G2. Local Greens

File:  ltr to Congress, 76 scientists 2012.pdfResource Type: Letters

File:  ltr to Congress, 76 scientists 2012.pdfResource Type: Letters

New tracker monitors Trump administration permitting activity

DENVER—As the government shutdown enters its fourth week, a new analysis by the Center for Western Priorities finds the Trump administration is issuing new oil and gas drilling permits just as fast as before the shutdown.

In the first three weeks of the government shutdown, the Bureau of Land Management has approved 308 applications for permits to drill (APDs) on national public lands. The majority of those permits (245) are in New Mexico, with another 38 in Wyoming. The rest of the permits were issued in Utah, Texas, North Dakota, Montana, and Oklahoma.

The Center for Western Priorities’ new Oil & Gas Government Shutdown Tracker monitors the approval of federal onshore oil and gas drilling permits during the ongoing 2025 government shutdown. The tracker will be regularly updated and expanded to include federal oil and gas leases, if and when leases are issued during the shutdown.

CWP’s analysis found that BLM has issued an average of 15.4 permits per day during the shutdown, which is consistent with the rate of permitting since June 2025:

The Center for Western Priorities has also added a table to our Trump Drilling Dashboard to track the amount of future royalty revenue lost due to changes in the One Big Beautiful Bill Act (OBBBA):

The OBBBA reduced the royalty rate companies pay on oil and gas extracted from federal land by 25 percent—from 16.67 to 12.5 percent—allowing operators to deliver significantly less revenue to taxpayers over the lifetime of a well. While both Congress and the Trump administration have misleadingly touted this change as making oil and gas development on public lands more economically attractive to industry, the federal royalty rate has little bearing on companies’ interest in acquiring leases in the places they’ve always wanted to develop. Rather, OBBBA’s reduction of the onshore royalty rate by 25 percent will do significant harm to oil and gas producing states by reducing important revenue that is used to fund schools and public infrastructure projects.

The Center for Western Priorities released the following statement from Communications Manager Kate Groetzinger:

“Deeming oil and gas leasing and permitting as ‘essential’ during this shutdown sends a clear message that the Trump administration cares more about appeasing the oil and gas industry than it does about reopening the government and restoring the critical services federal agencies provide to American families. Oil companies will continue to get their leases and permits while trash cans and pit toilets fill up and overflow across our public lands.”

“Reducing the federal royalty rate hurts Western states and communities, while essentially giving the oil and gas industry a giant tax break. Oil CEOs have made it clear in public statements that they have no intention of passing these savings on to Americans at the pump. Instead, they plan to pocket the billions in lost federal revenue for themselves and their shareholders. This is one of the most egregious examples of the Trump administration and Congress selling out taxpayers to the fossil fuel industry.”

The post Interior department issuing hundreds of oil and gas drilling permits during government shutdown appeared first on Center for Western Priorities.

Forced by a federal judge to partially reveal plans for firing federal employees, the Trump administration on Monday said it plans to “imminently” terminate more than 2,000 employees at the Interior department. The reduction in force, or RIF, is partially blocked by a temporary restraining order in a case brought by unions that represent government employees.

The Monday filing outlines where 2,050 positions would be eliminated; the U.S. Geological Survey, the Bureau of Land Management, and the main Interior office would be especially hard hit. Regional offices with the National Park Service are also targeted for significant cuts.

“Even more alarming is that [Interior Secretary] Doug Burgum still won’t tell the American people how much more he plans to cut,” said Jennifer Rokala, executive director at the Center for Western Priorities. “Today’s filing is only a portion of the pain he’s trying to inflict on our parks and public lands. We don’t know how many non-union offices and positions are also on the chopping block.”

The RIF plan would eviscerate USGS regional science centers, terminating more than half of the workforce at the Great Lakes Science Center in Michigan, the Columbia Environmental Research Center in Missouri, and the Fort Collins Science Center in Colorado. Interior also plans major layoffs at NPS and BLM offices in Denver, as well as state BLM offices across the West.

Corner crossing war ends with a victory for public access

The years-long legal fight over “corner crossing” across the checkerboard of public lands in the West came to an end on Monday when the U.S. Supreme Court declined to hear an appeal from a Wyoming rancher who tried to block hunters from accessing public land adjacent to his ranch. The hunters were acquitted of criminal trespass in 2022, and won a civil suit brought by rancher Fred Eshelman. Eshelman took his appeals all the way to the Supreme Court, which declined to hear the case without comment.

The decision means that corner crossing is now legal on federal land in states covered by Tenth Circuit Court of Appeals: Colorado, Kansas, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Utah, and Wyoming.

Quick hits Interior aims to RIF at least 2,050 employees

Federal News Network | The Hill | E&E News | CPR News | Axios | GovExec | NOTUS | Barrons | Roll Call | High Country News | Outside | National Parks Traveler

U.S. Supreme Court declines to hear corner crossing case

Wyoming Public Media | WyoFile | Cowboy State Daily | Montana Free Press | Public Domain

National park gateway communities lose millions each day during shutdown

USA Today | CNN

Colorado plans for return of wild bison under new law

9News

On the Arizona Trail, a community steps in as fires blacken forests and force detours

Arizona Republic

Furloughed federal workers struggle, hang on, help one another

WyoFile

Study: Forest regeneration provides climate benefits, but won’t offset fossil fuels

Phys.org

The dragonfly mating game has been upended, bringing repercussions up and down the food chain

CPR News

Quote of the day

There’s going to be bad actors who have their own intentions, who want to treat these public resources — like our public lands — as a private kingdom. But every time they do that, they are cutting against American tradition and history, and they’re going to lose and there’s going to be a way to beat them.”

—Ryan Semerad, attorney for four corner-crossing hunters, WyoFile

Picture This

@tombstone_statepark

When it’s spooky season but you have a job.

Featured image: USGS water and fire technicians in New Mexico. Photo: USGS

The post Inside Trump’s plan to eviscerate USGS and beyond appeared first on Center for Western Priorities.

DENVER—In a court filing this morning, the Interior department told a federal judge it intends to fire more than 2,000 government employees through a reduction in force, or RIF. The RIF is partially blocked by a temporary restraining order in a case brought by several unions that represent government employees.

Judge Susan Illston ordered the Interior department and other federal agencies to reveal the scope of its planned RIF as it pertained to unionized employees. Today’s filing outlines where the 2,050 positions would be eliminated; the U.S. Geological Survey, Bureau of Land Management, and the main Interior office would be especially hard hit. Regional offices with the National Park Service are also targeted for significant cuts.

