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Scientists and Professionals letter Report on Carcinogens
Scientists and Professionals letter Report on Carcinogens
Trump Admin Indefinitely Delays Black Lung Safeguards
Originally published by Appalachian Citizens Law Center
COAL COUNTRY – As the Trump Administration continues to tout that it is bringing back the coal industry, the safeguards that could prevent deadly silica dust exposure among coal miners have been sidelined by the Administration’s own actions with no resolution in sight. Just this week, E&E Greenwire reported that the Trump Administration’s Mine Safety and Health Administration (MSHA) would “indefinitely delay” a standard to limit miners’ exposure to silica dust, the principal cause of the resurgence of deadly black lung disease, “pending judicial review.” Left unstated is the fact that any such judicial review is on pause because of MSHA’s own complex bureaucratic and legal maneuvers that only they can unravel.
Since 2009, miners and their allies have pushed the federal government to implement a silica dust standard In April 2024, a rule was finally issued, with the coal industry given a year to comply. Instead, the Trump Administration and the industry took steps to halt the enforcement of the rule. In April of 2025, Trump’s MSHA announced it would halt enforcement of the rule, blaming uncertainty due to the Secretary of Health and Human Services, Robert F. Kennedy Jr., gutting the National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health. Nearly simultaneously, the Eighth Circuit Court of Appeals put an indefinite stay on the rule after the mining industry took the rule to court and the administration failed to oppose the industry’s petition. Since then, parties in the case, including Trump’s MSHA, requested an abeyance on court action as MSHA agreed to weaken the rule to appease industry’s complaints. Now that MSHA and the industry are in agreement, MSHA claims they can’t advance even the watered down rule while the court’s stay is in place. However, that stay won’t be removed while the case is held in abeyance, as MSHA requested. In other words, Trump’s MSHA won’t enforce the law until the stay is lifted, but the stay won’t be lifted until Trump’s MSHA acts – MSHA’s current lack of action is premised on constraints that are essentially self-imposed.
Advocates released the following statements in response:
Rebecca Shelton, Director of Policy for Appalachian Citizens’ Law Center:
“If the Trump Administration actually cared about protecting coal miners from black lung, we’d have a strong silica rule in place right now. Instead, they are hiding behind a ridiculous legal process to delay action while miners get sick and die. Our message to Trump’s MSHA is simple: It is on you to stop the delays. Put a strong rule in place and fight to enforce it before any other miners get black lung. Every day of delay is another death sentence for our communities.”
Background:
The silica dust standard had not been updated in nearly 40years before the Biden Administration took action in 2024. In that period of inaction, mining methods changed as larger, more accessible coal seams have been exhausted. Miners now must cut through more rock, leading to more exposure to silica dust that is 20 times more toxic than coal dust and causes the most severe forms of black lung even after fewer years of exposure. Based on scientific evidence, health experts and government agencies have repeatedly concluded that this silica dust exposure is a major cause of the black lung epidemic and that the outdated MSHA silica standard was woefully ineffective at protecting miners from this threat. Now, in Central Appalachia, 1 in 5 tenured miners has black lung disease and 1 in 20 has the most severe and totally disabling form of black lung. This led to an urgent push for an updated silica dust standard.
Over 15 years ago, in 2009, Appalachian Citizens’ Law Center petitioned MSHA to establish a dust standard for respirable crystalline silica. While MSHA responded and stated an intention to publish a proposed standard by April 2011, the rule was never promulgated and a decade of inaction followed. In 2016, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration established a reduced silica standard for other occupations, but because MSHA oversees mining regulations, the change meant miners had less protection from silica than any other group of workers. In 2021, ACLC again petitioned for a silica dust rule and the rule was reportedly drafted and submitted to the Office of Management and Budget in January of 2023 before being finalized in April 2024.
Trump Admin Indefinitely Delays Black Lung Safeguards
Originally published by Appalachian Citizens Law Center
COAL COUNTRY – As the Trump Administration continues to tout that it is bringing back the coal industry, the safeguards that could prevent deadly silica dust exposure among coal miners have been sidelined by the Administration’s own actions with no resolution in sight. Just this week, E&E Greenwire reported that the Trump Administration’s Mine Safety and Health Administration (MSHA) would “indefinitely delay” a standard to limit miners’ exposure to silica dust, the principal cause of the resurgence of deadly black lung disease, “pending judicial review.” Left unstated is the fact that any such judicial review is on pause because of MSHA’s own complex bureaucratic and legal maneuvers that only they can unravel.
Since 2009, miners and their allies have pushed the federal government to implement a silica dust standard In April 2024, a rule was finally issued, with the coal industry given a year to comply. Instead, the Trump Administration and the industry took steps to halt the enforcement of the rule. In April of 2025, Trump’s MSHA announced it would halt enforcement of the rule, blaming uncertainty due to the Secretary of Health and Human Services, Robert F. Kennedy Jr., gutting the National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health. Nearly simultaneously, the Eighth Circuit Court of Appeals put an indefinite stay on the rule after the mining industry took the rule to court and the administration failed to oppose the industry’s petition. Since then, parties in the case, including Trump’s MSHA, requested an abeyance on court action as MSHA agreed to weaken the rule to appease industry’s complaints. Now that MSHA and the industry are in agreement, MSHA claims they can’t advance even the watered down rule while the court’s stay is in place. However, that stay won’t be removed while the case is held in abeyance, as MSHA requested. In other words, Trump’s MSHA won’t enforce the law until the stay is lifted, but the stay won’t be lifted until Trump’s MSHA acts – MSHA’s current lack of action is premised on constraints that are essentially self-imposed.
Advocates released the following statements in response:
Rebecca Shelton, Director of Policy for Appalachian Citizens’ Law Center:
“If the Trump Administration actually cared about protecting coal miners from black lung, we’d have a strong silica rule in place right now. Instead, they are hiding behind a ridiculous legal process to delay action while miners get sick and die. Our message to Trump’s MSHA is simple: It is on you to stop the delays. Put a strong rule in place and fight to enforce it before any other miners get black lung. Every day of delay is another death sentence for our communities.”
