Former Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke, who was forced to resign last year amid multiple ethics investigations, apparently believes he still has a future in government. According to the Houston Chronicle, Zinke told an oil and gas industry gathering yesterday that he “may or may not go back into the administration at a later time,” claiming that Donald Trump did not want him to leave.
Jackson Hole, WY-- Chronic wasting disease (CWD), a fatal infection in deer, elk and moose, has expanded into Grand Teton National Park and ever closer to Yellowstone National Park in recent years. Updated maps created by Wyoming Wildlife Advocates and Sierra Club Wyoming Chapter display the geographical spread over time, and showcase the threats to Yellowstone and Grand Teton national parks, the National Elk Refuge and the proximity of the deadly disease to elk winter feedgrounds in western Wyoming.
As major financial institutions and oil companies gathered over the last six weeks for their annual general meetings, they faced questions and protests from shareholders and activists urging them not to engage in or give financial support for drilling in the coastal plain of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. According to recent comments by Department of the Interior official Joe Balash, the Trump administration aims to hold the first lease sale in the coastal plain before the end of this year.
Columbus, OH -- Just now, state legislators passed House Bill 6 out of the Ohio State House. HB6 repeals Ohio’s clean energy and efficiency standards while creating a new energy tax on all Ohio electric customers to bail out FirstEnergy Solutions Ohio nuclear power plants.
Miami, FL-- Hundreds will gather in support of the Lummi Nation’s mission to bring their beloved orca, Tokitae, back to her native waters and family in the Salish Sea. The Lummi Nation’s Totem Pole Journey begins with a rally in Miami,Florida, and will make its way to Seattle, Washington to call for the release of Tokitae-- an orca whale captured from the Puget Sound and in captivity at the Miami Seaquarium. The Lummi Nation recognizes it is their sacred obligation to bring her home to the Pacific Northwest.
Nageezi, NM -- Last night, Senator Martin Heinrich and Interior Secretary David Bernhardt announced a commitment from the Department of the Interior to place a one-year moratorium on oil and gas leasing within a 10-mile buffer zone around Chaco Culture National Historical Park.
Trump DOE announced a commitment to “spreading freedom gas throughout the world” and its intent to push a “regulatory system that allows for molecules of U.S. freedom to be exported.”
OKLAHOMA CITY, OK -- Following a weekend of heavy storms and record flooding, the Oklahoma chapter of the Sierra Club has formally requested that both the Oklahoma Department of Environmental Quality (ODEQ) and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) conduct a field investigation as soon as possible to determine whether unpermitted discharges of coal ash are occurring.
As Chevron executives and shareholders gather for the company’s annual general meeting, activists plan to rally outside to call on Chevron to pledge not to drill in the coastal plain of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge.
Monday the Illinois Legislature passed SB9, the Coal Ash Pollution Prevention Act, which now heads to the Governor’s desk. The groundbreaking bill addresses the many waste pits filled with coal ash, the toxic byproduct of burning coal, located all over the state. Illinois is now the third state in the country to pass legislation providing significant coal ash protections above and beyond federal requirements.