The Center for Western Priorities released the following statement from Executive Director Jennifer Rokala:

“This plan would eviscerate the core science that every American depends on. USGS research underpins everything from American energy to insurance to transportation. The cuts that Secretary Burgum envisions would devastate scientific research across the Rocky Mountains, Great Plains, and Great Lakes. These layoffs, if they come to fruition, would also devastate the National Park Service and Bureau of Land Management, getting rid of the planning, construction, and regional offices that make our parks and public lands the envy of the world.

“Even more alarming is that Doug Burgum still won’t tell the American people how much more he plans to cut. Today’s filing is only a portion of the pain he’s trying to inflict on our parks and public lands. We don’t know how many non-union offices and positions are also on the chopping block. It’s incumbent on the courts and Congress to put a stop to this devastation and protect the park rangers, scientists, and land managers who study and care for America’s public lands.”

The office hardest hit by this plan based on percentages of current total workforce is the USGS Midcontinent Region office, which stands to lose 108 out of 137 employees, or 79 percent of its workforce. (This region includes the Great Lakes Science Center, focusing on the Great Lakes ecosystem and resources.) The USGS Columbia Environmental Research Center in Missouri would be the second hardest hit. It stands to lose 80 out of 102 employees, or 78 percent of its workforce. The USGS Fort Collins Science Center is slated to lose 39 of 69 employees, or 56 percent.

The office that handles internal and external communications for the Interior department, including responding to journalists, could lose 129 of 443 employees, or 29 percent of its workforce. The BLM’s Colorado workforce could shrink by 16 percent, or 120 employees, with the BLM National Operation Center in Denver set to lose 87 employees and the BLM Colorado state office set to lose 33 employees.

Other offices targeted by the DOI RIF plan include:

BLM National Operations Center: 87 of 177 positions (46%)

NPS regional offices:

• Southeast: 69 of 222 positions (31%)
• Pacific West: 57 of 198 positions (29%)
• Northeast: 63 of 224 positions (28%)
• Regional Support: 18 of 86 positions (20%)
• Denver Service Center: 40 of 224 positions (18%)

BLM state offices:

• Utah: 93 of 783 (12%)
• California: 76 of 838 (9%)
• Arizona: 41 of 482 (9%)
• Oregon/Washington: 95 of 1,493 (6%)
• Idaho: 48 of 840 (6%)
• Colorado: 33 of 595 (6%)

The main Interior office would also be hard hit by the RIF, cutting hundreds of positions across operations, Tribal support, grantmaking, energy, accounting, and customer service.

Featured image: USGS Fort Collins

The post Statement on Interior department plan to eviscerate USGS, more public land agencies appeared first on Center for Western Priorities.

Updated on October 17, 2025. Originally published on June 18, 2025.

The 2025-2026 legislative session has come to an end, and Greenbelt Alliance is happy to announce that eight of our endorsed bills were signed into law! It is an exciting moment in California, as we push for more climate-smart growth and sustainable land-use policies.

Some of the most transformative bills in recent history were signed into law.

We are especially proud of our first co-sponsored bill, Senta Bill 79 (Wiener), passing the legislature and being signed into law. This bill will provide many new resilient homes near public transit, a crucial step to alleviate the crippling housing crisis in our state. “We are beginning to shift away from decades of harmful development patterns and move toward building a more sustainable and affordable future,” explained Jordan Grimes, Legislative Director, Greenbelt Alliance. “This critical change will help safeguard our natural and working lands while delivering lasting benefits for our climate, our environment, and our communities.”

This year also saw new major reforms to the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) that exempt sustainable infill housing developments from having a full environmental review.

Every year, Greenbelt Alliance selects legislative priorities to further our mission to educate, advocate, and collaborate, ensuring the Bay Area’s lands and communities are resilient to a changing climate. Learn more about our legislative priorities here and check out our most recent highlights below:

Legislative Wins

SB 427 (Blakespear) — Extension of the Habitat Conservation Fund
Status: Signed into law

SB 427 extends the Habitat Conservation Fund until 2035 to protect critical flora and fauna. California’s diverse ecosystems are integral to the state’s health, sequester carbon, and provide natural buffers for communities against climate-related hazards. 

SB 79 (Wiener) — Abundant and Affordable Homes Near Transit Act
Status: Signed into law

SB 79 codifies transit-oriented development (TOD) as an essential strategy to produce more homes, increase affordability, and reduce greenhouse gas emissions. By building near major transit stops, such as BART, Caltrain, or the San Diego Trolley, we can promote reduced car use and healthier communities.  

For far too long, California has embraced development patterns that have harmed our communities and environment. Making it difficult to build in our existing cities and towns has pushed development further out and caused sprawl—paving over critical wildlife habitat and productive farmland and worsening the affordability crisis in California.

SB 79 advances Greenbelt Alliance’s holistic vision for climate-smart growth while protecting our natural and working lands, and it’s one of the most impactful pieces of legislation we have ever supported.

AB 609 (Wicks) — The CEQA Exemption for Environmentally-Friendly Housing Act
Status: Signed into law 

Initially presented as AB 609, this piece of legislation was later incorporated into the AB 130 budget trailer bill to exempt infill housing projects from the traditional environmental review (CEQA) process. By adding it into the budget, Governor Newsom was able to fast-track the bill through the legislature. The bill limits CEQA under set infill conditions, including: projects of 20 acres or less, located in incorporated cities or urbanized areas, with prior or adjacent urban development, consistent with local plans, and meeting at least half the minimum residential density. 

While it sparked heated debates among advocates, Greenbelt Alliances endorsed AB 609 because it is a clear and focused exemption that supports housing developments in the right places—within already developed areas. Its narrow scope ensures that low-density and sprawl developments are still accountable to environmental review. 

Learn more about our take in the blog “Now You CEQA, Now You Don’t: Unpacking Major New Reforms to the California Environmental Quality Act” and join the upcoming Alliance for Housing and Climate Solutions session on the topic.

AB 1021 (Wicks) — Streamlining housing projects on educational institution lands
Status: Signed into law

AB 1021 streamlines housing projects proposed by and on local school districts; it additionally allows these projects to be exempt from CEQA review if the right affordability requirements are met. 

SB 71 (Wiener) — CEQA exemption for transit projects
Status: Signed into law

SB 71 streamlines sustainable transportation projects by fast-tracking them through California’s environmental review procedure (CEQA), allowing many to be exempt from the CEQA process altogether. 

SB63 (Wiener) — Bay Area Regional Transit Measure

Status: Signed into law 

Facing a fiscal cliff, public transit agencies throughout the Bay Area are still recovering from the pandemic and are in need of additional funding to strengthen their capacity to connect our communities and reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

SB 63 outlines a sales tax mechanism that will go directly to support transit operations, maintenance, oversight, and others. With Governor Newsom codifying the bill, the regional transit measure will now become a proposition for Bay Area voters in the November 2026 election. Santa Clara, San Mateo, Contra Costa, and Alameda counties will decide on a ½ cent sales tax to support public transit, while San Francisco County will decide on a 1-cent sales tax. 

