National

 

Trump: 'Looking at' Zinke, but 'I'm very happy with most of my Cabinet’ “President Donald Trump said Wednesday that he was "looking at" allegations that Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke violated ethics rules and would consider making other changes to his Cabinet, but he said overall he was "very happy" with his administration.” [Politico, 11/7/18 (=)]

Democrats Vow Probe of Bid to Oust Investigator Targeting Zinke. “House Democrats are vowing to probe the Trump administration’s botched bid to replace a government investigator who had asked the Justice Department to look into Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke’s role in a Montana land deal. The since-abandoned move to install a new acting inspector general of the Interior Department was described in an Oct. 12 email from Secretary of Housing and Urban Development Ben Carson. About a week earlier, the acting inspector general targeted for replacement had referred a Zinke investigation to the Justice Department for a possible criminal probe, said two people familiar with the action who asked not to be named discussing a government inquiry.” [Bloomberg, 11/7/18 (+)]

House flip creates big headache for Zinke. “How Zinke handles the new scrutiny from House Democrats will likely dictate how Grijalva and the committee move forward. “One is to acknowledge that the world has changed and that they have to be more transparent and share documents and be more open to oversight from the Hill,” said Matt Lee-Ashley, a former top aide to former Interior Secretary Ken Salazar, who served from 2009 to 2013. “Or they can be very standoffish, and I think that could result in, very quickly, an escalation of oversight to subpoenas and some very painful hearings for senior leaders at the Interior.”” [The Hill, 11/8/18 (+)]

 

National monuments played role in key Western races. “President Trump’s moves to shrink two national monuments and open public lands to energy development over conservation appeared to play a major role in a number of key congressional races, particularly in the West. In the race for Nevada’s Senate seat, Rep. Jacky Rosen (D) defeated incumbent Sen. Dean Heller (R) by a comfortable margin, in part by actively supporting national monuments in the Silver State and elsewhere. While Heller supported Trump’s decision last year to dramatically shrink the Bears Ears and Grand Staircase-Escalante national monuments, Rosen ripped the move, saying in a statement that doing so ‘will put millions of acres of protected lands at risk of mining, drilling, and other harmful activities that will forever alter these outdoor treasures.’ Trump signed a proclamation that removed protections for 85 percent of the 1.35-million-acre Bears Ears monument in Utah (E&E News PM, Dec. 4, 2017).” [E&E News, 11/7/18 (+)]

 

Will Zinke's staffing woes get easier? “The split congressional election results are a mixed blessing for Interior officials desperate to fill long-standing vacancies. A strengthened Republican majority in the Senate suggests smoother sailing for future nominees. At the least, the GOP’s advantage gives the party more confirmation wiggle room. The White House can now afford to let a few lawmakers stray on tough votes. The potential departure of Sen. Bill Nelson (D-Fla.), moreover, leaves the Senate with one less Democrat willing to use a sometimes-mysterious hold as a means of unilaterally blocking a nominee. Several Interior nominees have been stymied by Nelson’s holds.” [E&E News, 11/7/18 (=)]

 

State and Local

 

Mont. voters reject additional mining rules. “With the last state results trickling in, Montana voters have rejected a ballot measure that would have effectively ended mining in the state, according to its opponents. The final polls showed 57 percent of voters went against I-186, which would have required the Montana Department of Environmental Quality to ensure that new hardrock mines have reclamation plans ‘sufficient to prevent the pollution of water without the need for perpetual treatment’ before granting permits. It was supported by Montana Trout Unlimited and Earthworks — groups that say taxpayers bear the burden of water quality problems and cleanup costs.” [E&E News, 11/7/18 (=)]

 

Op-Ed, Editorial, and Analysis

 

Editorial: Reauthorize the Land and Water Conservation Fund. And make it permanent. “The danger now is that a final deal on the fund will fall through the cracks as lawmakers argue over funding for the border wall and other controversial topics. That would be a shame. It ought to be easy to reach final agreement on a bill for which there is bipartisan support. It is low-hanging fruit, and Congress ought to pluck it as soon as it reconvenes.” [Los Angeles Times, 11/7/18 (+)]