National

 

Democrats prepare to grill Trump officials on environmental issues in new Congress. “In addition to answers about the Montana land deal, Grijalva said he wants to know more about an incident last month in which Housing and Urban Development Secretary Ben Carson announced one of his top appointees would become Interior’s acting inspector general. Days later, Interior officials called Carson’s statement “100 percent false” and said they would not hire HUD official Suzanne Israel Tufts. “The coincidence of the timing, I would question,” Grijalva said, noting that Carson’s statement came shortly after Interior acting inspector general Mary Kendall referred allegations concerning Zinke to Justice.” [Washington Post, 11/15/18 (+)]

Your Children’s Yellowstone Will Be Radically Different. “But the Yellowstone of charismatic megafauna and of stunning geysers that four million visitors a year travel to see is changing before the eyes of those who know it best. Researchers who have spent years studying, managing, and exploring its roughly 3,400 square miles say that soon the landscape may look dramatically different. Over the next few decades of climate change, the country’s first national park will quite likely see increased fire, less forest, expanding grasslands, shallower, warmer waterways, and more invasive plants — all of which may alter how, and how many, animals move through the landscape. Ecosystems are always in flux, but climate change is transforming habitats so quickly that many plants and animals may not be able to adapt well or at all.” [New York Times, 10/15/18 (+)]

Industry Influence at the DOI: Five Takeaways from Our Investigation. “This week, in partnership with the Guardian, Pacific Standard published a sweeping story detailing writer Jimmy Tobias' findings from a trove of Department of Interior (DOI) documents. The hundreds of pages of correspondence and calendars that Tobias reviewed reveal the extent to which top officials at the DOI have prioritized extractive industry interests over conservation. Since the beginning of his tenure, Secretary of the Interior Ryan Zinke has made headlines for what Tobias describes as his "flair for ostentation." Zinke arrived on horseback for his first day on the job in Washington, D.C. He commissioned commemorative coins bearing his name. He started flying a special flag above DOI headquarters. But as Tobias shows, beyond a veneer of flamboyant behavior, Zinke has much more ambitious—and damaging—plans in mind: remaking the department that manages over five million acres of public lands in the image of the Trump administration.” [Pacific Standard, 11/16/18 (+)]

 

BLM 'improperly withholding' drilling project records — lawsuit. “An environmental group has filed a federal lawsuit against the Bureau of Land Management, accusing BLM of withholding records on the potential impacts of a large-scale oil and gas development project on sensitive plant and wildlife species in Wyoming. The lawsuit, filed yesterday by the Western Watersheds Project in the U.S. District Court for the District of Idaho, says BLM did not respond to two requests for documents made under the Freedom of Information Act — one in September 2017, and the second one in March. The most recent FOIA request, made March 14, sought Endangered Species Act ‘consultation records’ between BLM and the Fish and Wildlife Service for the proposed Converse County Oil and Gas Project — a 5,000 well project that BLM is currently evaluating.” [E&E News, 11/15/18 (=)]

 

Public comments on Bears Ears plan renew debate over revisions. “Conservation groups say they have submitted tens of thousands of comments to the Bureau of Land Management expressing concerns about a draft management plan for the revised Bears Ears National Monument in Utah as the public comment period closes today. The draft monument management plan and draft environmental impact statement (EIS) for the revised Bears Ears, designated by President Obama in late 2016, have generated almost as much controversy as President Trump’s decision last year to undo protections for 85 percent of the original 1.35-million-acre national monument. The Bears Ears monument was shrunk and divided by Trump into the Indian Creek Unit, with 72,000 acres, and the Shash Jaa Unit, with about 130,000 acres.” [E&E News, 11/15/18 (=)]

 