Background:
The silica dust standard had not been updated in nearly 40years before the Biden Administration took action in 2024. In that period of inaction, mining methods changed as larger, more accessible coal seams have been exhausted. Miners now must cut through more rock, leading to more exposure to silica dust that is 20 times more toxic than coal dust and causes the most severe forms of black lung even after fewer years of exposure. Based on scientific evidence, health experts and government agencies have repeatedly concluded that this silica dust exposure is a major cause of the black lung epidemic and that the outdated MSHA silica standard was woefully ineffective at protecting miners from this threat. Now, in Central Appalachia, 1 in 5 tenured miners has black lung disease and 1 in 20 has the most severe and totally disabling form of black lung. This led to an urgent push for an updated silica dust standard.
Over 15 years ago, in 2009, Appalachian Citizens’ Law Center petitioned MSHA to establish a dust standard for respirable crystalline silica. While MSHA responded and stated an intention to publish a proposed standard by April 2011, the rule was never promulgated and a decade of inaction followed. In 2016, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration established a reduced silica standard for other occupations, but because MSHA oversees mining regulations, the change meant miners had less protection from silica than any other group of workers. In 2021, ACLC again petitioned for a silica dust rule and the rule was reportedly drafted and submitted to the Office of Management and Budget in January of 2023 before being finalized in April 2024.
Scott Socha ‘completely unqualified’ to lead National Park Service
Scott Socha, President Donald Trump’s nominee to lead the National Park Service, is ‘completely unqualified’ for the job, said Center for Western Priorities Deputy Director Aaron Weiss in an interview with Arizona’s KJZZ.
Socha currently works for Delaware North, a hospitality company that operates hotels and snack bars at several national parks. This experience, Weiss argues, does not meet the legal requirement that the National Park Service’s director have “substantial experience and demonstrated competence in land management and natural or cultural resource conservation.”
What Socha does have experience in is profiting from exclusive concessionaire contracts in national parks. Weiss points out that this “dollars and cents” approach aligns well with Interior Secretary Doug Burgum’s “balance sheet” approach to national public lands. However, this approach is wildly out of step with how Americans want national parks to be managed: to protect irreplaceable wildlife habitats, recreation opportunities, cultural sites, and other values that can’t be reduced to a number on a spreadsheet.
“This is a woefully understaffed agency and there is no help on the horizon. There is no indication that Secretary Burgum plans to fully staff our parks ever again,” said Weiss. “Those cracks are going to begin to show. And that’s where having someone who has spent an entire career in the privatization business, that’s a huge concern at this moment in time.”
Quick hits A little-used maneuver could mean more drilling and mining in southern Utah’s redrock country Feds broke law approving massive Wyoming gas, oil field, court finds Nature report, killed by Trump, is released independently Colorado, enviros sue EPA over rejection of regional haze plan that would have closed coal plantsColorado Sun | Denver Gazette | E&E News
Proposed USFS plan would require continuous logging on three Montana forests Interior strips protections from Alaska’s famed Dalton Highway, opens public lands to state transfer Protesters in Flagstaff challenge uranium mining, transportation at Pinyon Plain Mine Opinion: Don’t let Congress abuse policy to give away public lands Quote of the dayUndermining Tribal collaboration undercuts trust, weakens public land management, and threatens the integrity of monuments nationwide. True leadership would strengthen government-to-government relationships, not disregard them.”
—Davina Smith-Idjesa, Navajo Nation member, Inside Climate News
Picture This @utahgeologicalsurveyPhoto of the Week: Window Blind Peak and the San Rafael River, Emery County
Photographer: Adam Hiscock
Window Blind Peak catches first light as it rises dramatically above the San Rafael River. Located near the middle of the San Rafael Swell uplift, the peak consists of Triassic- to Jurassic-age Chinle Formation, Wingate Sandstone, and Kayenta Formation capped by the Jurassic-age Navajo Sandstone.
Featured image: Grand Canyon National Park
The post Scott Socha ‘completely unqualified’ to lead National Park Service appeared first on Center for Western Priorities.
The Hub 3/6/2026: Clean Air Council’s Weekly Round-up of Transportation News
“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.
Save the SEPTA Zero Fare Program! Follow Transit Forward Philadelphia for events and actions to fight for this program.
Image source: The InquirerThe Inquirer: SEPTA trolleys will use AI cameras to catch drivers breaking no-parking rules in Philly – Starting this week, cars parked illegally in the SEPTA trolley lanes will be issued tickets from automated enforcement cameras. 30 trolleys across six lines will be getting AI-camera systems installed to issue those tickets. Violations will result in a mailed warning until April 1st, afterwards there will be a $51 ticket. This program is in addition to the 152 SEPTA buses with AI-powered cameras issuing tickets for parking in bus lanes which began last year. Trolleys cannot go off track to avoid illegally parked cars, they result in delays to service, and hours of delays total.
Image Source: BillyPennBillyPenn: 30th Street a popular option for Philly’s future intercity bus station – Three potential sites are being evaluated by the City of Philadelphia to build a permanent bus terminal for Greyhound and other intercity carriers. The old Filbert St. site near Chinatown will soon house intercity bus pick up and drop off, with plans to reopen in May. The lease on that site will end in 10 years, with extensions only available for 5 additional years. The sites being evaluated would be a permanent home, and owned by the City. The most popular option at a public meeting last week was the 30th St Station. Wednesday’s open house was a crucial first step for this plan, with plans for more public meetings later this year. An online survey is also available and seeking feedback.
Image Source: PhillyVoicePhillyVoice: SEPTA gets $5.5 million in federal funding to enhance World Cup service – The Federal Transit Administration is awarding the 11 host cities of the World Cup funds to run service and make improvements ahead of the six games scheduled for Lincoln Financial Field. SEPTA is getting around $5.5 million to assist with expenses for the World Cup and other 2026 events. The estimated cost to increase service this summer is expected to be around $21.5 million. SEPTA typically adds 10 extra trips to the Broad Street Line schedule before and after Eagles games, and will probably do the same for World Cup matches. FIFA FanFest is a five week festival at Lemon Hill taking place this summer, and along with the nation’s 250th anniversary, SEPTA will be operating at a much larger capacity. These funds support the operational budget, which has been underfunded for years due to lack of state support.
