Group Says Vela’s Reassignment Illegal
From: Jackson Hole News & Guide “A federal government watchdog group is challenging the legality of David Vela’s reassignment to the National Park Service’s acting deputy director of operations role in Washington, D.C. Superintendent of Grand Teton National Park since 2014, ...
Wire the Tetons? Critics Say Pump the Brakes
From: Jackson Hole News & Guide “The park’s plan, which has been kicked around internally for six years, is not a done deal. An environmental assessment outlining the project, and its expected impacts, was published last month. Comments are still being accepted, though they’ ...
Civil Penalties for Polluters Dropped Dramatically in Trump’s First Two Years, Analysis Shows
From: Milbank Monitor “Government figures show the EPA has hit a 30-year low in the number of pollution cases referred for criminal prosecution. Justice Department data released Tuesday, Jan. 15, 2019, by the Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility show the EPA referred 166 ...
Torpy at Large: Very Hot Indeed for CDC’s Former Climate Change Chief
From: Atlanta Journal-Constitution “Welcome to Dr. Luber’s Limbo, a forced exile from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, where the epidemiologist who once ran the CDC’s Climate and Health Program is now persona non grata at the agency headquartered in Atlanta.He is, ...
Environmental Group Raises Concern About Increased Production of PFAs Chemicals
From: WCMU Public Radio Despite growing health concerns, the production of a family of fire retardant chemicals is increasing, according to an environmental group. Perfluoroalkyl substances, or PFAs, are a family of chemical that have been found across the state and are linked to health ...
FWS Draft Plan: No Transfer to Tribes for Bison Range
From: The Missoulian The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s latest plans for the National Bison Range don’t involve transferring it to the Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes. But they do leave the door open to future joint management with that group. This stipulation was included in ...
Borough: No Response from Forest Service on Timber Sale Questions
From: KFSK “More than five months after it sent a letter seeking information on Tongass National Forest timber oversight the Petersburg borough has yet to receive a response. The borough assembly approved a letter November 6th asking for information on follow up action the agency has ...
Report: Despite Growing Contamination Crisis, PFAS Chemical Use in U.S. Swells
From: Environmental Working Group “Between 2012 and 2016, at least 30 new fluorinated chemicals, commonly called PFAS, were produced in significant volumes, according to Environmental Protection Agency data analyzed by Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility, or PEER. PEER ...
Halfway Through Trump’s Term, Key Public Lands Agencies Still Lack Leaders
From: Audubon “More than two years after his inauguration, President Donald Trump has yet to fill the top posts at a trio of federal agencies that together oversee more than 400 million acres of public land. Since Trump took office, interim appointees who have not been confirmed by the ...
Cleanup of PFAS Chemicals in Drinking Water Underway in Wells Near Fort Devens
From: Boston 25 News “The U.S. Army has committed to cleaning up PFAS chemicals in drinking water in wells near Fort Devens. An environmental group says it all started when a whistleblower sent them documents showing how serious the contamination was. The drinking water in Ayer is ...
CSKT Renews Proposal for Ownership of Bison Range
From: Flathead Beacon “The Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes have renewed a proposal to return management of the 18,800-acre National Bison Range to tribal management under a federal trust ownership agreement, an historic change of course that tribal leaders believe is in the best ...
Tribes Continue Push for Trust Ownership of Bison Range
From: The Missoulian “A Wednesday press release announced that the tribes had notified Montana’s congressional delegation and the U.S. Department of the Interior that they would like to revisit a 2016 proposal to place the Bison Range in trust status. The tribes have long sought a ...
Park’s Cell Tower Meeting is Tonight
From: Jackson Hole News & Guide “The new cell towers would go in at Flagg Ranch, Colter Bay, Jackson Lake Lodge, Signal Mountain, North Jenny Lake, South Jenny Lake, Beaver Creek, Moose and Kelly. Detractors of lining Teton park with cell towers exist, especially the group Public ...
Grand Teton National Park Pursuing Disputed Cell-Towers
From: Post Register “Grand Teton National Park in western Wyoming seeks thoughts from the public on plans for a new network of cell towers amid questions about how the National Park Service balances public safety with the experience of wilderness. The park currently has two cell towers ...
Interior Doesn’t Have Enough Ethics Staffers, Audit Says
From: Bloomberg “The GAO report also found that the federal government doesn’t keep a single source of comprehensive, timely, and publicly available data on political appointees. The GAO report is “consistent with the administration’s disrespect for good management norms,” said ...
Suppressed Documents Raise New Questions About Arctic Refuge Development, David Bernhardt
by Alaska Native News | March 20, 2019
“Since last summer the Trump administration made clear it had no intention to gather any new data about the Arctic Refuge that could inform its decisions on leasing, despite the release of a USGS report noting several major science gaps. Yesterday’s news of additional Fish and Wildlife ...
Wyoming News Update
From: Sheridan Media “A national park in Wyoming is moving ahead with plans for a network of cell towers amid questions about how the National Park Service balances public safety with the experience of wilderness. Grand Teton National Park is taking public comment on plans for nine cell ...
Chemical Board Settles with Managing Director After Three-Year Paid Leave
From: Government Executive “Just a day before a scheduled three-day civil service court hearing, the Chemical Safety Board on Wednesday settled its dispute with fired managing director Daniel Horowitz, who had spent three years on paid administrative leave after contesting his dismissal ...
Arctic-Drilling Plan Draws Fire From 16 Attorneys General
From: Courthouse News “Warning of far-reaching environmental impacts, 16 attorneys general accused the Trump administration on Wednesday of relying on a flawed study to justify the start of drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. Plans to allow resource mining on the state’s ...
State Attorneys General Join the Fight to Protect the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge
From: Earther / Gizmodo “Opponents have been keeping a watchful eye on the Trump Administration’s efforts to open up ANWR ever since Congress snuck a provision allowing such activity into a tax reform bill in 2017. Earlier this week, watchdog group Public Employees for Environmental ...
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