presidential designations of ocean monuments. “Fishermen face enough challenges without getting dragged into a turf war between the president and Congress. They correctly recognize that if presidents get away with this novel reinterpretation of the word ‘land’ in the Antiquities Act, it won’t stop with the few huge ocean monuments that have already been designated. Over time, fishermen will be squeezed more and more, to the detriment of their livelihoods, our coastal communities, and the rule of law.” [Washington Examiner, 6/30/18 (-)]
Op-Ed: Republicans must return to their conservation roots. “My party must return to its conservation roots. It is our moral and patriotic duty. We can start to by passing important bipartisan legislation. The first, sponsored by Sens. Richard Burr, R-N.C., and Maria Cantwell, D-Wash., would permanently authorize the Land and Water Conservation Fund, one of the most important programs for protecting federal public lands and waters, including national parks, forests, and wildlife refuges.” [Washington Examiner, 7/1/18 (+)]
Op-Ed: Which is it, Sen. Daines? You say one thing and do another. “Yet, just hours after Sen. Daines confidently stated that ‘this is important for us and I support the full and permanent funding of LWCF’ he walked into the Capitol and voted to cut the current LWCF budget by $16 million. So, which is it, Sen. Daines? You say one thing then vote the opposite way. Even my kids can tell you: That’s no way to earn someone’s trust. I urge you to follow through and talk to your party’s leadership and get LWCF across the finish line. When you do, my family will applaud from the monkey bars and mountaintops.” [Montana Standard, 6/29/18 (+)]
Op-Ed: Gardner supports conservation fund until it’s time to vote. “I appreciate Gardner’s verbal support, but that support means nothing if he refuses to stand behind it with his votes. This fund is crucial to the future of Colorado’s outdoor recreation economy, which generates $9.7 billion in wages and 229,000 jobs for Coloradans each year. Coloradans need a leader with consistent stances, who will help protect the iconic landscapes we rely on for recreation, business, natural resources, and the future of a successful Arkansas River Valley. There are less than 100 days left before Congress must act to save the Land and Water Conservation Fund. If we lose, a precious resource for public lands could be gone forever. The only way that Gardner can help is to listen to local, small business leaders — and then show us his leadership by not only talking a good game, but making the good votes.” [Denver Post, 6/29/18 (+)]
Op-Ed: Congress should permanently reauthorize Land and Water Conservation Fund. “Kudos to the League of United Latin American Citizens, and to the Hispano Round Table of New Mexico, Bernalillo County (Resolution 2015-56), and scores of business owners who have issued public statements in support of LWCF reauthorization. We, too, have joined with 40 of our colleagues from around the state on a letter to our Congressional Delegation in support of LWCF. Without reauthorization from Congress, we stand to lose the best instrument we have to protect our parks, water and wildlife habitats, conserve working farms and ranches, grow high-paying jobs and support local economies, and safeguard outdoor experiences for future generations. It time for us, and Congress, to do everything we can to reauthorize and fully fund LWCF.” [Albuquerque Journal, 7/1/18 (=)]
Op-Ed: Oil and gas bans in Wattenberg Field could cost billions. “If passed, local control measures and upcoming ballot initiatives like Initiative 97 would put a stranglehold on mineral development here in Colorado. That not only poses a threat to our economy — a …” [Denver Post, 6/29/18 (-)]
Op-Ed: Drilling is not compatible with Florida’s environment. “Rooney pointed out that Florida would have to drastically alter its infrastructure to support offshore drilling, for the docks, mooring and equipment to support supply vessels and barges. It would make our beautiful bays unrecognizable and would damage, perhaps permanently, our coastal ecosystems. We can’t let this happen. We must protect the truly great places of Florida from the risks of offshore and nearshore oil and gas drilling. It’s time to demand an official moratorium.” [Naples Daily News, 7/1/18 (+)]
Op-Ed: Oil industry traded safety for energy dominance. “The Deepwater Horizon disaster laid bare the unfortunate reality of decades of insufficient oversight. Multiple investigations pointed to a deficient safety culture and an atmosphere where the need to get to the big plays and produce under-budget prevailed. Far from being a rare, “white whale” event, the disaster was just about the least surprising event that could have occurred in the Gulf. At a New Orleans vigil in 2011 to mark the one-year anniversary of the catastrophe, a local rabbi was quoted as saying: ‘People are quite rightly asking: How and when, and by whose insistence and stubborn support, will the public’s mind be refocused upon what happened in the Gulf?’ Eight years after that disaster, we should again be asking that question.” [The Hill, 7/1/18 (+)]
Editorial: Citizens deserve a chance to be heard on WSA legislation. “Tracy Stone-Manning, the other Montana witness at the House hearing, was invited by the staff of Rep. Colleen Hanabusa, of Hawaii, top Democrat on the subcommittee. Stone-Manning, who works for the National Wildlife Federation in Missoula, told the committee that a coalition of a dozen Montana sportsmen and conservation organizations has offered to convene a working group of diverse stakeholders to come up with balanced recommendations suited to each WSA. ‘We urge the committee not to advance these bills until a collaborative group of stakeholders can bring recommendations, driven by current science, to Congress,’ Stone-Manning said. A public process that updates, debates and scientifically evaluates the best use of 800,000 acres of public lands in Montana won’t be easy, but it’s the right way to make decisions for the landowners — all of us Americans.” [Billings Gazette, 6/28/18 (+)]
Editorial: Changes at Interior. “Zinke ‘is hoping to demonstrate that we want land maintained in the federal estate.’ Bernhardt said. ‘At the same time, we want to be good neighbors and we want to demonstrate that we can actively manage these lands in a responsible manner. So, the proof will be in the pudding.” We can argue about the policy goals of the department, but the streamlining of process and decisiveness is a welcome change.” [Grand Junction Daily Sentinel, 7/1/18 (-)]
Editorial: BLM is again less than open about public records. “The BLM released earlier this year an environmental assessment of possible strategies to resolve the issue of the home. The BLM may just sell the surrounding land to the homeowners, but no decision has been made. The public comment period for the BLM plan ended on June 25. We requested the public comments on June 25. The BLM said it may be as long as 30 days before the BLM responds. That doesn’t mean the request will be filled in 30 days. It’s just that we’ll likely get a better idea with that period if we’re going to get anything, how much will be censored and how much we’ll have to pay. The Forest Service and the BLM are of course two different agencies and these are two different issues. But the intent of the Freedom of Information Act is to allow for disclosure of public information. The Forest Service has proven it can prioritize disclosure. The BLM has prioritized keeping the public in the dark.” [Bend Bulletin, 6/30/18 (~)]