Pittsburgh Regional Transit: Bus Line Refresh
The Inquirer: Mayor Parker backs legislation to boost housing development around SEPTA stations
PhillyVoice: Waymo is tweaking its self-driving car tech to navigate in heavy snowfall
Philadelphia Today: PA’s Anniversary License Plates Confuse Toll Readers, Sending Out Wrong Bills
The Inquirer: SEPTA chief gets a three-year contract at $395,000 a year
SEPTA: SEPTA Ended Key Tix Sales; Riders Must Use Tickets within 180 Days of Purchase
‘Sell-off Steve’ Pearce BLM nomination advances
On Wednesday, the U.S. Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee voted 11-9 to advance Steve Pearce, President Donald Trump’s nominee to lead the Bureau of Land Management, to the full Senate. The Pearce nomination vote was the first real test of the Senate Stewardship Caucus, formed last fall with an ostensible focus on national public land access and management policy. Of the members of the Energy and Natural Resources Committee who are also members of the Stewardship Caucus, only Senator Steve Daines of Montana voted to advance the Pearce nomination. Hours after the vote, Daines announced he will not be seeking reelection in November.
“For years, Western voters have expressed their overwhelming and unwavering support for protected public lands, wildlife habitats, and recreation access, only to have their clear preferences ignored time and again by lawmakers who prioritize loyalty to the Trump administration over service to their constituents,” Center for Western Priorities Policy Director Rachael Hamby said in a statement. “A vote for Steve Pearce is a vote to sell off and privatize our national public lands—the complete opposite of stewardship.”
Utah lawmakers introduce resolution to repeal Grand Staircase-Escalante management planOn Wednesday, Utah’s congressional delegation introduced a resolution to use the Congressional Review Act (CRA) to overturn the management plan for Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument. This move is an attempt to significantly expand the use of the CRA, and could set a dangerous precedent that would lead to chaos in public land management across the country.
“Our national monuments belong to the American people and should not be managed in ways that are clouded by uncertainty,” said Thomas Delehanty, senior attorney at Earthjustice. “This is yet another attempt by Utah politicians to hand over our public lands to industry. Every member of Congress should reject this and any other misguided CRA attack on our public lands.”
Quick hits Trump’s high-profile oil and gas lease sale in Alaska has no takers The National Park Service saw major job losses in the last year. More changes loom How a new ‘conservation pool’ could provide a way forward for Colorado River users Wyoming nuclear power plant receives federal approval for reactor construction Meet the ten worst public lands villains of 2026 The big beautiful drill act Opinion: Montana knows the true cost of mining mistakes Opinion: Don’t desecrate Big Bend National Park with a useless border wall Quote of the dayWhy use the Congressional Review Act to avoid the hard questions? Good projects shouldn’t need political shortcuts.”
—Randy Newberg, Missoula Current
Picture This @mountrainiernpsSome of the youngest lava flows on Mount Rainier are actually under the Emmons Glacier. About 5,600 years ago the summit and the northeast slope of the mountain collapsed during an eruption, forming the Osceola Mudflow that flowed as far as Puget Sound. After the mudflow, lava eruptions about 2,200 years ago partially rebuilt the mountain’s northeast slope with the summit craters created by lava flows from 1,000 years ago. These lava flows have been covered by glaciers including the current Emmons Glacier. You can see a part of these relatively “young” lava flows breaking though the Emmons Glacier as ridges of rock in the middle of the glacier on the upper mountain. Have you noticed these lava ridges while in the Sunrise area?
NPS Photo of the Emmons Glacier with lava ridges breaking through the upper part of the middle of the glacier, 2024.
Featured image: Upper Missouri River Breaks in Montana, BLM Montana and Dakotas
The post ‘Sell-off Steve’ Pearce BLM nomination advances appeared first on Center for Western Priorities.
Action Night: The Dangers of Tear Gas
We are immensely grateful to the speakers and attendees of our February Action Night: The Dangers of Tear Gas.
Portland City Councilor Sameer Kanal The night began with a screening of “Gas Me, Teddy” a short film that examines the deployment of tear gas during the 2020 Portland protests for black lives, and draws connections to the current situation at the Portland ICE facility. After the screening, City Councilor Sameer Kanal shared about legislation he’s working on to ban tear gas in the City of Portland. Following the councilor’s talk, 5 panelists brought distinctly unique and important perspectives to the discussion of tear gas: from impacts of tear gas on the human body to working within the legal system to stop the use of tear gas. Sandy Chung, Oregon ACLU We are at a critical moment to take action: the mayor is rolling out implementation of a Detention Facility Impact Fee Ordinance *AND* Portland City Councilor Sameer Kanal is developing an ordinance to ban the use of tear gas in Portland. To send an email to the mayor and city council click here and to watch “Gas Me, Teddy”, which is now online, click here. Much thanks to City Councilor Sameer Kanal, filmmaker Irene Tejaratchi Hess, and panelists: Taishona Carpenter, board president Don’t Shoot PDX Chris Wise, protest medic Erika Maria Mosesón, MD, MA, Air Health Our Health Sandy Chung, Oregon ACLU Brenna Bell, environmental attorney _________________________
The post Action Night: The Dangers of Tear Gas appeared first on 350PDX: Climate Justice.
Some PCEF Threats Thwarted…for Now
Last month, we invited you to show up to hear oral arguments in a legal challenge to a ballot measure seeking to give 25% of PCEF funds to the Portland Police. PCEF supporters won the lawsuit! Ballot measure supporters can go back and collect signatures again, so this threat to PCEF’s intentions of climate action with equitable community benefit is not over yet. Read more about the case in this OPB article.
Discussions are also roiling at City Hall regarding who gets to decide how PCEF funds are allocated. On February 25, community groups successfully advocated for Councilors to adopt the PCEF Committee’s community-driven recommendations, so that’s good news!
There’s another threat on the horizon, however, as PCEF has been suggested as a way to pay for Moda Center renovations. While we all love the Blazers, the Moda Center is already platinum level (the highest) in LEED Certification. Stay tuned for suggested actions as we advocate together to keep PCEF focused on climate justice.