AB 357 (Alvarez) — Student and Faculty Housing Success Act
Status: Signed into law

AB 357 requires the Coastal Commission to approve or deny completed coastal development permit applications within 90 days of submission. This applies if the application involves student, faculty, or staff housing development. This bill allows the construction of housing on any property owned by a local educational agency under specific conditions. This provision would last until January 1, 2036. The bill also clarifies that education housing projects can be exempt from CEQA review if they meet the right affordability requirements.

SB 484 (Laird) — Coastal Zone Permitting Exclusion
Status: Signed into Law

This bill supports new housing development in the coastal zone by allowing certain projects to skip getting a coastal development permit (in addition to a typical development permit) if they meet the affordability and infill criteria. It requires the Coastal Commission and the Department of Housing and Community Development to identify potential areas that would be applicable and allow them to have the coastal permitting exclusion.

Status of Remaining Bills 

SB 5 (Cabaldon) — Protecting Farmlands from Sprawl
Status: Vetoed by Governor Newsom

SB 5 was a key bill in the fight against sprawl and development in our open spaces and farmlands. It sought to close a loophole in the Williamson Act that inadvertently would allow developers to enjoy tax benefits that are intended for farmland protection. 

Unfortunately, the bill was vetoed by the Governor, who argued that local jurisdictions already can decide whether Williamson Act lands are included in EIFDs.  While this is true, the core intent of the legislation was to protect agricultural lands under Williamson Act contracts from development through EIFDs, preventing sprawl and loss of farmland. The issue is not one of local control, but of farmland conservation.

AB 736 (Wicks)— Affordable Housing Bond Act
Status: Held in committee

To address the housing shortage and skyrocketing housing costs in California, AB 736 would have authorized the state to issue $10 billion worth of bonds for development projects. These bonds would have been used to fund affordable rental housing and home ownership programs, including the Multifamily Housing Program, the CalHome Program, and the Joe Serna, Jr. Farmworker Housing Grant Program. 

AB 902 (Schultz) — Transportation projects and barriers to wildlife movement
Status: Held in the suspense file in Senate Appropriations  

AB 902 requires lead agencies to integrate wildlife connectivity into their transportation infrastructure projects in designated areas throughout the state.

This is a critical bill for long-term ecological resilience because it supports wildlife connectivity in natural environments. This has compounding benefits, allowing animals to have greater access to food, water, and mates (integral for genetic diversity against disease) while also allowing freedom of migration, whether that is natural movement or in response to environmental hazards. 

SB 445 (Wiener) — Sustainable Transportation Planning Projects
Status: Held in committee

This bill establishes standards and timelines for what qualifies as a sustainable transportation project and how a lead agency interacts and collaborates with third-party entities. Notably, it sets deadlines for relevant bodies to comply with the permitting process.

AB 1294 (Haney) — Permit Streamlining Act
Status: Held in committee

The Permit Streamlining Act would allow the State’s Housing Department, HCD, to set clear standards for development applications statewide. It holds cities accountable for following application processes on time and mandates them to be transparent on scheduled fees and other requirements.

End of Legislative Season

The 2025-2026 legislative session created new laws to streamline infill housing development, protect natural habitats, and reform CEQA to be more effective. Some of these bills were years in the making, and we are incredibly excited to see them become law!

Greenbelt Alliance is proud that many of our endorsed bills passed, and we will continue to work with partners and decision-makers to hold agencies and jurisdictions accountable.

The post It’s a Wrap: Our 2025 Legislative Endorsement Highlights appeared first on Greenbelt Alliance.

The Senate passed three bills last week overturning established land-use plans in Montana, North Dakota, and Alaska under the Congressional Review Act (CRA), marking the first time the CRA has ever been applied to land management plans since its inception in 1996.

What the Senate failed to consider is the way these unprecedented bills could invalidate every resource management plan, including every oil, gas, and mineral lease issued under those plans.

Just as the Center for Western Priorities warned might happen, a draft lawsuit being circulated in Washington claims the federal government unlawfully issued thousands of permits in Wyoming because they aren’t consistent with any valid resource management plan.

“Congress has now confirmed that each and every RMP in Wyoming—and many across the nation—is legally invalid because none of the RMPs were ever submitted to Congress under the Congressional Review Act (CRA),” reads the draft lawsuit. “This means that each and every oil, gas, and mineral lease, drilling permit, and other authorization issued pursuant to those RMPs is also invalid.”

In Wyoming alone, BLM field offices have issued 2,599 oil and gas leases on nearly 2.2 million acres since the CRA was signed into law.

What the shutdown means for public lands In the latest episode of The Landscape podcast, Aaron talks to Rep. Jared Huffman, ranking member of the House Natural Resources Committee, about the government shutdown, whether Adelita Grijalva will ever get sworn in, and what he tells people who ask what’s bringing him hope in this dark time. Quick hits Interior planning layoffs despite court order, unions say

Bloomberg Law | E&E News

State, greens seek emergency order for salmon at Northwest dams

E&E News

Judge dismisses young climate activists’ lawsuit challenging Trump on fossil fuels

Associated Press

Nearly two dozen states sue to stop Trump ending $7 billion solar grant program

The Guardian

Column: The Endangered Species Act is on life support

More Than Just Parks

Colorado’s Front Range had a less smoggy summer thanks to cooler weather, less wildfire smoke

CPR News

Corner-crossing petition to Supreme Court employs successful past strategies

WyoFile

National parks, public lands feared at risk of long-term harm as shutdown drags on

Colorado Newsline

Quote of the day

The national parks are effectively museums. This would be like the Smithsonian saying, ‘Well, you know, we don’t have the staff to keep the Smithsonian museum staffed, but we’ll go ahead and leave the gates, the doors open, and come in and take a look, do what you want.’ ”

—Aaron Weiss, Center for Western Priorities deputy director, Colorado Newsline

Picture This @coparkswildlife

Cotton candy skies make this trail all the more sweet.

We don’t need to sugarcoat it either; the Scenic Overlook to Cookie Tree Trail at Ridgway State Park offers spectacular views. This 1.2-mile cruise is a real treat, with only 100 feet of elevation gain, an observation deck along the route, and easy access from the park’s campgrounds and visitor center.

 

(Featured image: Rawlins Field Office in Wyoming. Bureau of Land Management)

The post Did Congress just invalidate thousands of oil and gas leases? appeared first on Center for Western Priorities.

