March 1, 2021 — While President Joe Biden’s picks to head the Department of Interior and the Environmental Protection Agency will make history if confirmed, his nomination of Tom Vilsack to lead the Department of Agriculture is considered … More
Category: Briefly
Trump Administration Redefines ‘Habitat’
February 14, 2021 — In December, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, at the direction of Trump appointees, finalized a rule to limit the government’s ability to protect crucial ecosystems by redefining “habitat” as it relates to the … More
Senator Introduces Forest Restoration Jobs Bill
January 12, 2021 — In a move to “create and sustain jobs in the outdoors” through “forest and watershed restoration and resilience,” Sen. Michael Bennet (D-Colo.) introduced the Outdoor Restoration Force Act in the waning days of the … More
A Setback at Boundary Waters
June 20, 2020 — Federal District Judge Trevor McFadden, a recent Trump appointee, upheld the Trump administration’s decision to reissue two mineral leases for the Twin Metals Minnesota mine project, which risks polluting the Boundary Waters Canoe Area … More
A Victory for the Tongass
June 8, 2020 — U.S. District Judge Sharon Gleason rejected the Trump administration’s plan to harvest timber in Alaska’s Tongass National Forest. Gleason ruled that project approval violated the National Environmental Policy Act and the Alaska National Interest … More
Disgraceful Plans for Utah Monuments
June 3, 2020 — The Trump administration has finalized management plans for Bears Ears and Grand Staircase-Escalante national monuments. Both plans make it easier to obtain rights of way for development. The plans also allow chaining, the practice … More
ESA Protection Sought for Red Tree Voles
May 28, 2019 — Conservationists filed a lawsuit last week accusing the Trump administration of failing to protect eight rare species under the Endangered Species Act, including a population of red tree voles along the Oregon coast. A … More
Agency Agrees to Reduce Virginia Logging Plans
April 2, 2019 — The Forest Service has scaled back a proposed logging project in a scenic area of the Jefferson National Forest in Virginia, earning praise from conservationists. Agency officials initially proposed logging nearly 1,500 acres around … More
Agency Approves Plan for Arizona Copper Mine
March 26, 2019 — The Forest Service has approved a Canadian firm’s plan of operations for a nearly $2 billion open-pit copper mine in the Santa Rita Mountains of southern Arizona. Toronto-based Hudbay Minerals Inc. plans to extract … More
BLM Considers Burning Man Expansion
March 19, 2019 — The Bureau of Land Management is considering a request to allow 20,000 more people to attend the Burning Man celebration in Nevada’s Black Rock Desert each year. Currently, 80,000 people are permitted to attend … More