The post Some PCEF Threats Thwarted…for Now appeared first on 350PDX: Climate Justice.
350PDX Puppets at Mardi Gras on Mississippi Avenue!
On February 17, the 350PDX Arts Team brought their beautiful puppets to Mississippi Avenue’s Mardi Gras. Capitalists fought over fake money, trees danced, and our incredible heron sauntered down the avenue along with mushrooms, beavers, owls and more – all supported by 350PDX Arts Team volunteers! On the way, we shared flyers inviting people to join the climate justice movement.
All photos & video: Irene Tejaratchi Hess 350PDX’s Cherice Bock, Jessica Vaughan, and Arts Team lead extraordinaire Donna Murhpy!The post 350PDX Puppets at Mardi Gras on Mississippi Avenue! appeared first on 350PDX: Climate Justice.
Lawsuit challenges coal mine expansion, ‘energy emergency’ used to justify it
On Tuesday, five organizations filed a lawsuit challenging the Trump administration’s approval of an expansion of the Bull Mountains coal mine in central Montana. The mine, operated by Signal Peak Energy, has been the target of lawsuits in the past for its environmental impacts, including dewatering grazing lands above and near the mine.
The lawsuit challenges the Trump administration’s reliance on “a supposed energy emergency that has no basis in reality” to allow the expansion, alleging that the administration violated the National Environmental Policy Act in doing so. According to the lawsuit, the Office of Surface Mining Reclamation and Enforcement (part of the Interior department) failed to issue a draft environmental impact statement or consider public comments as it rushed to approve the mine expansion.
The groups also point out that most of the coal mined at Bull Mountains is exported, energy production is high, and demand for coal is low—all of which undercut the Trump administration’s domestic ‘energy emergency’ rationale for the mine expansion.
“The mine has a long history involving criminal and corrupt actions, and it has devastated the ecology and ranching community of the Bull Mountains,” the lawsuit states.
Quick hits New lawsuit aims to halt expansion of a Montana coal mine and ‘energy emergency’ used to justify itInside Climate News | Daily Montanan | E&E News
Leaked files point to Trump admin’s review of American historyNational Parks Traveler | Wes Siler’s Newsletter
Utah monument could be the latest target of a law to undo public lands decisions In New Mexico, natural gas transporter goes to the mat over $47.8 million fine Legislature fails to conform Wyoming law to court’s OK of corner-crossing The West’s 32-year drought may now be aridification Opinion: We need a public lands champion to lead the BLM, not Steve Pearce Opinion: Boundary Waters a cautionary tale for Idaho Quote of the dayPearce has gone so far as to publicly criticize American conservation hero President Theodore Roosevelt for making popular ‘big ideas of big forests and big national parks.’ Pardon me, but most of us believe these big forests and national parks are what make America great.”
—Scott Christensen, Greater Yellowstone Coalition, Cody Enterprise
Picture This @grandtetonnpsHave you ever been told you were burning daylight?
It’s a saying that means you’re wasting precious time.
At this time of year, the change in daylight hours is perceptible.
In Grand Teton, the length of day changes from just under 9 hours at the winter solstice to almost 15½ hours by the summer solstice.
Tomorrow alone brings about 3 more minutes of light. Over the month of March, we’ll gain 1 hour and 29 minutes of daylight.
How will you use your extra minutes?
Savor it. Don’t waste it.
Photo: NPS/Tobiason Sunrise on the Teton Range
Featured image: Bull Mountains Mine, WildEarth Guardians/CC BY-NC-ND 2.0
The post Lawsuit challenges coal mine expansion, ‘energy emergency’ used to justify it appeared first on Center for Western Priorities.
STATEMENT on Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee vote to advance Steve Pearce’s nomination to lead the Bureau of Land Management
DENVER—Today, the U.S. Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee voted 11-9 to advance Steve Pearce, President Donald Trump’s nominee to lead the Bureau of Land Management, to the full Senate.
The Pearce nomination vote was the first real test of the Senate Stewardship Caucus, formed last fall with an ostensible focus on national public land access and management policy. Members of the Energy and Natural Resources Committee who are also members of the Stewardship Caucus are Senators Catherine Cortez Masto (Nevada), Steve Daines (Montana), Martin Heinrich (New Mexico), and John Hickenlooper (Colorado). Of these four, only Daines voted to advance the Pearce nomination.
The Center for Western Priorities released the following statement from Policy Director Rachael Hamby:
“There’s no point in joining the Senate Stewardship Caucus if you’re not going to uphold its stated values. A vote for Steve Pearce is a vote to sell off and privatize our national public lands—the complete opposite of stewardship.
“For years, Western voters have expressed their overwhelming and unwavering support for protected public lands, wildlife habitats, and recreation access, only to have their clear preferences ignored time and again by lawmakers who prioritize loyalty to the Trump administration over service to their constituents. We can only hope that other members of the Stewardship Caucus, and the rest of the Senate, listen to the West and vote for conservation of our irreplaceable public lands.”
Pearce’s nomination will be considered by the full Senate in the coming weeks, giving more senators and Senate Stewardship Caucus members an opportunity to prevent Pearce’s confirmation, including Senator Tim Sheehy of Montana, co-founder of the Stewardship Caucus along with Heinrich.
Learn more:
- ‘Political bedrock’: 16th annual Conservation in the West poll confirms bipartisan support for conservation among Western voters [Westwise]
- Why a New Mexico gun rights leader opposes Trump’s pick to lead the BLM [The Landscape]
- Seven times ‘Sell-off Steve’ tried to dispose of America’s public lands [Westwise]
- Trump’s new pick to run the BLM has a history of working to sell off public land [Westwise]
Featured image: Upper Missouri River Breaks in Montana, BLM Montana and Dakotas
The post STATEMENT on Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee vote to advance Steve Pearce’s nomination to lead the Bureau of Land Management appeared first on Center for Western Priorities.
Minister responds to council fracking questions
The government has told North Yorkshire Council it is keeping regulation on lower-volume fracking “under review”.