Aaron talks to Rep. Jared Huffman, ranking member of the House Natural Resources Committee, about the government shutdown, whether Adelita Grijalva will ever get sworn in, and what he tells people who ask what’s bringing him hope in this dark time.

 

• Produced & hosted by Aaron Weiss (Kate’s back next week)
• Feedback: podcast@westernpriorities.org
• Music: Purple Planet
• Featured image: Wikimedia Commons

The post What the shutdown means for public lands w/ Rep. Jared Huffman appeared first on Center for Western Priorities.

A new interactive map from the Center for American Progress shows how many public lands employees have already been furloughed or laid off as a result of the ongoing government shutdown and which local economies will be affected.

Since layoffs began last Saturday, about 4,200 workers across at least seven agencies lost their jobs. Not only do these firings impact the livelihoods of public lands workers, but they can also have drastic impacts on local economies—outdoor recreation is a significant economic driver for communities across the country, so layoffs, budget cuts, limited access, reduced tourism, and minimal visitor services can all negatively impact local economies that rely on fully funded and fully staffed public lands.

According to the article, nearly half of the current public lands workforce—more than 29,000 people—is furloughed during the shutdown, and currently furloughed employees are at risk of being fired. Land management agencies were already understaffed before the government shutdown—from March 2024 to September 2025, 20 percent of the workforce at public land agencies was fired or bought out.

Quick hits A push for ‘global energy dominance’ puts Alaskan wildlands at risk

Seattle Times

Unprecedented use of this law could throw all federal land-use plans into ‘chaos’

Deseret News

Tribes launch Chuckwalla National Monument commission

E&E News

Rain in southwestern Colorado raises rivers to levels unseen since the 1970s, water stored in one reservoir doubles

Colorado Sun

Mike Lee bills would increase off-highway vehicle use on public land

E&E News | National Parks Experience [column]

Colorado National Monument feeling effects of government shutdown

Western Slope Now

How Indigenous practices can help protect forests

Washington Post

Opinion: What a Hatch Act complaint says about the future of conservation

North Carolina State University

Quote of the day

I still firmly believe that public lands can serve as a common ground.”

—Lincoln Larson, associate profession of parks, recreation, and tourism management at North Carolina State University.

Picture This @deadhorsepoint

Ever wanted to touch the clouds? A cool phenomenon pictured here at Dead Horse Point can make it seem not only like you are above the clouds, but also in them as the vapors rise over the canyon edges and creep across the ground through the park. On days like this with clouds constantly changing, you can get a view of the canyon that is entirely unique to you!

Post by Ranger Georgia

 

(Featured image: Two people hike at Glacier National Park, Montana. GlacierNPS, Flickr)

The post How the government shutdown affects communities near public lands appeared first on Center for Western Priorities.

The Bureau of Land Management rejected a mining company’s bid to acquire 167 million tons of coal on public lands in Montana for just $0.001 per ton.

The company, Navajo Transitional Energy Co., was the only one to bid on the sale, which would have been the largest federal coal sale in more than a decade. As a result of the failed sale, the BLM postponed a lease sale in the Wyoming portion of the Powder River Basin, which was scheduled to take place this week.

This happened just a week after Congress used the Congressional Review Act to overturn a Biden-era resource management plan that would have ended new coal leasing on public lands in Montana’s portion of the Powder River Basin.

Energy companies aren’t the only ones pushing back on President Donald Trump’s efforts to boost America’s coal industry. On Tuesday, dozens of miners and their families gathered outside the Labor Department building to urge the Trump administration to enforce protections for black lung disease, an incurable illness caused by inhaling coal and silica dust.

“The companies might be getting a handout, but the miners ain’t getting none,” said Gary Hairston, 71, a retired coal miner and president of the National Black Lung Association. Hairston has been living with black lung disease since he was in his 40s.

Quick hits Out of land? The role of federal public lands in the West‘s housing crisis

Nevada Public Radio

Why less land has burned in much of the West this year

Washington Post

BLM schedules Colorado oil and gas lease sale

E&E News

The best public lands destinations you’ve never heard of: Volume 3

More Than Just Parks

Coal pollution rose in last shutdown as EPA inspections stopped

E&E News

Quannah ChasingHorse isn’t slowing down on fighting for Indigenous rights

Outside

App helps solve access question for some of Colorado’s 704,000 acres of inaccessible public lands

Denver Post

Opinion: Public lands define the Land of Enchantment

Source NM

Quote of the day

That’s what gives me hope, seeing that our future leaders are going to be strong and knowledgeable, and will make decisions that will benefit everyone, not just themselves.”

—Quannah ChasingHorse, Indigenous activist, Outside

Picture This @stauntonstatepark

Not a bad way to start the day

CPW/Ranger Dale

 

(Featured image: Coal trains transport coal from the Powder River Basin. Photo by the Center for Land Use Interpretation)

The post Trump tries and fails to make coal great again appeared first on Center for Western Priorities.

As the government shutdown drags on, concerns over the health of national parks and the safety of visitors continue to grow.

Surfaced photos and videos have shown visitors to Yosemite National Park BASE jumping from El Capitan and climbing Half Dome’s cables without permits.

“It’s like the Wild Wild West,” said John DeGrazio, founder of the tour company YExplore Yosemite Adventures.

In one post to Instagram, climber Charles Winstead filmed visitors BASE jumping from El Capitan. His caption encourages other BASE jumpers to take advantage of the lack of rangers, reading, “More base jumpers! Definitely feeling some freedom to flout the rules due to the shut down. Second group today.”

In Colorado, nonprofits that work closely with the U.S. Forest Service have received mixed messages about whether volunteers are allowed to work. The Eagle-Summit Wilderness Alliance—a nonprofit that works on the White River National Forest—was told by the Forest Service that all volunteer activities should cease during the shutdown, but a local ranger district has since told the group that volunteers are allowed to work.

The conflicting guidance has left members worried that they could get in trouble for volunteering, or that the workers’ compensation usually offered by the Forest Service might not cover them if they were injured while volunteering.

Quick hits Federal lands need the public’s help, retired national park ranger says

North Dakota Monitor

Senate nixes management plans for public lands, expanding access for fossil fuels

Inside Climate News

Squatters, illegal BASE jumpers invade Yosemite amid federal shutdown

SFGATE

Opinion: The case for national monuments

High Country News

Amid government shutdown, Colorado nonprofits describe ‘chaos’ and a ‘scramble to protect the places we love’

Summit Daily

Interior cancels largest solar project in North America

Politico

Farmers, ranchers cut back Colorado River water use while enduring one of the driest seasons on record

Colorado Sun

Wyoming congressional delegation wants to override BLM coal lease ban

WyoFile

Quote of the day

For the future of our natural places, I hope this is not the trajectory we remain on, where we’re all just trying to scramble to protect the places we love.”

