Interior removes controversial proposed change from final FOIA rule
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PEER | October 25, 2019
“The concern is that they haven’t even been following their own rules previously. Even if this rule got rid of the really bad stuff, Jorjani has not been afraid to ignore the rules when it’s politically expedient or would be embarrassing for [Interior Secretary] David Bernhardt ...
Trump’s SEC ‘determined to leave public in the dark’ on climate change, Sierra Club alleges in lawsuit
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PEER | October 24, 2019
“The Sierra Club has a recent history of success litigating FOIA issues against the Trump administration. It sued the Environmental Protection Agency after FOIA requests made under former Trump EPA director Scott Pruitt were ignored, and the ultimate release of those documents — ...
New EPA Chief in New England Barred from Many Decisions Because of Conflicts
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PEER | October 22, 2019
“A former chemical industry lobbyist who was recently appointed as regional administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency has been barred from overseeing a range of vital issues in New England because of conflicts of interest that could compromise his public duties. Dennis ...
A New Volley in the Debate over Turf Versus Grass
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PEER |
“The use of synthetic turf at Martha’s Vineyard Regional High School has been debated for years, and discovery of a toxic chemical in some artificial fields is likely to renew the debate. Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) were found in several test samples taken from ...
BLM whistleblower reinstated in Nevada grazing dispute
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PEER | October 21, 2019
RENO, Nev. (AP) — A longtime government range specialist who claimed he was fired in retaliation for repeatedly reporting illegal livestock grazing on federal land in eastern Nevada has been reinstated as part of a settlement of his whistleblower complaint against the U.S. Bureau of Land ...
Enlarged Atlantic fishing area could further imperil right whales
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PEER | October 20, 2019
Donald Trump likes scallops, ordering the seafood for Chris Christie even though the former governor of New Jersey is allergic to them, but a new fishing map that benefits scallop fishermen could push the endangered North American right whale into extinction. Trump regulators opened ...