The energy minister, Michael Shanks, was replying to a letter in November 2025 from a senior member of the council.
The business executive member, Mark Crane, had asked for guidance on how a promised government ban on fracking could affect a planning application at Burniston, near Scarborough.
The application, by Europa Oil & Gas, includes a form of lower-volume fracking, known as a proppant squeeze.
Cllr Crane said in his letter:
“What we need to know from the minister is whether or not they’re going to do that [ban hydraulic fracturing] soon or whether North Yorkshire will have to make a planning decision on the law as it presently stands.”
There is a moratorium in England on high-volume fracking, defined as associated hydraulic fracturing. It was introduced in 2019 because of concerns about earthquakes induced by fracking in Lancashire.
But the moratorium does not cover lower-volume fracking, which is currently allowed by law.
Campaigners have described this as a legal loophole and called for lower-volume fracking to be added to the moratorium and a future ban.
Michael Shanks reply to North Yorkshire Council 2 March 2026DownloadIn a reply released today (though dated 2 March 2025), Mr Shanks said he could not comment on the Burniston application.
He said:
“Low volume hydraulic fracturing activities, including for example ‘proppant squeezes’, take place at lower volumes than the thresholds for ‘associated hydraulic fracturing’ and in a variety of geological contexts.
“These activities are not currently in scope of the effective moratorium in England, however we are keeping all regulation under review.”
Mr Shanks did not refer in is reply to the government’s promised ban on fracking.
The government’s position on whether lower-volume fracking was being considered in the ban also appeared to have changed.
In January 2026, in a revised response to a petition on lower-volume fracking, the government said:
“the government recognises concerns from local communities regarding low volume fracturing and the fact that it is currently treated differently, and is therefore currently reviewing the position with regard to low volume hydraulic fracturing.”
“Unhelpful response”Steve Mason, a member of North Yorkshire Council and anti-fracking campaigner, said today:
“The response from the minister is unhelpful, and I question if this response has been given the thought it deserves. The government seem to be taking a step back from the commitment made to conduct a review, which in my opinion is the opportunity to close this loophole exploited by the frackers. It’s very disappointing that when the council asked for clarity and guidance, the government have simply passed the buck and U-turned on their commitment to communities for a review, as promised.
“The letter explicitly refers to the seismicity behind the moratorium, yet the minister has framed this answer in a way that excludes the very same scientific evidence allowing for the comparison between the volumes proposed at Burniston which are higher than the actual volumes used, leading to the seismicity in Lancashire.
“I begin to question the motivation, and I deeply hope this is not a political decision to hang this around the necks of a local authority Conservative administration. The Labour Party has pledged to ban fracking for good, yet when presented with an opportunity to do so, it seems this is becoming an empty promise, hiding behind a semantic policy that is outdated.”
Decision postponedNorth Yorkshire Council’s decision on the Burniston application was due to be decided in January but was postponed at the last minute.
Local people, including councillors and the MP, had asked the government to take over the decision from North Yorkshire Council because it had national, as well as local, significance.
Last week, the local government secretary sent the application back to North Yorkshire.
A new date for the decision has yet to be published. A meeting of the North Yorkshire strategic planning committee, scheduled for 10 March 2026, has been cancelled.
Council letter North Yorkshire Council letter to energy secretary Ed MilibandDownloadEuropa shareholders back fundraising
Investors in Europa Oil & Gas, the company behind plans for gas drilling and lower-volume fracking at Burniston, have approved resolutions to issue more shares and warrants. Announcement
After a general meeting, Europa said it would apply to admit more than 345 million new shares to the AIM stock market. This increases the company’s total number of voting ordinary shares to more than 1,316 million.
The company also announced it would issue more than 86 million warrants.
Europa previously said the share placing would raise £3.5m. The money would be used to drill a well in Equatorial Guinea and meet “ongoing working capital needs”, the company said.
An earlier company statement warned that if the share placing were not approved “there would be a material uncertainty over the company’s ability to continue as a going concern.”
Community Air Monitoring Network Updates
Clean Air Council has been engaged in an EPA funded air monitoring program in Delaware County and South and Southwest Philadelphia for about two and a half years now. In that time, Council staff have installed 60 purple air monitors and 8 high quality VOC sensors at private residences, churches, and municipal buildings across Marcus Hook, Trainer, Chester and surrounding areas in southern Delco, as well as throughout Grays Ferry, Eastwick, Kingsessing and surrounding areas in S/SW Philly. You can see all the Council’s Purple Air Monitors 24 hours a day at www.purpleair.com.
The data we have seen from these monitors over time paints a striking picture of air quality in the greater Philadelphia area:
1. Higher air quality readings occur in both Summer and Winter
2. Most days are in the moderate/yellow zone across our region, which exceeds air quality standards
3. The most significant poor air quality readings have been caused by the addition of wildfire smoke to our existing regional air quality challenges
We’ve also seen a strong correlation between when residents are noticing odors or respiratory symptoms, and when the Purple Air particulate monitors or VOC sensors are spiking. For example, air quality reached hazardous levels from June 12th-14th 2025 when smoke from the Mines Spung Wildfire in New Jersey blanketed the region. Residents noted noticeable smog, trouble breathing, and itching and swelling eyes during this poor air quality event.
In January 2026, a resident reported a noxious odor in the Kingsessing/Cedar Park neighborhoods. The red line in this graph demonstrates how the nearest Volatile Organic Compound (VOC) sensor in Kingsessing spiked within the same time period, affirming resident reports on the ground.
Residents can report air quality concerns as a simple but effective way to be an advocate for cleaner air. The more specific the information we have from impacted residents the better we can identify local pollution patterns, trends, and sources, as well as support ongoing advocacy. Residents who notice unusual and strong odors or visual signs of pollution, including, smoke, dust, heavy smog, or spills and leaks can report air quality issues to different governmental agencies.
In the case of an emergency, including strong odors, fires, spills or leaks, please call 911.
For these emergencies and other serious air pollution concerns, also call:
1. The Department of Environmental Protections (DEP) at 1-800-541-2050
2. The EPA’s National Response Center at 1-800-424-2050.
However, if you reside in Philadelphia, call the Philadelphia Air Management Services at 215-685-7580, instead of the EPA’s National Response Center. You can find more information at https://cleanair.org/complaints/.
