The dinosaur that ate Ryan Zinke. “But if Zinke thought that a dinosaur emoji might curry favor with his audience, he was grievously mistaken. ‘That specimen was found in a national monument you shrunk so you could sell mining rights,’ one user said. ‘How dare you display this find when you refuse to protect the ones still in the ground, you pathetic grifter.’ Another critic, in an apparent brevity-is-the-soul-of-wit mindset, offered a one-word riposte: ‘Scumbag.’ Zinke had long been among President Trump’s most controversial Cabinet members, with the number of ethical scandals plaguing his administration nearly approaching that of Scott Pruitt, the baroquely corrupt administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency who resigned in early July.” [Yahoo News, 7/26/18 (+)]
Trump team stops asking drillers and miners to pay for damage to federal lands. “For years, whenever companies wanted to drill for oil and dig for coal on federally owned lands, they often had to pay to offset any damage their activities had on the environment. Now, no more. This week the Trump administration scrapped long-standing requirements that companies undertaking energy development and other work on Bureau of Land Management lands make up for any damage by paying the federal government or by purchasing new land to set aside for conservation” [Washington Post, 7/26/18 (=)]
Dems reverse course on White House parks plan. “Democratic lawmakers are starting to get behind a Trump administration funding proposal for the national park system after expressing significant doubts about it. The plan, which would use revenue from energy sales on federal lands and offshore to plug the maintenance backlog for the national park system, now enjoys bipartisan support just a few months before the midterm elections. Proponents of the measure are optimistic it can pass in this Congress.” [The Hill, 7/26/18 (=)]
Dozens Of Lion Trophy Permits Issued To Hunters As Trump Rolls Back Import Hurdles. “The federal government has issued more than three dozen permits allowing hunters to import lion trophies from two African nations since 2016, according to copies of the applications obtained through a Freedom of Information Act request. The documents, obtained by the group Friends of Animals, provide insight into the often secretive permitting process to import threatened or endangered species killed abroad during luxury hunting trips. Thirty-three Americans were issued permits to import 38 lion trophies between 2016 and 2018, at least half of whom have donated to Republican lawmakers or are affiliated with the hunting lobby Safari Club International. It’s unclear how many permit applications are currently before the agency or how many were issued in past years. The Fish and Wildlife Service did not respond to a request for comment.” [HuffPost, 7/26/18 (=)]
Trial begins for FBI agent in Finicum shooting. “FBI special agent W. Joseph Astarita is an outstanding shooter who knows when to hold his fire, his defense attorney told jurors yesterday. Astarita is accused of lying about firing off two gunshots during the 2016 occupation of Malheur National Wildlife Refuge in Oregon. He faces two counts of making a false statement and one count of obstruction of justice. Astarita has maintained that he did not fire two shots that missed Robert ‘LaVoy’ Finicum before Oregon State Police fatally shot him (Greenwire, June 29, 2017). ‘If he had shot, he would not have missed,’ said attorney Robert Cary.” [E&E News, 7/26/18 (=)]
Another day, another NPS leader heading for the exit. “Lizette Richardson is the latest National Park Service leader to head for the exit. The superintendent of Lake Mead National Recreation Area in Nevada and Arizona, Richardson said she will retire rather than move to Denver to lead the NPS Intermountain Regional Office. ‘I had the tough decision to choose from two exciting opportunities, and after weighing all factors I decided to retire,’ Richardson said today. Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke’s management shuffle called for Richardson to replace Sue Masica in Denver, with Masica transferring to Omaha, Neb., to lead the NPS Midwestern Office.” [E&E News, 7/26/18 (=)]
Is Zinke trolling San Francisco with plan to dismantle city's reservoir? “US interior secretary Ryan Zinke has prompted puzzlement by meeting with a group that seeks to dismantle a dam providing San Francisco’s water, as experts wonder whether he is taking the fringe proposal seriously or trolling the city.
” [Guardian, 7/27/18 (=)]
Colorado Group Says Thousands of Signatures for Anti-Fracking Measure Are Missing. “Thousands of signatures that would help put a high-profile anti-fracking measure on the Colorado ballot have gone missing, according to a lawsuit filed in Denver District Court. A political consultant hired to gather the signatures for Colorado Rising, the group pushing the anti-fracking measure, took the signed petitions after a contract dispute, the lawsuit says. The disappearance will make it difficult for Colorado Rising to get the proposal on the ballot, imperiling an initiative that would have become a major election issue in a deeply purple state. The political consultant, Mike Selvaggio, took the signatures out of state to process them, and intends to give them back, his lawyer said.” [New York Times, 7/26/18 (=)]
Feds plan to allow drilling around Chaco site. “The federal government is proposing to lease land for oil and gas drilling outside Chaco Culture National Historical Park later this year, just a few months after Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke scrapped plans to lease other lands in the area amid opposition from tribes and environmentalists. At the time, Zinke said he would defer those leases until his administration could ‘do some cultural consultation.’ But conservationists say the government has not undertaken any additional study despite mounting calls for an outright moratorium on drilling in an area that is particularly significant to the history of New Mexico’s indigenous people.” [Santa Fe New Mexican, 7/25/18 (=)]
As Talk Of A BLM Move West Takes Off, Grand Junction Wants To Be On Everyone’s Mind. “Now that several members of Colorado’s congressional delegation have confirmed that the federal Bureau of Land Management will move west from Washington D.C., there’s one big question left for the oft-talked about relocation. Which community will snag the BLM? One Western Slope town has been talking itself up, trying to make sure it’s the belle of the ball. At the annual Outdoor Retailer summer trade show, another recent big get for the state of Colorado, you’ll find all the big names: North Face, Salomon, Thermarest, Pelican, Keen, Mountain Hardware — and the city of Grand Junction.” [Colorado Public Radio, 7/25/18 (=)]
Bid to mine under Mont. wilderness advances. “A state-level dispute looms over a proposed Montana mine, but federal environmental analysis won’t stand in the way of copper and silver extraction. The Forest Service yesterday released a massive final supplemental environmental impact statement for the Rock Creek project in northwestern Montana. With appendices, the review totaled more than 1,700 pages examining the risks associated with mining tunnels that would stretch beneath the Cabinet Mountains Wilderness.” [E&E News, 7/26/18 (=)]
Did BLM unwittingly help looters at Utah sites? “Did the Bureau of Land Management accidentally give looters a map for finding ancient artifacts at southern Utah sites? That’s what conservation groups are wondering after BLM released a 77-page unredacted report on the sites. The report surveys roughly 1,300 archaeological sites within 43 parcels of land that BLM auctioned in March for oil and gas leases.” [E&E News, 7/26/18 (=)]
Op-Ed: Conservation Fund will expire unless Congress acts. “Years ago it was thought that we couldn’t grow our economy without sacrificing our environment. Today, we know the opposite is true: A healthy environment is a prerequisite for a healthy economy. Time and again, investments in our lands and waters have demonstrated their ability to generate valuable benefits. Proof in point: a small, but vital federal program called the Land & Water Conservation Fund.” [Buffalo News, 7/26/18 (+)]