public lands

Trump Administration’s Alaska Oil and Gas Lease Sale a ‘Major Flop’

Trump Administration’s Alaska Oil and Gas Lease Sale a ‘Major Flop’

Despite the Trump administration’s unrelenting quest to drill the Arctic, Wednesday’s oil and gas lease sale in the National Petroleum Reserve-Alaska (NPR-A) yielded a “disappointing” return of $1.5 million, E&E News reported. Oil and gas giants ConocoPhillips, Emerald House and Nordaq Energy were the three companies that made uncontested bids on 16 tracts of land […]

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    Listen to the Cosmic Sound of Sandstone Arches in Utah

    Listen to the Cosmic Sound of Sandstone Arches in Utah

    By Zoe Woodcraft The sound is like a low, steady rumble, soothing yet powerful. Imperceptible to the human ear, the hums of red rock arches in Bears Ears and Grand Staircase National Monuments carry with them the deep patterns of the earth’s plates sparked by events like ocean currents colliding in the open Pacific that […]

    Fighting a Corporate Scheme to Sell the Mojave Desert’s Water

    Fighting a Corporate Scheme to Sell the Mojave Desert’s Water

    By Marie Logan At Earthjustice, we’re skeptical any time a company announces plans to convert public resources into private profits. Whether it’s natural gas extraction in national parks or logging in a national forest that would displace endangered species, we’re prepared to step in to protect our nation’s natural resources whenever they are threatened. So […]

    U.S. Navy Proposes Massive Land Grab to Test Bombs

    U.S. Navy Proposes Massive Land Grab to Test Bombs

    Friday the U.S. Navy released details of a plan to seize more than 600,000 acres of public land in central Nevada to expand a bombing range. The land under threat includes rich habitat for mule deer, important desert springs and nesting sites for raptors like golden eagles. If approved by Congress, the 1,536-page plan would […]

    Who Is David Bernhardt? (And Why Every Environmentalist Should Care.)

    Who Is David Bernhardt? (And Why Every Environmentalist Should Care.)

    By Jeff Turrentine Navy SEALS are known for their incredible endurance and superior ability to get out of tough, high-stakes situations. But ex-SEAL Ryan Zinke, our current secretary of the Interior, likely won’t be able to climb, jump, swim or rappel his way out of the ethics mess he’s gotten himself into. If the rumors […]

    $1 Billion Effort Launched to Protect 30% of the Planet by 2030

    $1 Billion Effort Launched to Protect 30% of the Planet by 2030

    If you follow environmental news, every day it seems like the world is getting worse. One landmark study found that animals are going extinct 1,000 times faster than their natural rate because of human influence and habitat loss. To help fight back against these worrying trends, Swiss billionaire and conservationist Hansjörg Wyss will be donating […]

    Zinke’s Shrinking of National Monuments and Meetings With Halliburton Could be Center of DOJ Investigation

    Zinke’s Shrinking of National Monuments and Meetings With Halliburton Could be Center of DOJ Investigation

    One of the Department of Interior’s (DOI) internal watchdog investigations into Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke‘s behavior while in office has been referred to the Justice Department, which only happens when investigators determine there might have been a criminal violation, The Washington Post reported Tuesday. Two sources familiar with the investigation broke the news to the […]

    Arctic Oil Drilling Project Approved by Trump Administration

    Arctic Oil Drilling Project Approved by Trump Administration

    The Trump administration’s unrelenting quest for Arctic oil and gas took a major step on Wednesday as it approved an energy company’s controversial production plan. Hilcorp Alaska received the green light to build the Liberty Project, a nine-acre artificial drilling island and 5.6-mile underwater pipeline, which environmentalists warn could risk oil spills in the sensitive […]