Going forward, Council staff will continue to support our Community Air Monitoring network, including our network of incredible air monitor hosts. We hope to be able to use the data generated by our host monitors to inform advocacy efforts for cleaner, healthier air in the Philadelphia and Delaware County region.
If you would like to host a Purple Air monitor or VOC sensor, we have a few more to distribute in Delaware County. Contact Outreach Coordinator Alyssa Felix at afa@cleanair.org. You can also reach out to Advocate Russ Zerbo at rzerbo@cleanair.org any time you have air quality concerns. If you are a current air monitor host and have questions or concerns about your monitor, contact Community Organizer Jendaiya Hill at jhill@cleanair.org
Leaked database reveals Interior’s plans to ‘revise’ history
A leaked Interior department database reveals the Trump administration’s ongoing efforts to “revise” historical facts, remove references to climate change, and more. First reported by the Washington Post and subsequently posted to two other websites, the database provides detailed information about the lengths to which the Trump administration is going to remove information that might “disparage” Americans at hundreds of national park sites.
“This data belongs to the American people, who need to know what is being done in their name,” the anonymous individuals who posted the database wrote. “Profiting from coal and oil is a lot easier if the impacts of fossil fuels are censored at sites like Muir Woods, Glacier, Acadia, and Everglades.”
The database also demonstrates the amount of time park employees have been ordered to spend on this exercise rather than on caring for the resources protected by national park sites. Bill Wade, executive director of the Association of National Park Rangers, noted that park staff “probably should’ve been doing other things most of us believe would be more important.”
The anonymous individuals who posted the database offered a warning about the Trump administration’s efforts: “Most of all, they want to turn the American people against their national parks. They want to discredit the national parks and set the stage to privatize them.”
2025 was awful for public lands. Is there hope?In the latest episode of the Center for Western Priorities podcast, The Landscape, Aaron and Kate speak with Jim Pattiz of the More Than Just Parks newsletter about public lands news after the first year of the second Trump administration, including Jim and his brother Will’s list of 70 major public-lands setbacks in 2025 and CWP’s assessment of Project 2025.
Quick hits BLM’s strategy for greater sage-grouse prompts federal lawsuit by conservation groups America’s national parks face an uncertain future as climate risks mount ‘Unprecedented’ snow drought sets up extreme wildfires for Western U.S. in 2026 Bennet, Hickenlooper call for ‘halt’ to consolidation of federal firefighting forces into U.S. Wildland Fire Service Dust from copper mine waste worries nearby residents Instead of ‘Keep Out,’ Wyoming rancher invites people to ‘come hike’ on his property Opinion: Public lands are Wyoming’s legacy. Let’s keep them that way Opinion: Senate should reject unqualified national park nominees Quote of the dayWhile the threats we face vary from outdated policies that fail to protect critical habitat to pressures from expanding development, the solution remains the same — we need to keep and steward our public lands.”
—Jared Baecker, Greater Yellowstone Coalition, WyoFile
Picture This @mountrainiernpsHappy Birthday, Mount Rainier National Park!
“To foresee the beauty of Mount Rainier one must know many things —rivers, tumbling from boulder to boulder…a tiny fawn nestling under a shrub… flower fields that stretch unending distances… glaciers grinding and tearing at the high mound of rock… All of these things are separate, but all are a part of the story of Mount Rainier.” -John Barnett, former park naturalist, 1978
On March 2, 1899, Mount Rainier National Park was established as a national park. Since time immemorial, this majestic mountain has inspired people to explore, to recreate, to connect with their heritage, and to preserve this iconic landscape. How does Mount Rainier inspire you?
NPS Photo of Mount Rainier from Pinnacle Peak Trail.
Featured image: Arches National Park
The post Leaked database reveals Interior’s plans to ‘revise’ history appeared first on Center for Western Priorities.
2025 was awful for public lands. Is there hope?
In this episode of The Landscape, Aaron and Kate speak with Jim Pattiz of the More Than Just Parks newsletter about public lands news after the first year of the second Trump administration, including Jim and his brother Will’s list of 70 major public-lands setbacks in 2025 and CWP’s assessment of Project 2025.
Aaron also covers Steve Pearce’s confirmation hearing to lead the Bureau of Land Management and lawmakers’ concerns about National Park Service censorship and Freedom 250, including a judge’s order to restore Philadelphia displays about enslaved members of George Washington’s household and a leaked database of NPS materials flagged for review. Pattiz discusses short- versus long-term harms such as civil service attacks, logging mandates, land giveaways, and fast-tracked mining, and the group closes with hopes for coalition-building and rebuilding public lands governance.
News- BLM nominee Steve Pearce waffles on public land sell-off
- Corruption, censorship take center stage at Freedom 250 hearing
- Confidential database reveals which items NPS thinks may ‘disparage’ America
Produced by Aaron Weiss, Kate Groetzinger, and Lilly Bock-Brownstein
Feedback: podcast@westernpriorities.org
Music: Purple Planet
Featured image: Interpretive sign at Grand Canyon National Park, Wikimedia Commons
The post 2025 was awful for public lands. Is there hope? appeared first on Center for Western Priorities.
N Yorks Council “burying its head in the sand” over Burniston gas plan complaints
Burniston has stepped up its action against North Yorkshire Council’s handling of plans for gas drilling and lower-volume fracking.
Burniston opposition to gas drilling on the edge of the village.Photo: Frack Free Coastal Communities
Last month, Burniston Parish Council asked North Yorkshire Council to refer itself for independent scrutiny of how it dealt with the planning application by Europa Oil & Gas.
The parish council accused North Yorkshire officials of apparent procedural irregularity. It said local people had “lost confidence in the transparency and procedural integrity of the current handling of this planning application”.
But three weeks later, the parish council said it had received no response and suggested it was being treated with “apparent disdain” by North Yorkshire.
Today, the parish council submitted a complaint to North Yorkshire Council as an organisation. It also accused North Yorkshire’s chief executive, Richard Flinton, and the corporate director community development, Nic Harne, of failing to respond to the original letter.
