public lands

‘The Trump Administration’s Disdain for Nature Knows No Bounds’: USDA Proposes Axing ‘Roadless Rule’ Protections for 58.5 Million Acres of National Forest Lands

‘The Trump Administration’s Disdain for Nature Knows No Bounds’: USDA Proposes Axing ‘Roadless Rule’ Protections for 58.5 Million Acres of National Forest Lands

The Trump administration on Monday announced a plan to open 58.5 million acres of undeveloped lands within the National Forest System to road development and construction by repealing the Roadless Area Conservation Rule, known as the “Roadless Rule.” The rule was established in 2001 to protect roadless areas from road construction and timber harvesting, as […]

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    Most Voters in Eight Western States Support Conservation Over Oil and Gas Drilling on Public Lands: Poll

    Most Voters in Eight Western States Support Conservation Over Oil and Gas Drilling on Public Lands: Poll

    In the newest edition of Colorado College’s Conservation in the West Poll, nearly three-quarters — 72 percent — of respondents from eight states said they supported boosting outdoor recreation and the protection of water, clean air and wildlife habitat by their congressional representatives over maximizing oil and gas drilling on public lands. The 14th annual […]

    ‘Into the Thaw’: Jon Waterman on a Changing Alaska

    ‘Into the Thaw’: Jon Waterman on a Changing Alaska

    With each new federal administration, energy priorities shift. With the election of Donald Trump in 2024, one of his administration’s key promises, enforced by an executive order on January 20 this year and as promised in Project 2025, was to try to ramp up oil and gas drilling in the continental U.S. A key location […]

    What Is Jimmy Carter’s Environmental Legacy?

    What Is Jimmy Carter’s Environmental Legacy?

    In 1979, when President Jimmy Carter famously unveiled 32 solar panels on the White House roof, he remarked, “A generation from now, this solar heater can either be a curiosity, a museum piece, an example of a road not taken or it can be just a small part of one of the greatest and most […]

    Biden-Harris Admin Announces More Efficient Approvals for Solar Developments on Western Public Lands

    Biden-Harris Admin Announces More Efficient Approvals for Solar Developments on Western Public Lands

    The Biden-Harris administration announced on Thursday the finalization of a plan for solar energy expansion on federal lands in the Western states of Arizona, Nevada, California, New Mexico, Utah, Colorado, Montana, Wyoming, Idaho, Oregon and Washington. As part of President Joe Biden’s Investing in America agenda and a wider plan to decarbonize the power sector […]

    Biden-Harris Administration Affirms Public Lands Protections Across 28 Million Acres in Alaska

    Biden-Harris Administration Affirms Public Lands Protections Across 28 Million Acres in Alaska

    United States Secretary of the Interior Deb Haaland announced on Tuesday that protections against oil and gas development — including mining claims — across 28 million acres of federal lands in Alaska will remain intact. Many of Alaska’s Native Tribes, Tribal entities and Native Corporations have said the lands are crucial for safeguarding important natural, […]

    National Park Foundation Receives Its Largest Grant Ever

    National Park Foundation Receives Its Largest Grant Ever

    The U.S. National Park Foundation has received a $100 million grant, the largest in the foundation’s history, from Lilly Endowment Inc., a private philanthropic foundation. The grant is also the largest ever to benefit national parks, according to the National Park Foundation. As The Associated Press reported, the grant funding will go toward the more […]