March, in brief

Key news from March:

• As cities across the country began lockdowns and Americans practiced social distancing, many national parks remain open with park entrance fees waived. Local elected officials and park rangers are growing worried about the ability of gateway communities to handle the floods of visitors to the parks. At least one park service employee tested positive for the virus. Local communities and first responders pleaded with tourists to stay home as ski areas and recreation hotspots closed down. 
   
• While much of the country was focused on the coronavirus pandemic, Interior Secretary David Bernhardt continued to lease public lands for oil and gas development for dirt cheap prices. Meanwhile, oil prices have crashed, making drilling on public lands economically unviable for many operators swimming in debt. Groups have called on the BLM to halt or delay lease sales and land management planning. The Center for Western Priorities' oil and gas dashboard will continue to track lease sales.
   
• Despite the pandemic, the Trump administration continued to advance rollbacks of environmental policies, from permanently weakening enforcement of the Migratory Bird Treaty Act to offering oil and gas leases in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. 
   
• Lawmakers halted a plan to buy crude oil amid the market downturn, although the buyback could surface in future stimulus packages. 
   
• The Government Accountability Office released a report warning that the Interior Department’s plans for relocating the Bureau of Land Management headquarters out of Washington, DC did not establish key performance measures to determine if the reorganization was successful. More than half of the Bureau of Land Management employees whose positions were relocated out of Washington, DC have left the bureau. 
   
• President Trump tweeted his support for a bill to fully fund the Land and Water Conservation Fund and provide funding to address maintenance needs in national parks. Interior Secretary David Bernhardt testified that he will support the legislative efforts. The bill could get a second look as a jobs measure in a stimulus package amid the economic downturn. 

What to watch for in April:

• The acting director of the Bureau of Land Management, William Perry Pendley, faces the end of his appointment. Interior Secretary David Bernhardt is likely to reappoint Pendley. 
   
• Following in the footsteps of the Environmental Protection Agency, the Interior Department could waive enforcement of regulations at the behest of the oil and gas industry. 
   
• Congress is expected to consider additional stimulus measures, which could include bailouts for coal and oil companies.