** New watchdog reports detail malfeasance at Trump's Interior
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Friday, November 19, 2021
President Trump's first Interior secretary, Ryan Zinke. Photo: Gage Skidmore, Flickr ([link removed])

Two new reports from government watchdog agencies detail the malfeasance at the Interior Department during the Trump administration:

A new report ([link removed]) from the Government Accountability Office (GAO) found that the relocation of the Bureau of Land Management's (BLM) headquarters from Washington, D.C. to Grand Junction, Colorado significantly reduced the number of Black employees at the agency, created wide-spread staffing shortages, and drove out long-serving employees with decades of professional experience. “In our interviews with 13 BLM staff members, almost all told us that the loss of experienced staff negatively affected their offices’ ability to conduct its duties,” the report said ([link removed]) . “For example, one staff member said that the loss of institutional knowledge about laws and regulations meant that BLM was not able to provide knowledgeable input on proposed rules and legislation.” The result of all this upheaval is a concern expressed in
the GAO report ([link removed]) that the “BLM lacks reasonable assurance the agency will have the workforce necessary to achieve its goals in managing millions of acres of public lands.”

The findings of a new report ([link removed]) from the Interior Department's Office of Inspector General (OIG) show that Ben Cassidy, a former high-ranking Interior Department official in the Trump administration, repeatedly violated ethics rules ([link removed]) by communicating with and directly participating in matters that involved his longtime former employer, the National Rifle Association. The OIG report's arrival is four years after Cassidy’s misconduct, and more than two and a half years after Interior’s watchdog opened an ethics probe ([link removed]) into alleged violations ([link removed]) by Cassidy and five other Trump-era
Interior officials who maintained close ties to former employers—long after the officials have left the agency. CWP Deputy Director Aaron Weiss said ([link removed]) the report is “more proof that blatant corruption was a feature, not a bug” under first Trump interior secretary Ryan Zinke and Trump’s second interior secretary, David Bernhardt. “Doing favors for old buddies was expected and encouraged. It’s unfortunate that this report, which mostly regurgitates reporting from years ago, took so long to release. Ethics pledges are only meaningful if there are consequences for breaking them.”
Quick hits


** Senate confirms Chuck Sams to lead National Park Service
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National Parks Traveler ([link removed]) | E&E News ([link removed]) | The Hill ([link removed])


** Forest Service to ban roads, logging on 9 million acres in Alaska's Tongass National Forest
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Washington Post ([link removed]) | The Hill ([link removed]) | Associated Press ([link removed])


** House expected to vote on budget reconciliation bill today, including historic investment to address climate change
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New York Times ([link removed]) | Washington Post ([link removed]) | Reuters ([link removed]) | CNN ([link removed]) | Roll Call ([link removed])


** Interior watchdog says Trump-era official and former NRA lobbyist repeatedly broke ethics pledge
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HuffPost ([link removed]) | E&E News ([link removed]) | The Hill ([link removed])


** Infrastructure bill provides funding for cleaning up Colorado's abandoned coal mines
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Colorado Public Radio ([link removed])


** Report: Trump's BLM relocation reduced Black employees at agency, created mass vacancies
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Washington Post ([link removed]) | E&E News ([link removed])


** Construction begins on America's first major offshore wind energy project
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E&E News ([link removed])


** Opinion: No time to waste addressing the climate crisis
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Durango Herald ([link removed])
Quote of the day
Vineyard Wind 1 represents an enormous leap forward in the nation's offshore wind production. To put it in perspective, we currently have seven turbines offshore. When completed, Vineyard Wind 1 will boast 62 turbines, provide enough power for 400,000 homes and businesses, and create hundreds of good union jobs."
—Interior Secretary Deb Haaland, E&E News ([link removed])
Picture this


** @ForestServiceNW ([link removed])
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"The world is mud-luscious and puddle-wonderful." —E. E. Cummings

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