The Border Lands Conservation Act gives the Department of Homeland Security the power to waive myriad federal laws, including the Wilderness Act, under the pretense of border security.
Chris D’Angelo
Chris D’Angelo covers public lands, wildlife and environmental policy. He is a co-founder and reporter for Public Domain.
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The Trump team sets double standard on migratory bird rules
The administration said it will go hunting for cases of wind energy companies unintentionally killing migratory birds — something it has long argued is not a violation of federal law.
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DOJ says presidents can revoke monuments, not just create them
The 1906 Antiquities Act gave presidents the power to protect objects on public lands. A Justice Dept. memo said the Act also ”carries with it the power to revoke.”
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Trump to rescind the Public Lands Rule
The rule sought to elevate conservation’s status as a valid public land use, but Trump’s Interior Secretary stressed the importance of balancing development alongside protection.
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Uncurbed climate change and extreme heat will extract a toll on outdoor labor
A new report forecasts the loss in workdays and wages if greenhouse gas emissions aren’t reined in.
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Development threatens one of Montana’s ‘blue-ribbon’ trout rivers
Noxious algae is choking the very watershed that’s drawing people to develop property there.
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Trump admin erodes landmark law protecting communities and the environment
New National Environmental Policy Act rules limit public input and allow federal agencies to ignore climate impacts of infrastructure projects.
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Trump’s monumental hypocrisy
Despite decrying destruction of Confederate monuments, the president has dismantled millions of acres of national monuments.
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Vulnerable republicans back conservation bill
Ahead of the elections, two senators champion an act that would permanently fund the Land and Water Conservation Fund.
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Interior finalizes plans to welcome industry into Utah monuments
The plans for Bears Ears and Grand Staircase-Escalante provide ‘certainty’ to business owners and communities, officials said.
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Trump administration slashes protections for migratory birds
The new rule would legalize the unintentional killing of birds by energy companies and other industries.
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Interior attorney gave false information to Congress about contact with Koch Foundation
Daniel Jorjani, the agency’s top lawyer, reached out to his former employer for advice in April 2017.
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The Trump administration’s plans for less public input, more pipelines
Proposed environmental rollbacks would gut NEPA, allowing federal agencies to ignore climate effects and expedite infrastructure permitting.
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BLM head: ‘What I thought, what I wrote, what I did in the past is irrelevant.’
Acting BLM Director William Perry Pendley won’t answer questions about his history of climate denial or denigrating immigrants at environmental journalism conference.
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30 million acres of public land in Alaska at risk of being developed or transferred
‘The size and scope is simply staggering.’
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Energy lobbyists changed politicians’ official letters supporting gas project
The Consumer Energy Alliance made substantial edits to lawmaker op-eds about the controversial Jordan Cove Energy Project.
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New Endangered Species Act rules open door to looser protections
The new implementation guidelines relax habitat protections and favor development.
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Land transfer advocate and longtime agency combatant now leads BLM
William Perry Pendley has been tasked with overseeing 245 million acres of public lands he’s argued the federal government shouldn’t own.
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Interior secretary blames Congress for his inaction on climate change
There’s no law to make him address the climate and biodiversity crises, David Bernhardt said: ‘You guys come up with the shalls.’
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David Bernhardt confirmed as Secretary of the Interior
The former oil lobbyist has connections with industries that could profit from his decisions managing the nation’s natural and cultural resources.