** Interior botched pandemic handouts to oil companies
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WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 7, 2020
BLM New Mexico ([link removed])

The Interior Department gave millions of dollars in royalty cuts to oil and gas companies early in the coronavirus pandemic, but has no idea whether it saved any jobs ([link removed]) . The Government Accountability Office found the Bureau of Land Management cut fees from 12.5 percent to less than 1 percent on average, but applied the cuts inconsistently ([link removed]) across states “because BLM’s temporary policy on royalty relief did not supply sufficient detail to facilitate uniform decision-making among the offices.”


** Interior to judge: Pendley hasn’t done anything
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After a judge ruled that William Perry Pendley has been serving illegally as the director of the Bureau of Land Management, the Interior Department responded that no BLM land use plans should be thrown out—because Pendley hasn't taken any actions ([link removed]) during his more than 400 days at the agency. Montana Governor Steve Bullock asked the court to set aside two major land use plans ([link removed]) and a third plan amendment that were approved by Pendley.

Interior lawyers now claim ([link removed]) that notices in the federal register that said Pendley reviewed and dismissed protests against the land use plans were "imprecise," and that Pendley did not actually play any role in the process.


** Goodbye Go West, hello The Landscape
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CWP's podcast has a new name: The Landscape ([link removed]) . The latest episode explains why ([link removed]) , as historians Patty Limerick and Philip Deloria join us for a conversation about the legacy of Manifest Destiny. (If you're already subscribed, you'll keep getting new episodes. If you haven't subscribed yet, start listening on Apple Podcasts ([link removed]) , Google Podcasts ([link removed]) , or Spotify ([link removed]) !)
Quick hits


** GAO faults Trump admin over royalty cuts for oil companies
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Associated Press ([link removed]) | The Hill ([link removed]) | Reuters ([link removed]) | E&E News ([link removed])


** Interior claims Pendley took ‘no relevant acts’ in 400+ days at BLM
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E&E News ([link removed]) | The Hill ([link removed]) | Reuters ([link removed]) | Associated Press ([link removed])


** CARES Act gave $55M to fracking company, which used it to pay shareholder dividends
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Washington Post ([link removed])


** $200,000 government report touts ‘energy security’ from oil and gas amid climate disasters
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The Guardian ([link removed])


** Activists light up senate office with ‘Fire Pendley’ message
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Colorado Times Recorder ([link removed])


** Bernhardt threatens to start Chaco oil auctions in 3 months
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Albuquerque Journal ([link removed])


** Opinion: With oil prices at record lows, why is Interior leasing public land as fast as it can?
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Politico ([link removed])


** Opinion: Plans approved by William Perry Pendley must be revoked
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Great Falls Tribune ([link removed])
Quote of the day
The BLM hasn't lived up to its multiple-use mandate in a long time. With the help of Interior Secretary David Bernhardt, Pendley has made the agency a virtual arm of the extractive industries. We have the opportunity now not just to revisit the Lewistown, Missoula, and Miles City RMPs, but to set aside Pendley’s decisions across the West and to compel the BLM to honor its mandate, which includes conservation.”
—Aubrey Bertram, Tracy Stone Manning and Alec Underwood
Great Falls Tribune ([link removed])
Picture this


** @nationalparkservice ([link removed])
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BIG NEWS!!! The votes are in for Katmai National Park & Preserve’s annual #FatBearWeek ([link removed]) tournament and 747 is your 2020 champion! One of the park’s biggest bears, “jumbo jet” 747 is estimated to weigh in at over 1,400 lbs! Is there room for cake?⁣

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