—Meara McQuain, executive director of Headwaters Trails Alliance, Summit Daily

Picture This @coparkswildlife

Aspen Nature Trail at Vega State Park Aspen views for days

It’s not exactly a secret how this trail got named, but we’re fine with that. This easy out-and-back hike is a two-mile-long cruise through a large aspen grove on the south side of the lake. It’s a wonderful walk through the woods, made even more spectacular when the leaves are changing.

 

(Featured image: El Capitan at Yosemite National Park, California. Daniel Erlandson, Pexels)

The post Visitors to national parks persist amid government shutdown appeared first on Center for Western Priorities.

September brought a wave of climate-focused events alongside intense political developments, both locally and globally.

On September 21, 350PDX and several other climate organizations participated in Sun Day, a national day of action to celebrate clean energy and share strategies for transitioning away from fossil fuels. Before our incredible puppets took to the streets and dazzled onlookers, several speakers—including Senator Jeff Merkley and Senator Khanh Pham—addressed the crowd. They spoke about clean energy, climate change, the ongoing genocide in Gaza, ICE activity, and recent government cuts to healthcare and food assistance. As the connections between these issues grow clearer, we hope more people will be inspired to take collective action—for justice, for the planet, and for one another.

Photos of Sun Day here!

Team News Fossil Fuel Resistance Team

The Fossil Fuel Resistance team is hard at work on several new campaigns. We’re in the thick of pushing the City of Portland to transform the Critical Energy Infrastructure (CEI) Hub, and we’re laying the groundwork for campaigns focused on “Make Polluters Pay” and keeping data centers fueling AI from destroying our energy and water infrastructure.

It’s a great time to join the Fossil Fuel Resistance team and make an immediate impact in our ongoing work or help strategize for these future campaigns! Take the actions below, then join us at our next online meeting on Tuesday, October 14 at 5:30pm, or our next in-person meeting on October 28 at the 350PDX office. Please reach out to Ben Platt for the Zoom link: benplatt59@gmail.com.

You can also sign up to volunteer and receive updates on the CEI Hub campaign using this form: https://350pdx.app.neoncrm.com/forms/38

“Make Polluters Pay” National Petition

350PDX is part of a national campaign organizing to pass “Make Polluters Pay” bills in as many states as possible. At the state level, we’re bringing back a bill from last session. Sign this Make Polluters Pay national petition to show that people all over the country want to see big oil companies held accountable for the damage they’ve caused. Send a message to our members of Congress and other elected officials. This will help support our state level work and show a groundswell of support.

Comment on the CEI Hub Policy Project Discussion Draft, Webinar 10/12

Portland’s Bureau of Planning and Sustainability has released a “discussion draft” with suggested alternatives for the future of the Critical Energy Infrastructure (CEI) Hub, the 6-mile stretch of toxic fuel tanks lining the west side of the Willamette in North Portland (where Zenith Energy stores its fuels). This is a crucial moment in which Portland gets to decide: will we continue putting our community in grave danger by “business as usual” alternatives that maintain or increase toxic fuels at the CEI Hub, causing a major disaster in the event of the inevitable Cascadia earthquake? Or will we begin drawing down the fuels stored at this site and transitioning our region away from toxic and climate-harming fuels?

Join us this Sunday, October 12, from 1:00-2:00pm for a CEI Hub comment writing workshop in partnership with Oregon Sierra Club. You’ll learn about the CEI Hub Policy Project Discussion Draft, have an opportunity to ask questions, and begin writing your public comment.

Not available to attend the webinar? Submit your own comment here by October 17. Use these talking points if you’d like, or modify this one-click email

Forest Defense Team

The Portland Urban Forest Plan (PUFP)

The PUFP is heading to the full City Council for a vote on October 15. This is a long-term cooling plan for our city — and more. You can participate by sending a letter to encourage your City Councilors to vote “yes.”

To help ensure the plan is actionable, 350PDX and allied organizations worked with Councilor Kanal and bureau staff to introduce amendments (incorporated by the Climate, Resilience, and Land Use Committee) that establish timelines for plans to shift responsibility for public street tree care, and street tree-related sidewalk repair, from the adjacent property owner to the City. (These are two root causes of Portland’s heat/tree canopy disparity.)

See the Executive Summary to explore habitat, health, and other aspects of this plan. Retrofitting our neighborhoods for a warmer future may be a challenge, but 50 years from now Portlanders will thank us for it!

Shade Equity Social

Join Thrive East PDX and 350PDX for an evening of laying down connections and building pathways toward tree canopy infrastructure retrofits, green jobs, and a more resilient East Portland. 

Thursday, October 23, from 6:00-8:00pm at The Center Powered by Y.O.U.T.H 16126 SE Stark Street, Portland OR 97233

Middle Big Noise Walk

 

Join the Forest Defense team on Saturday, October 25 for an adventure out to the “Middle Big Noise” timber units in the Clatsop State Forest.

We will walk through this legacy forest full of western hemlock and Douglas fir, talk about state forestry management, and share ways to get involved with our state forests. More information and RSVP here.

Photo: Zoe Foxe

 

Arts Team

At our many September Artbuilds, we created two identical, massive, panoramic murals that turned Extinction Rebellion’s firetruck into a float for the Sun Day celebration in downtown Portland. Thank you to the many people who showed up to create a reminder of the climate justice world we want to live in, and to the puppeteers who gave life to our puppets, danced with Inca dancers, and made the downtown parade so memorable.

The work goes on! October 12 is our Second Sunday Artbuild, 1:00-4:00pm at the 350PDX workshop. We’ll be finishing up another round of puppets who’ll make their debut at the No Kings rally, October 18. Help us, if you can! We need help building at the Artbuild, and also puppeteering our parade of huge puppets. Let Donna know if you can help: murph1949@aol.com SW Team

The 350PDX Southwest Team includes neighborhoods on the south and west sides of Portland. We meet monthly on Zoom to plan for in-person actions, presentations, and discussions in our communities. Our next online planning meeting is Monday, October 13 at 6:30pm. Or you can join our weekly street corner demonstrations. Reach out to Pat at patk5@msn.com to learn more.

Team members will be waving signs at SW Multnomah and SW 35th on Fridays at 4:00pm thru October. In November, we will be at SW Terwilliger and SW Taylors Ferry. Come join us, we have extra climate action signs to share!

