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A new analysis finds that President Trump is the most anti-conservation president in history. The Center for American Progress found that over the past three years, the Trump administration has attempted to remove protections from 35 million acres, around 1,000 times more land than it has protected. Trump is the only president in history to remove more land protection than he added. “The numbers reveal an administration that has handed extractive industries access to public lands at a scope and scale we’ve never seen before,” said Jenny Rowland-Shea, senior public lands policy analyst and the report's co-author.
The eliminated protections occurred in 12 states and include national monuments, wildlife refuges, and wilderness areas. Meanwhile, of the 37,000 acres that were protected during this administration, 30,000 of those acres come from the extension of an existing mining ban near Yellowstone National Park. Many of the reductions directly benefit the oil and gas industry. Not including Alaska, the Trump administration has removed 11.5 million acres of mineral withdrawals, opening up sensitive ecosystems for oil and gas development.
As the country continues to deal with the effects of the coronavirus pandemic, public lands are more important than ever. "Protected lands and waters are a xxxxxx against the rapid decline of nature, offering a refuge for people and wildlife alike. But in parts and in sum, the Trump administration’s attacks have stalled the nation’s progress toward conserving nature and wildlife," the report concludes.
Royalty cuts may get watchdog investigation
House Natural Resources Chairman Raúl Grijalva has requested the Government Accountability Office look into whether the Bureau of Land Management is skirting federal law as it issues royalty rate reductions for all oil and gas producers that have requested it. Interior Secretary David Bernhardt has failed to provide even basic data to the House Natural Resources Committee. "I am concerned that in its haste to approve huge numbers of royalty cuts, BLM may not be fully following the requirements in the regulations," Grijalva wrote.
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When it comes to a public debate, you can’t be heard if you aren’t given a seat at the main table. Video conferencing can work as a short-term stop-gap, but screen-to-screen communication is not advanced enough to properly attract audiences and convey information to the degree demanded by this [Resource Management Plan].”