Burniston Parish Council chair, Cllr Richard Parsons, said today:
“No organisation, particularly one that is publicly funded and has a responsibility to comply with its own policy, should adopt the position of either burying their heads in the sand in the hope we go away or treat anyone with such apparent disdain that neither an acknowledgment or reply is sent.”
North Yorkshire apparently failed to comply with its own correspondence and complaints policies.
The policies state that correspondence should be acknowledged within five working days.
According to the complaints policy, people can expect “a response within 15 working days of the date of receipt of the complaint”.
This can be extended up to 20 working days. But the policy says:
“If the investigation will take longer than 15 working days we will tell you, explaining why and letting you know when you can expect a full response”.
The complaints policy outlines what a response should look like:
“This will include a clear statement about whether or not your complaint has been upheld, an explanation of why we have come to that decision, where appropriate an offer of remedy and what we will do to prevent it from happening again, along with how to refer your complaint to the next stage if you are still unhappy.”
Burniston Parish Council’s original letter was sent by email on 6 February 2026, asking North Yorkshire to refer itself to the Planning Advisory Service or another independent body for a review of its procedure and handling of the planning application.
To comply with the five working day deadline for correspondence, North Yorkshire should have replied by 13 February 2026. To meet the standard 15-day deadline for dealing with complaints, North Yorkshire should have responded by Friday 27 February 2026.
But Cllr Parsons said:
“To date we have had no acknowledgement or reply despite NYC [North Yorkshire Council] having a correspondence reply policy.”
Other organisations in Burniston, including the campaign group, Frack Free Coastal Communities, have also asked North Yorkshire Council to self-refer its performance.
Cllr Parsons said:
“I can only hope those organisations receive a response that complies with the NYC policy.”
There have been more than 1,600 formal objections to the Europa planning application.
Cllr Parsons said today:
“There is, from our community and the wider community, an overwhelming feeling that NYC have failed to independently assess and report on the planning application. There is a loss of confidence in their ability to independently act as they should.”
He said the parish council had concluded that North Yorkshire Council had failed to carry out its responsibilities in many areas.
This was, he said, based on North Yorkshire’s handling of the application and the report by planning officers, sent to North Yorkshire Council’s strategic planning committee, which would decide whether to grant permission for Europa’s plans.
Cllr Parsons said North Yorkshire’s failings included, but were not limited to:
- Failure to accurately record and display public comments online
- Procedural omissions regarding forms NYPA15 and NYPA17
- Intentional marginalization of substantial submissions
- Premature conclusion and bias in the Officer’s Report
- Disregard for shifting legislative and policy frameworks
Cllr Parsons said:
“Taking all this into account we felt that NYC had an absolute duty to have their processes independently scrutinised. This area and all of North Yorkshire, should have the confidence that NYC have the ability to deal with any planning matter in an open, honest and transparent manner.”
Burniston Parish Council was among a group of organisations and individuals, which asked the local government secretary to take over the Europa Oil & Gas decision. They argued that the application was of both local and national importance.
Last week, the minister sent the decision back to North Yorkshire Council.
Cllr Parsons said the parish council was disappointed by the minister’s move:
“This was an opportunity for this Government to keep to their word and decide upon this planning application taking into account exactly what they have promised our Communities.
“In returning the application to North Yorkshire Council, the Secretary of State has given no reason, no explanation. That is not good enough.”
He said the parish council had asked the minister for an explanation for his decision. He added:
“The Secretary of State was made aware of the self referral request and has still sent the application back to NYC.
“Our communities deserve answers and being either ignored or providing no decision details is extremely poor and should rectified immediately.”
DrillOrDrop invited North Yorkshire Council to comment on the latest complaints by Burniston Parish Council. This article will be updated with any response.
Border wall planned through Big Bend National Park
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has revealed plans to build over 100 miles of border wall through Big Bend National Park and neighboring Big Bend Ranch State Park in Texas. According to a notice published in the Federal Register, DHS Secretary Kristi Noem “has determined, pursuant to law, that it is necessary to waive certain laws, regulations, and other legal requirements” in order to expedite construction of the wall.
DHS is already making plans to award contracts for projects, and construction is expected to begin at the end of 2026. According to local officials, federal contractors have been looking for available land to build “man camps” and contacting nearby landowners about using their land for staging areas. “The steamroller seems to be moving,” said Brewster County Judge Greg Henington. “Contractors are swarming our area, asking questions about man camps and leases … there hasn’t been a whole lot of transparency.”
Local officials across the political spectrum are deeply concerned. “It’s something I never thought we would see,” said Terrell County Sheriff Thaddeus Cleveland. “It’ll ruin this county,” said Brewster County Sheriff Ronny Dodson. “If it’s a real wall, it will devastate us. We don’t have oil and gas, we have tourism.”
Heinrich to oppose Steve Pearce’s nomination to lead BLMSenator Martin Heinrich of New Mexico, ranking member on the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee, announced he will be voting against Steve Pearce, President Donald Trump’s nominee to lead the Bureau of Land Management.
“Commitments to follow the law by prior nominees have proven unreliable,” said Heinrich. “And while Congressman Pearce has said that his past actions opposing national monument designations and calling for public land sell-offs are in his rearview mirror, they remain in the memory of every New Mexican who faced his opposition in order to protect the lands they cherish.”
Senator John Hickenlooper of Colorado has also announced he will vote to oppose Pearce. The Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee is scheduled to vote on Pearce’s nomination on Wednesday.
Quick hits Trump nominee to lead BLM dodges questions on whether he supports public land salesSummit Daily | Idaho Statesman
Obama protected this California landscape. Now its future is uncertain Interior NEPA rollback shifts procedures to internal handbook, raising tribal consultation concerns Federal judge clears way for luxury developers to build access road through Forest Service land Company eyes Wyoming for massive crude oil pipeline Feds approve expansion of nation’s only operational lithium mine New Mexico state agency to hold public hearing on proposed uranium mine The Colorado River is nearing collapse. It’s the Trump admin’s problem now Quote of the dayMake no mistake, the gutting of America’s bedrock environmental law by Burgum will result in costly lawsuits, more pollution, and less public participation when monied interests and extractive corporations want access to our public resources and public lands.”