 

Volunteer Spotlight Ben Platt

Ben is a writer and educator who grew up in the Mountain West and has come to call Portland his permanent home. Between the food and fermentation scene, the abundant opportunities to get outside and connect with the more than human world and, most importantly, the wonderful community of people wanting to make the world a better place, Ben is happy to have found a place in Portland.

When looking for a place to get involved in long-term organizing in Portland, Ben started by helping with mutual aid and meal distribution projects before hearing about 350PDX from a friend who happened to be a volunteer. After attending a month-long youth climate organizing workshop put on by 350PDX and coalition partners, he joined the Fossil Fuel Resistance team and hasn’t looked back. He now calls 350PDX his organizing home.

Ben has now spent two years volunteering with 350PDX and has become one of the core volunteers on the Fossil Fuel Resistance team. He appreciates how much 350PDX is able to connect people and organizations throughout our Portland communities and bring them together to advocate for an environmentally just future for all, no matter their background or interests.

________________________________________

Before we say close this newsletter, a reminder that this Friday, Rumble on the River and Public Grids present Portland’s Future: It’s in Our Hands, an evening of music and ideas for building a Portland that provides and cares for everyone with new public investment in public goods. We hope to see you there!

Cherice, Dineen, Irene, Jessica

PS Much thanks to 350PDX volunteer Joaquin Moore who created the beautiful puppet logo at the top of this email!

 

 

 

 

 

The post 2025 October Newsletter! appeared first on 350PDX: Climate Justice.

After clearing the legislature with bipartisan support, Senate Bill 79, the Abundant and Affordable Homes Near Transit Act (Wiener), was signed into law by Governor Gavin Newsom on October 10, 2025. The bill goes into effect in July 2026.

The governor’s signing of SB79 is a watershed moment for land-use policy in California.

“By making it possible to build new multifamily homes near our major public transit stations, we are beginning to shift away from decades of harmful development patterns and move toward building a more sustainable and affordable future,” explained Jordan Grimes, Legislative Director, Greenbelt Alliance. “This critical change will help safeguard our natural and working lands while delivering lasting benefits for our climate, our environment, and our communities. We thank Governor Newsom and Senator Wiener for their steadfast leadership on this issue.”

This new law codifies transit-oriented development (TOD) as an essential strategy to both increase housing affordability and reduce greenhouse gas emissions. It allows more homes near major transit stops, such as BART, Caltrain, or the San Diego Trolley, and improves walkability in our communities. For more details on how this piece of legislation will achieve this, click here.

“SB 79 builds on the landmark CEQA reforms passed earlier this year in AB 130 (Wicks) and SB 131 (Wiener). By establishing state zoning standards, SB 79 unlocks a great deal of critical land to use (…),” said a press release by Senator Scott Wiener.

Greenbelt Alliance was proud to co-sponsor this bill by Senator Scott Wiener, alongside many housing, environmental, and transit advocates across California, such as Streets for All, California YIMBY, SPUR, Abundant Housing LA, Inner City Law Center, and the Bay Area Council.

In March 2025, we joined this powerful coalition with the goal of elevating the environmental benefits that a bill like SB79 would bring. As an organization that has been fighting to accelerate the production of new homes within cities and away from our open spaces, we know that how we use our lands is one of the most important issues we face today. Throughout this year our Legislative Director, Jordan Grimes, tirelessly elevated the environmental case for housing at meetings, hearings, committees, and directly with legislators in Sacramento.

Advocates for SB79 in Sacramento. Jordan Grimes speaking at a hearing committee. Amanda Brown-Stevens and Victor Flores at the Press Conference announcing our endorsement of SB 79. Why It Matters

Where we are building (or not) directly impacts our daily lives—determining if our children can afford to live where they grew up, if there’s land to grow the food we need, or if people are living in safe or climate-vulnerable areas.

Building more homes of all types and for all incomes:

• Reduces unnecessarily long commutes—and greenhouse gas emissions—;
• Increases access to transit, jobs, and amenities, and improves energy efficiency;
• Creates more connected and walkable communities;
• Reduces development pressure on greenbelts, minimizing exposure to risks, and strengthening wildfire buffers.

For far too long, California has embraced development patterns that have harmed our communities and environment. Making it difficult to build in our existing cities and towns has pushed development further out and caused sprawl—paving over critical wildlife habitat and productive farmland and worsening the affordability crisis in California.

By enabling the construction of thousands of new multifamily homes in the most sustainable places to build—within existing communities near major public transit stops—we can protect critical species and habitat, reduce greenhouse gas emissions, and ensure every Californian has an affordable place to call home.

 

The post More Homes Near Transit Is Now The Law in California appeared first on Greenbelt Alliance.

“The Hub” is a weekly round-up of transportation related news in the Philadelphia area and beyond. Check back weekly to keep up-to-date on the issues Clean Air Council’s transportation staff finds important.

Join the Transit For All PA campaign for sustainable transit funding to keep our State moving forward.

Image Source: Monica Herndon

NBC Philadelphia: Philly lawyer files another lawsuit to stop SEPTA’s fare increase – This week the same Philadelphia lawyer whose previous lawsuit caused a judge to order the full restoration of SEPTA’s services is filing another suit. This class-action lawsuit aims for SEPTA to roll back its 21.5% fare hike. The previous lawsuit resulted in SEPTA tapping into their state capital assistance funding over the next two years. The Pennsylvania legislature continues to miss budget deadlines, leaving public transit without a state budget.

Image Source: John Duchneskie

The Inquirer: SEPTA Regional Rail riders face delays, cancellations due to emergency order – SEPTA is performing emergency inspections on railcars this week, leading to delays across the Regional Rail system. SEPTA’s oversight body, the Federal Railroad Administration, issued an emergency order on Monday, removing all cars 50 years and older to complete a thorough inspection. SEPTA riders can expect shorter trains with limited capacity for the next few weeks, as the full inspection needs to be completed within 30 days.

Image Source: Emma Lee/WHYY

WHYY: Delaware County debuts online interactive map for growing trail system – Delaware County is making information easier to access for the over 45 miles of trail currently open to the public. The online database has all necessary information in one place, with real-time status updates about the growing system. There are around 12 miles of trails currently under construction or in the design phase, with an additional 78 miles in the feasibility or planning phase. The informational hub is a collaborative effort between municipal and regional planning partners, with hopes that public access can increase in the weeks to come before cold weather fully sets in.

Other Stories

Philly Voice: After spate of e-bike deaths, NJ lawmakers propose restrictions and insurance requirements

BillyPenn: ‘Community is a top priority’: This S. Kensington bike shop is owned by its employees

The Inquirer: PHL has more flights this year but lost some low-cost routes

Chestnut Hill Local: New markers on Green Ribbon Trail improve Wissahickon safety 

BillyPenn: After 5 Regional Rail fires, federal agency orders new round of SEPTA crew trainings, urges replacing fleet

Fox Philadelphia: Philadelphia ranked #1 ‘worst’ city in US to drive in: report 

Philadelphia Citizen: Can We Make Car-Free Streets Permanent?

