Press Releases

November 15, 2017

WASHINGTON, D.C. -- Today the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee passed a bill essentially removing the sensitive coastal plain of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge from the refuge system, opening the entire 1.5 million acres to drilling. The bill ignores the importance of the area to the Gwich’in Nation, as well as a host of environmental safeguards, and cost realities that make raising the estimated revenue from drilling in the Arctic Refuge nearly impossible.

November 13, 2017

WASHINGTON, D.C. -- As the conservation of and access to public lands comes under threat nationally, the Sierra Club announced today it will be expanding its work locally to connect people with nature through a number of local projects. The projects span the country and focus on breaking down barriers that prevent people from experiencing the outdoors.

November 9, 2017

In the latest move to keep the public out of public lands, E&E News is reporting that the Trump administration is planning to permanently end recreational use on the National Mall. The proposal looks at closing 28 athletic fields on the National Mall and at Rock Creek Park.

November 8, 2017

WASHINGTON, D.C. -- Alaska Senator Lisa Murkowski last night introduced a bill that would effectively remove the sensitive coastal plain of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge from the refuge system, opening the entire 1.5 million acres to drilling. The bill ignores the importance of the area to the Gwich’in Nation, as well as a host of environmental safeguards, and cost realities that make raising the estimated revenue from drilling in the Arctic Refuge nearly impossible.

November 7, 2017

This afternoon, the House Natural Resources Committee will hold a hearing on the “SECURE American Energy Act.” The bill aims to expand oil and gas drilling by rolling back federal regulations and removing protections for America’s public lands and waters.

November 2, 2017

For months, the Interior Department, Bureau of Land Management, and the White House Council on Environmental Quality have repeatedly failed to answer the public’s Freedom of Information Act requests for information related to the Trump administration’s ongoing review of national monuments—protected federal lands and waters that belong to the American people. Today, Earthjustice filed a lawsuit on behalf of six organizations whose requests for information on national monuments have been met with radio silence.

November 2, 2017

The Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee today is holding a hearing to explore drilling in the sensitive coastal plain of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. As part of the budget process, the committee has been tasked with raising $1 billion over 10 years-- a feat that would only be possible through Arctic Refuge drilling if companies paid exorbitant lease prices.

October 31, 2017

Robert Vessels with Sierra Club’s National Military Outdoors program will join the class of 2017 Emerging Leaders to lead proceedings at The SHIFT Festival, which starts tomorrow in Jackson Hole, Wyoming. The Emerging Leaders program honors and trains a diverse group of outdoor recreationists to help revitalize conservation by making it relevant to all Americans.

October 27, 2017

The Salt Lake Tribune is reporting today that President Trump has promised to approve a proposal by Interior Secretary Zinke to strip protections from large swaths of Bears Ears National Monument.

October 26, 2017

WASHINGTON, DC – Today, the U.S. House of Representatives voted on the FY18 budget resolution (216-212) which advances drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge.