** October, in brief
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Fall colors in Arizona's Canyon de Chelly National Monument
Photo by Nina Mayer Ritchie | @Interior ([link removed])


** Key news from October:
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* The House passed three bills to protect public lands in the West. The Chaco Culture Heritage Protection Act ([link removed]) , the Grand Canyon Centennial Act ([link removed]) , and the Colorado Outdoor Recreation Economy Act ([link removed]) all passed with bipartisan support.

* A federal judge blocked the Trump administration's attempt to remove protections for the sage-grouse ([link removed]) on millions of acres of public land across the West. The Obama-era plans were reinstated on 10.7 million acres of sage-grouse habitat.

* Interior Secretary David Bernhardt announced ([link removed]) the Fish and Wildlife Service would move to weaken endangered species protections for California's delta smelt. The change has long been sought by Westlands Water District—a policy specifically lobbied for by Bernhardt when he represented Westlands.

* The Interior Department backed down on its Freedom of Information Act policy, removing controversial language ([link removed]) that allowed for political interference into information requests.

* William Perry Pendley, the acting head of the Bureau of Land Management, told a skeptical crowd of environmental journalists ([link removed]) that his past actions and words are now "irrelevant" ([link removed]) and that he has yet to be briefed on climate science ([link removed]) . Earlier this month, Pendley's tenure at Interior was extended ([link removed]) by Secretary Bernhardt for an additional four months.

* In an interview with Bloomberg Environment ([link removed]) , Pendley admitted that decisions under the National Environmental Policy Act should be made in Washington, DC, not locally. This undermines the administration's previous rationale for dismantling BLM's Washington headquarters, so employees could be closer to the lands they manage.

* The Forest Service announced it has completed a draft environmental review that would exempt Alaska's Tongass National Forest from the roadless rule ([link removed]) , which has protected intact forests since the Clinton administration.

* Following intense local ([link removed]) and national pushback ([link removed]) , the Interior Department reversed course on a plan ([link removed]) to open a number of national parks to off-road vehicles.

* Federal land management agency employees were assaulted or threatened ([link removed]) at least 360 times from 2013 to 2017. The Government Accountability Office released a report ([link removed]) with the count.


** What to watch for in November:
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* To avoid a shutdown, the Senate will have to approve a budget with funding for the Interior Department, including funding for the Land and Water Conservation Fund.

* The Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee will hold a confirmation hearing for Katharine MacGregor, the nominee for Interior deputy secretary.

Best Reads of the Month


** Despite promises from oil and gas companies, venting and flaring is on the rise during Trump administration
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New York Times ([link removed])


** Americans would rather reduce oil and gas exploration than "drill, baby, drill"
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Washington Post ([link removed])


** Interior proposes new plan to make camping in national parks worse
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Outside ([link removed])


** Trump administration admits political appointees have violated ethics pledge multiple times
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ProPublica ([link removed])


** Oil and gas companies used loophole to avoid paying $18 billion in royalties in recent decades
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New York Times ([link removed])
From the Center for Western Priorities:
[link removed]
Winning the West 2020 ([link removed])
A new Winning the West 2020 ([link removed]) poll by the Center for Western Priorities shows an “Outdoor Voting Bloc” in the Rocky Mountain West has cemented itself as an influential factor in election outcomes. The Winning the West poll ([link removed]) and accompanying presentation ([link removed]) —conducted for the third consecutive election cycle in Colorado, Montana, and Nevada, and for the second time in Arizona and New Mexico—reveal how issues involving public lands, parks, and wildlife play an outsized role in moving Western voters to the polls and influence how voters choose candidates.
[link removed]


**
Westwise Blog:
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[link removed]


** Scoring the Trump Interior Department’s deregulatory hit list ([link removed])
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** Two years after releasing industry-backed report, the agency has rolled back dozens of land and wildlife protections
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[link removed]-----------------------


** Every day is Public Lands Day in Montana, and other insights from our live podcast in Missoula ([link removed])
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** Highlights from CWP’s live podcast episode in Missoula, Montana
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[link removed]


** How the Interior Department silenced public advisory committees ([link removed])
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** Analysis shows that after political meddling most BLM Resource Advisory Councils are rife with vacancies and inactive
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[link removed]


** New poll shows influence of “Outdoor Voting Bloc” in Mountain West ([link removed])
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** Analysis reveals current administration actions on public lands, energy, and climate are unpopular among voters
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**
Go West, Young Podcast:
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Senator Tom Udall unleashed ([link removed])

Senator Tom Udall of New Mexico just introduced a bill to protect 30% of America’s land and water by 2030 ([link removed]) . We talk to him about that and his other plans before he leaves the Senate in 2021.
[link removed]
Colorado Attorney General Phil Weiser ([link removed])

Colorado Attorney General Phil Weiser ([link removed]) sits down with Go West, Young Podcast ([link removed]) to talk about how he chooses when to take the Trump administration’s environmental rollbacks to court, and when to stay on the sidelines.
[link removed]
Professor John Freemuth ([link removed])

In this episode of CWP’s Go West, Young Podcast ([link removed]) , we sit down with John Freemuth ([link removed]) , the endowed chair of the Cecil D. Andrus Center for Public Policy ([link removed]) at Boise State University.

Quote of the month


** Many ecosystems and wildlife species are nearing the point of no return. Protecting and restoring 30 percent of our lands and waters by 2030, with more protected in the decades following, is a necessary step to stem the collapse of our natural systems.”
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** —Senator Tom Udall ([link removed])
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**
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Picture this

An analysis ([link removed]) of the Bureau of Land Management website ([link removed]) conducted by the Center for Western Priorities finds that 30 of the 37 Resource Advisory Councils have been reinstated by the Trump administration with politically-motivated mandates. The remaining seven RACs appear not to have renewed charters. Of the 30 Trump-chartered RACs, 17 have not met under their new charter. In sum, more than half of all RACs — 20 of 37 — have not met since 2017. | Center for Western Priorities ([link removed])

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