For the 10th year in a row, Cobbs Creek Community Environmental Center welcomes the community to celebrate the season at the free Harvest Festival on Saturday, October 25, 2025! All are welcome to this annual event, which features activities to connect attendees with the environment, as well as live music.

Starting at 1pm, trick-or-treaters will meet at Spruce Street and Cobbs Creek Parkway to make their way down the wooded natural surface trail to the Environmental Center. (Costumes are encouraged but not required!) Also from 1-3 p.m., children can enjoy face paint, balloon animals, a magician, and arts and crafts, or try their hand at archery starting at 2 p.m. Festival attendees can also expect to connect with new community resources and learning opportunities, including bird walks and nature education. We’d love to see you there! 

See the festival map below for help navigating to the event.

As wildfire mitigation and prescribed burns are delayed amid the government shutdown, the U.S. Forest Service gave final approval to Hecla Mining Company for the Libby Exploration Project. The approval enables Hecla to begin surveys for silver and copper ore in an old mine shaft 20 miles south of Libby, Montana.

The proposed mining operation has been in development for decades, and faces opposition from environmental groups who worry about the impacts of water pollution, mining activity, and human disturbances to wildlife. The project received an expedited review after the Trump administration added it to the “FAST-41” infrastructure permitting dashboard.

“This is not an ‘exploration project,’” said Ben Catton of the Montana Environmental Information Center. “Hecla has been pursuing this ore body for years. They know what’s there, but they also know what’s at stake given that the mine is adjacent to one of our first wilderness areas and a critical stronghold for threatened grizzlies, wolverines, and bull trout. Hecla is trying to get an inch so they can take a mile.”

Happy Indigenous Peoples’ Day

Look West will take a break on Monday in observance of Indigenous Peoples’ Day. See you Tuesday!

Quick hits Wildfire in Zion National Park closes some trails and roads

E&E News | Salt Lake Tribune | KSL | National Parks Traveler

Senate Republicans send bill repealing Montana land plan to Trump

E&E News

Endangered ferrets in more jeopardy as government shutdown drags on, wildlife expert warns

CBS News

Barbed wire fences dot the West. There’s a growing movement to take them down

KUNC

Lawmakers seek ethics probe into top offshore oil regulator

Public Domain

Forest Service approves Cabinet Mountains mine exploration

Montana Public Radio | Montana Free Press

Interior Department unveils controversial agenda aimed at reviving struggling industry: ‘Will hurt the American people’

The Cooldown

Opinion: What’s it like to be a cow?

High Country News

Quote of the day

I don’t see it as a choice between ranching and a gentler world, but rather between ranching and asphalt. A good ranch preserves land for untold umwelts. I feel lucky to be surrounded by cattle and the multitude of life in these fields: the porcupine trundling through alfalfa, the sandhill cranes leaving prints across the muddy banks.”

—Darby Minow Smith, Montana cattle rancher, High Country News

Picture This

 @deadhorsepoint
Dead Horse Point State Park is home to many beautiful overlooks! Many come to visit our famous overlook at Dead Horse Point. But today I wanted to highlight an overlook more frequently… overlooked! Bighorn! Bighorn Overlook is a 3.2 mile hike from our visitor center and has stunning views all the way down the trail. Next time you visit, consider taking a hike to Bighorn Overlook.

Post by Ranger Ozzie

 

Featured photo: The Cabinet Mountains near Libby, Montana. USDA NRCS Montana

The post Forest Service approves Montana mine exploration amid government shutdown appeared first on Center for Western Priorities.

Updated on October 21 to reflect changes in meeting days. Originally published on October 9, 2025.

Greenbelt Alliance has been fighting to protect the Newark wetlands from development for almost a decade.

Right now, we’re at a pivotal moment in the fight for this valuable region. The proposed Mowry Village development would destroy one of the last remaining open spaces along the bay, land that is vital to our community and our climate future.

These wetlands are more than open space:

• They’re a nature-based solution to sea level rise, acting as natural buffers against flooding.
• They’re one of the most important habitats in the Bay Area, home to vulnerable and endemic species.
• They represent the last 10% of undeveloped Baylands—once it’s gone, it’s gone forever.

With our partners from the Citizens Committee to Complete the Refuge, we’ve gathered over 2,800 petition signatures, but we need to reach 3,000 before we deliver them to the Newark City Council at an upcoming meeting on October 23rd!

It takes less than two minutes to sign—please add your name and forward this to your friends today.

Can you do more for the wetlands?

Join us at upcoming in-person meetings to make your voice heard:

• UPDATED: Planning Commission Hearing: Wednesday, November 19, at 7 P.M., Newark City Hall. Come speak or stand with us.
• UPDATED: City Council Meeting – Final Decision Vote: Thursday, December 11, at 7 P.M., Newark City Hall. Join us to show our strength in numbers.

Newark is a Bay Area Resilience Hotspots Initiative because the bayshore community will face sea level rise and inland flooding, but there are opportunities for resilience. By fully protecting and restoring the shoreline and wetland area, and encouraging new development in more climate-smart places, Newark residents can enhance flood protection for existing homes and infrastructure while also providing vital natural habitat connections.

This is our chance to show Newark that we’re watching, we’re organized, and we believe in protecting the Baylands, not paving them

The post Sign Petition to Protect Newark Baylands From Development appeared first on Greenbelt Alliance.

ELEA Acknowledges Mutual Termination of Holtec Agreement for HI-STORE CISF Project

October 8, 2025
Nick Maxwell 
nickray07@gmail.com

Breaking:

[LEA COUNTY, NM] The Eddy-Lea Energy Alliance (ELEA) has formally acknowledged a mutual termination of its 2016 land purchase option agreement with Holtec International for the proposed HI-STORE Consolidated Interim Storage Facility (CISF) in Lea County.

In correspondence dated October 3, 2025, Holtec’s General Counsel informed ELEA that:

“New Mexico has since passed state legislation effectively prohibiting construction of the [CISF] envisioned for the Property. That law, combined with continued public opposition expressed by New Mexico’s current administration, has made the CISF project that Holtec and ELEA worked for so long to effectuate no longer feasible. As such, ELEA recently expressed to Holtec a desire to explore the development of the Property for alternative uses and new economic development. Holtec will not stand in the way of its long-time partner’s desire to pursue other options for the Property. 
Thus, at ELEA’s request and on both parties’ behalf, Holtec hereby formally exercises its right to terminate the Agreement per Section 7(b).”

