July 18, 2018
Washington, DC -- Tonight, it was reported that Department of the Interior’s Inspector General has opened a formal investigation into Ryan Zinke’s real estate dealings with Halliburton’s chair, David Lesar.
Press Releases
July 18, 2018
WASHINGTON, D.C. -- Today, under the cover of the ongoing Supreme Court process, the Senate voted 50-49 to confirm right-wing extremist Andrew Oldham to the the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals. Oldham is one of the youngest of Trump’s judicial appointees and now holds a lifetime appointment to the bench. Including Oldham, Trump has confirmed 23 judges for lifetime appointments to Courts of Appeals.
July 18, 2018
WASHINGTON, D.C. - This week, the House will hold a floor vote on the FY19 Interior-EPA spending bill as part of an appropriations ‘minibus.’ This Republican spending minibus threatens environmental and conservation programs across the board, including a 42% cut to the endangered species listing program and 65 million from the Land and Water Conservation Fund. The spending package would also continue the assault by Republican leadership on the EPA, slashing the EPA’s budget by at least $100 million.
July 18, 2018
PHOENIX -- Rep. Gosar (R-AZ) has introduced an amendment to an Interior Department funding bill that would withhold funding to manage Ironwood Forest National Monument, de-facto stripping the area and its resources of protections afforded by the monument.
July 18, 2018
Washington, DC -- Today, the United States Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit granted a temporary stay in response to a lawsuit brought yesterday by the Sierra Club, Environmental Defense Fund, and Center for Biological Diversity, ordering Andrew Wheeler’s Environmental Protection Agency to continue to enforce glider truck requirements while the parties brief the merits of the case. The EPA must file a response to the motion by 4pm on July 25.
July 18, 2018
Today, the Washington Post released an analysis of Brett Kavanaugh’s support for the Yucca Mountain nuclear waste repository. While serving on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit, Kavanaugh wrote the majority opinion directing the Nuclear Regulatory Commission to consider the application for project, stating that "the underlying policy debate is not our concern."
July 18, 2018
SAN ANTONIO, Tex. -- Yesterday, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) took a much-delayed and necessary step towards protecting San Antonians from dangerous ozone (smog) pollution by designating Bexar County as being in nonattainment with the 2015 smog standard for ozone of 70 parts per billion (ppb), the strongest federal standard for smog pollution put in place to protect public health.
July 17, 2018
Long Island City, N.Y. -- Local residents and various health leaders and religious and environmental organizations gathered on Wednesday to urge the administration to quickly finalize a proposed plan that would phase coal out of the state by 2020. Advocates contend that a statewide framework must include a glidepath for communities and workers affected by this transition and to ensure full retirement of the affected plants - barring the way for these plants to burn other dirty energy sources like fracked gas, waste or biomass.
July 17, 2018
WASHINGTON, D.C. -- Today, Rep. Lujan Grisham introduced legislation to safeguard and enhance national monuments. The America’s Natural Treasures of Immeasurable Quality Unite, Inspire, and Together Improve the Economies of States (ANTIQUITIES) Act is the House companion to Sen. Udall’s bill already introduced in the Senate.
July 17, 2018
Oakland, CA—Sierra magazine’s July/August edition is now on newsstands and arriving at subscribers’ homes. This issue is a celebration of America’s rivers—from those running through urbanscapes to the most wild and scenic.