** January, in brief
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Happy 105th birthday @RockyNPS ([link removed]) ! Established in 1915, the park protects 415 square miles of stunning alpine scenery. Sunrise pic courtesy of Drew Martin #Colorado ([link removed]) #FindYourPark ([link removed]) | @Interior ([link removed])


** Key news from January:
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* The Trump administration announced a proposal ([link removed]) to weaken how federal agencies will handle environmental reviews for energy and infrastructure projects under the National Environmental Policy Act. The Center for Western Priorities reviewed ([link removed]) ways the administration has systematically cut the public out of land management decisions.

* The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service proposed weakening enforcement ([link removed]) of the Migratory Bird Treaty Act, preventing oil and gas companies from being held liable for most migratory bird deaths. The action was requested ([link removed]) by Interior Secretary David Bernhardt's former client.

* The Trump administration plans to remove protections from more than half of America's wetlands ([link removed]) , giving property owners and developers the green light to dump pesticides and fertilizers directly into waterways and destroy wetlands for construction projects.

* Interior Secretary David Bernhardt signed a Secretarial Order ([link removed]) to restructure the agency's Freedom of Information Act, which could further hinder the public disclosure of information ([link removed]) .

* Methane emissions from venting and flaring in New Mexico's booming Permian Basin have doubled since 2017 ([link removed]) .

* New legislation would stop federal land managers from auctioning off parcels of public land that have little potential for oil and gas development ([link removed]) .

* Interior Secretary David Bernhardt extended the temporary appointment ([link removed]) of anti-public lands extremist William Perry Pendley to continue to oversee the Bureau of Land Management.

* The House Natural Resources Chairman wants answers from Interior officials on how the Bureau of Land Management headquarters move was justified and is closer to issuing subpoenas ([link removed]) over documents. Bureau of Land Management employees are working towards unionizing ([link removed]) over the move.


** What to watch for in February:
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* Colorado College will be releasing its 10th anniversary State of the Rockies Poll on February 20th ([link removed]) .

* Public hearings over the proposed NEPA rollbacks will be held in ([link removed]) Denver ([link removed]) and Washington D.C ([link removed]) .

* The Trump administration could release Resource Management Plans for the remaining lands in Bears Ears and Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monuments.

Best Reads of the Month


** The road to the Green New Deal lies through the Department of the Interior
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The Nation ([link removed])


** Koch-backed group waged relentless, well-funded campaign to rescind Bears Ears National Monument
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Salt Lake Tribune ([link removed])


** Under Trump administration, environmental agencies run by extractive industry veterans
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New York Times ([link removed])


** Former clients of Interior Secretary Bernhardt ramp up lobbying under Trump administration
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Mother Jones ([link removed])


** Top Interior lawyer falsely testified to Congress about contact and meetings with Koch network
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HuffPost ([link removed])


** Interior is speeding harm to lands before election day
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Outside Magazine ([link removed])
From the Center for Western Priorities:


** Cutting the Public Out of Public Lands
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An analysis of millions of public comments ([link removed]) submitted in response to 10 major Interior Department rule changes shows the extent to which the public has opposed policies proposed by the Trump administration. Although more than 95 percent of public comments opposed each of the proposed rule changes, Interior ultimately moved forward with 8 of the 10 proposals.
[link removed]


** Tracking the Interior Department’s remaining policy changes impacting lands, water, and wildlife
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An analysis by the Center for Western Priorities ([link removed]) identifies 74 policies the Interior Department is seeking to implement, further weakening protections for wildlife and expanding fossil fuel development on public lands.
[link removed]


**
Westwise Blog:
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[link removed]


** Time for public lands to step up to the climate plate ([link removed])
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** Coal’s demise highlights the necessity of Interior Department action to reduce carbon emissions
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[link removed]


** How inaction on climate change threatens skiing and public lands recreation ([link removed])
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** Whether it is in the sun or the snow, climate change is impacting your recreation on public lands
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**
Go West, Young Podcast:
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[link removed]
Climate in Colorado ([link removed])

Garrett Garner-Wells ([link removed]) of Conservation Colorado ([link removed]) joins us with a look at why Colorado has become “an island of sanity ([link removed]) ” on climate policy.

Quote of the month


** The job of BLM leaders in Washington, D.C. is to make decisions that respond to directives from the president and Congress. Moving them west won’t change that dynamic – but it could impoverish agency decision making in several ways.”

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** —John Freemuth and John R. Skillen ([link removed])
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**
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Picture this
[link removed]


** Did you know that inaction on climate change is ([link removed]) already threatening public lands ([link removed]) recreation? ([link removed])
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