—Jayson O’Neill, Save Our Parks, Tribal Business News
Picture This@usinterior
“America’s Best Idea” began 154 years ago when Yellowstone was protected as the world’s first national park.
Set aside to safeguard extraordinary landscapes, wildlife, and geologic wonders, @yellowstonenps was preserved for the benefit and enjoyment of the people.
Today, Yellowstone endures as a reminder of the value of protecting our shared natural, historical, and cultural heritage.
Photos by Jacob W. Frank / NPS
Featured image: Big Bend National Park, NPS Climate Change Response
The post Border wall planned through Big Bend National Park appeared first on Center for Western Priorities.
New Mexico state agency to hold public hearing on proposed uranium mine
Editor’s Note: During the fire seasons of 1975 and 1976 I was the fire lookout on La Mosca Peak, right next to Mount Taylor, or Tsoodzil, as the Diné refer to this sacred mountain near Grants, New Mexico. What was happening all around me had more to do with the profane than the sacred, however. These were the boom years of uranium exploration, mining, and processing throughout what is called the Grants mineral belt, stretching from Milan to Laguna Pueblo, right through the San Mateo Mountains surrounding Mount Taylor. Below me mining rigs crisscrossed forest roads on their way to exploration sites, sending up dust clouds that I had to learn to distinguish from forest fire smoke. To the west I could see the Ambrosia Lake, Kerrmac, and Homestake mines and mills where the yellow cakes of uranium ore were taken to be processed; to the north, the intense activity centered around the San Mateo underground mine; to the east, the huge scar in the earth that was the open pit Jackpile Mine at Paguate, on Laguna Pueblo. By the early 1980s the boom was over, however. The rigs were gone, all the mines and mills closed down, and the Jackpile mine was left unreclaimed to send radioactive dust into the air and radioactive sediment into the aquifer.
In this boom or bust economy another claim was made in 2008 when the price of uranium rose to approximately $60 a pound and the mining industry began talking big money, anywhere from a potential of $30 to $67 billion to be made in New Mexico, along with 250,000 jobs. Both the New Mexico Environmental Law Center, based in Santa Fe, and the Southwest Research and Information Center (SRIC), based in Albuquerque, “debunked” the claims of this new “boom” in published reports. The Law Center commissioned Dr. Thomas M. Powers, a preeminent natural resource economist (Professor Emeritus of the University of Montana) to evaluate the true meaning of the economic impacts of uranium mining in New Mexico. His report is called An Economic Evaluation of a Renewed Uranium Mining Boom in New Mexico. SRIC compiled an overview called “Debunking the Uranium ‘Bonanza'” in its fall newsletter, Voices From the Earth.
Now, in 2026, the mining industry is raising its ugly head once again. Below, reprinted with permission, is Source New Mexico’s report on the latest attempt to reopen a uranium mine near Mount Taylor.
New Mexico state agency to hold public hearing on proposed uranium mine State received hundreds of letters opposing the La Jara Mesa mine near Mount Taylor By:Patrick Lohmann–February 26, 20262:43 pmA drawing of the Jara Mesa uranium mine project that Laramide Resources, Inc. hopes to build north of Grants, New Mexico. The state Mining and Minerals Division has agreed to hold a public hearing regarding the proposal after receiving hundreds of public comments in opposition. (Courtesy New Mexico Mining and Minerals Division)
The New Mexico office charged with permitting what would be the state’s first new uranium mine in decades has agreed to hold a public hearing after receiving more than 200 letters in opposition.Laramide Resources, Inc. announced a major milestone in mid-January for its years-long effort to build La Jara Mesa uranium mine about 10 miles north of Grants. After the state’s Mining and Minerals Division deemed the company’s 72-page mining plan “administratively complete,” officials opened a public comment period that ended last week.
The division received more than 200 letters, all of which expressed opposition to the mine, according to a Source NM review of the letters the division published online Thursday.
According to the plan, the mine, once built, will produce 12 to 15 truckloads a day of uranium ore to be processed at an unspecified offsite mill. The operation could run in New Mexico for up to 20 years, the company says.
Energy, Minerals and Natural Resources Department Public Information Officer Sidney Hill said the department received “dozens” of hearing requests in addition to the comments, and has committed to holding a hearing.
But the hearing won’t happen until Laramide responds to questions the division has regarding the company’s mining plan. The division expects to send questions to the company before June, Hill said, though he said he couldn’t estimate when a hearing would be scheduled.
The proposed site is near Mount Taylor, which is one of four mountains sacred to the Navajo people and other local pueblos. Tribes and pueblos in the early 2000s successfully convinced the state to designate the mountain and outlying areas a “traditional cultural property” in an effort to protect it from mining.
Dozens of the letters also recounted harms uranium mining has caused Indigenous communities. Alicia Gallegos, an organizer for the Pueblo Action Alliance, told Source that in addition to running an online campaign, she collected several dozen hand-written letters.
“I think it’s important to have these public hearings, so that the folks who would be pushing this project forward are seeing the faces of the people who are impacted,” she said.
Leona Morgan, a Diné anti-nuclear advocate, wrote in her letter that the state should hold multiple public hearings along a potential uranium transport route in the Navajo Nation, because the only operating uranium mill is in Southeast Utah.
“This means the transport may go through Navajo Nation,” she wrote. “As such, the Navajo public must be informed and afforded the opportunity to give public comments.”
Josh Leftwich, vice president of operations and strategic development for Laramide, told Source NM in an email Thursday that the company “respects” the division’s decision to hold a hearing. He also said that the company “recognizes that mining projects can generate strong viewpoints.”
“However, regulatory decisions are ultimately based on technical standards, environmental protections, and compliance with established law,” he said. “Our focus remains on following the science, complying with the rules, and working constructively within the regulatory framework established by the State of New Mexico and federal agencies.”
Both the state and the federal government have to approve the mine through parallel permitting applications, though the federal government has signaled it intends to fast track approvals. Still, the division previously promised a “robust permitting process” that can diverge from the federal process if needed.
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