At the special meeting this morning, ELEA Chairman John Heaton characterized Dr. Singh’s position as one in which he is “not putting one more penny” into the project and that “somebody has to pay him” to come into New Mexico at this point. Neither Dr. Singh nor any representative from Holtec or the nuclear industry were present at the meeting.

That termination was based upon the option agreement provisions for termination, which read:

Section 7. Termination. 
(a) This Agreement shall automatically terminate if Holtec has not delivered the Option Exercise Notice no later than 90 days after the Option Start Date.
(b) Holtec may, by written notice to ELEA, terminate this Agreement at any time prior to Closing.
(c) Unless terminated as provided in Subsection 7(a) or Subsection 7(b), or terminated as the result of a breach, this Agreement shall continue so long as the Property is used for the Facility.

“It’s over with them. It can’t be any clearer than that,” Chairman John Heaton concluded before calling for a unanimous vote to acknowledge Holtec’s termination of the agreement — a ceremonial action carrying no effect on the notice’s immediate and independent effectiveness.

On a warm fall evening on October 2nd, 2025, Greenbelt Alliance supporters and partners gathered in the beautiful oasis garden of supporter Sandy Moll for our South Bay Happy Hour.

New and longtime friends came together for this annual event to learn about our work in the South Bay and celebrate the community that makes it all possible. To everyone who joined us—thank you for making the evening so inspiring. Together, we’re building a Bay Area where every community can thrive in the face of climate change.

Check out photos from the event

As communities face urgent challenges from extreme heat, floods, and wildfires, our South Bay Resilience Manager Victorina Arvelo shared the latest updates on initiatives that will help communities like Gilroy—one of our Bay Area Resilience Hostpots—and East San José prepare and adapt.

Thanks to our local partnerships and supporters, we’re already making an impact:

• On the ground in Gilroy and East San José, we’re helping launch plans for resilience hubs and cooling centers, safe spaces that will protect residents during climate emergencies. Last November, we launched an emergency preparedness toolkit as a resource to communities in Gilroy. Learn more.
• With the Santa Clara County Climate Collaborative (SC4), we’re building a first-of-its-kind Resilience Hub Working Group, creating a countywide model and guidebook to help neighborhoods prepare for climate threats close to home.

Learn more about our resilience work here.

Donations made at the event will: 

• Help provide emergency supplies to community members, including first aid kits, water filters, and solar-powered chargers. 
• Fund listening sessions or workshops where neighbors come together to share their needs and shape their community’s future. 
• Provide stipends to community members, ensuring their voices guide resilience hub planning.

If you are interested in getting involved and supporting our work in the South Bay, please reach out to Victorina at varvelo@greenbelt.org. 

This annual event aims to bring together both new and longtime South Bay supporters to receive updates about Greenbelt Alliance’s work and learn ways to plug in. Board members, staff, local government officials, and residents mingle over wine and hors d’oeuvres and discuss visions for a climate-resilient Bay Area. Revisit previous events here

The post Helping South Bay Communities Adapt to Climate Change appeared first on Greenbelt Alliance.

The U.S. Senate voted yesterday to pass Congressional Review Act (CRA) resolutions targeting the Bureau of Land Management resource management plans (RMPs) for the Miles City Field Office in Montana and the North Dakota Field Office.

RMPs provide the foundation for stability and order on America’s public lands, guiding how millions of acres are managed for energy, recreation, and conservation. These plans have never been treated as “rules” under the CRA, and approving CRA resolutions to overturn these plans breaks decades of precedent—inviting chaos across the nation’s public lands system.

Using the CRA on RMPs in this way casts doubt on the legitimacy of every RMP adopted since the CRA’s passage in 1996, throwing the management of hundreds of millions of acres of public lands into chaos.

“Teddy Roosevelt is rolling over in his grave,” said Senate Energy and Natural Resources ranking member Martin Heinrich. “Imagine sweeping away years and years of input, conversations, not just about the public lands on one landscape but to public lands across this country, all because you what? Found a quicker, easier way?”

The Senate is expected to vote on another CRA resolution targeting the Central Yukon RMP in Alaska later this week.

Emails show tension between Senate staffer and Interior official over DOI downsizing plans

Emails obtained by E&E News reveal frustration between a Senate staffer and Interior department DOGE operative Tyler Hassen earlier this year. Daniel Mencher, the clerk for the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee, emailed Hassen seeking information and requesting a briefing about the Trump administration’s voluntary staff downsizing programs. “Many of my members are concerned and hearing DOI/NPS plans might alleviate said concerns,” said Mencher via email.

The series of emails that followed shows Mencher’s increasing frustration as Hassen delayed scheduling a briefing. “Tyler – How about you acknowledge you’re either not going to brief me or we get this on the books? At this point you’re just being rude,” Mencher wrote shortly before the briefing was scheduled on June 8.

Quick hits Congress repeals Biden land use plan for Montana

E&E News | KTVH | Center for Western Priorities [press release]

Forest Service lags on prescribed burns after California loses 600-year-old trees to wildfire

SFGate

The Trump administration is allowing waste, fraud, and abuse to fester in the federal oil and gas program

Center for American Progress

Bandelier National Monument sees trespassing as fears over vandalism on public lands rise amid shutdown

Santa Fe New Mexican

Opinion: Thank you, public land patriots

Durango Herald

Trump’s major coal sales flop in Wyoming and Montana

WyoFile

New bill from Senator Lee would butcher the Wilderness Act under the guise of border security

Outdoor Life

Thousands of acres of federal land now open for coal leases are adjacent to Utah national parks

Utah News Dispatch

Quote of the day

This vote is a power grab by a fossil-fuel friendly majority in Congress that will likely backfire spectacularly. By using the Congressional Review Act in this way, Congress is opening Pandora’s box on public lands, throwing the management of millions of acres into chaos. Ironically, oil and gas companies could be stripped of thousands of leasing permits thanks to this vote.”

—Center for Western Priorities Policy Director Rachael Hamby, press release

Picture This
@mtstateparks

Montana Landmarks!

One of our favorites is located in Tower Rock State Park!

Tower Rock was a landmark for native tribes, the Corps of Discovery, fur trappers, traders and many more that followed in their footsteps.

What is your favorite Montana landmark??

Learn more about Tower Rock State Park with the link in our story! 

 

Featured photo: The Terry Badlands Wilderness Study Area in Montana is managed by the Miles City Field Office. Alyse Backus/BLM Montana

The post Congress uses CRA to repeal BLM resource management plans, inviting chaos on public lands appeared first on Center for Western Priorities.