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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. 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 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
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 during his more than 400 days at the agency. Montana Governor Steve Bullock asked the court to set aside two major land use plans and a third plan amendment that were approved by Pendley.
Interior lawyers now claim 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
CWP's podcast has a new name: The Landscape. The latest episode explains why, 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, Google Podcasts, or Spotify!)
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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.”