Trump nominee vows to clean up 'scourge' of harassment. “Introducing himself as the oldest grandchild of a sharecropper, David Vela told a Senate panel today that he would be a humble leader and work to end ‘the scourge’ of sexual and workplace harassment in the National Park Service if he’s confirmed to lead the agency. Vela made his first appearance before the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee since President Trump nominated him as the 19th director of the National Park Service in August. ‘As the first Latino in the over 102-year history of the National Park Service to be nominated director, I am reminded of the lessons taught to me by a sharecropper — be humble, maintain a strong moral and ethical compass, and pursue causes greater than myself,’ Vela said.” [E&E News, 11/15/18 (=)]

 

Panel approves border security, Wyo. wilderness bills. “The House Natural Resources Committee advanced eight public lands and waters bills this morning, in what might be the committee’s last markup before Democrats take over in January. The panel approved 19-12 the ‘Securing Our Borders and Wilderness Act,’ H.R. 3593, which would give the Customs and Border Protection agency more flexibility to access certain areas of wilderness for security along the U.S.-Mexico border. Federal lands comprise about 693 miles, or about 35 percent, of the southern border. To advance security, the bill would authorize the agency to use motor vehicles and aircraft and to construct fences and mobile bases, for example.” [E&E News, 11/15/18 (=)]

 

State and Local

 

Alaska Nets $28M at Annual Oil, Gas Lease Sale. “Alaska netted $28.1 million from its oil and gas lease sales in the North Slope and Beaufort Sea. The Alaska Journal of Commerce reports the state received bids on 133 tracts in the North Slope covering about 350 square miles (906 square kilometers). State Division of Oil and Gas Director Chantal Walsh says the winning bids Thursday for the North Slope accounted for about $27.3 million, the third highest amount since 1998.” [U.S. News, 11/16/18 (=)]

Navajo Leaders Meet with White House Officials to Prevent NGS Closure. “President Russell Begaye and Council Speaker LoRenzo Bates sat down with representatives from the Trump administration as well as the departments of Energy and Interior, among others. They’re attempting to work out the complex deal in the limited time left before the current owners of NGS begin decommissioning. The tribally owned Navajo Transitional Energy Company is exploring options to buy the plant after two investment firms pulled out of the deal. Navajo officials say the tribe could offer tax incentives that private buyers aren’t able to promise.” [Arizona Public Radio, 11/16/18 (=)]

AP | US Congresswoman calls for delay in New Mexico oil case. “New Mexico oil and gas regulators are being pressured to delay a decision on an application by a Texas-based company that seeks to ease restrictions on well locations in one of the nation's oldest producing basins. U.S. Rep. Michelle Lujan Grisham, who begins her first term as New Mexico governor in January, is the latest to ask for a delay in the proceedings. The request from the Democrat came Thursday on congressional letterhead.” [Idaho Statesman, 11/15/18 (=)]

Sides spar over water permit for refinery near national park. “A company developing an oil refinery near Theodore Roosevelt National Park in North Dakota has supplied adequate information to justify drawing water from an underwater aquifer, State Water Commission officials testified yesterday. An attorney for area landowners challenging the recommended permit for the Davis Refinery countered that information from developer Meridian Energy Group Inc. has been vague and contradictory. The water permit is one of several hurdles that Meridian must overcome as it seeks to build the refinery just 3 miles from the state’s top tourist attraction. Administrative Law Judge Tim Dawson later will issue a recommendation to State Engineer Garland Erbele, whose final decision could be appealed to state court.” [E&E News, 11/15/18 (=)]

 

Op-Ed, Editorial, and Analysis

Editorial: Zinke gave rare attention to Alaska: The next secretary of the Interior should do likewise. “Flawed, yes, but Secretary Zinke demonstrated one quality that is rare. He gave Alaska his time, attention and sought to understand our unique challenges.  So to whomever is to replace the embattled secretary of the interior, we hope to see a similar approach to Alaska. However, questionable ethics and public office are a disgraceful combination. President Trump would be wise to appoint someone with an ethical track record. The taxpayers deserve a better steward of their public lands.” [Fairbanks Daily News-Miner, 11/15/18 (~)]