"The National Park Service (NPS) plans to pay the salaries of full-time staff from the money it collects from entrance fees, a move that is likely to enrage Democratic lawmakers who chastised the agency for dipping into the coffers to keep parks open during this year's partial government shutdown."
Native American tribes and environmental groups have sued to stop a massive copper mine near Tucson. The $1.9 billion Rosemont Mine, at a half-mile deep and a mile wide, would sprawl across federal, state and private land, leaving a waste pile the height of skyscraper.
"The Chesapeake Bay’s recovery took a step back in 2018, but the estuary retained its “C” grade on an annual report card from the University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science."
Toxic chemicals and disease-causing microorganisms can be found in some fresh-caught fish. And that means local stories for environmental journalists, who can pick up on problems through federal and state fish advisories. The latest TipSheet explains the health impacts and how they’re regulated, plus questions to ask and story ideas, including an environmental justice angle.
"The U.S. Supreme Court ruled in favor of Native American rights in a 5-4 decision in a case out of Wyoming. Justice Neil Gorsuch, the only Westerner on the court, provided the decisive vote in this case, showing himself again to be sensitive to Native American rights."
"Donald Trump’s interior secretary hasn’t “lost sleep over”, the record-breaking levels of pollution heating the planet, he told US lawmakers in an oversight hearing."
"The U.S. government plans on replacing barriers through 100 miles (161 kilometers) of the southern border in California and Arizona, including through a national monument and a wildlife refuge, according to documents and environmental advocates."
"House Democrats this afternoon proposed to increase spending for the Interior Department while rejecting some of the administration's key plans."
The Society of Environmental Journalists’ annual conference in Colorado this fall will bring attendees to a state rich in contrasts and storytelling fodder. At the same time, SEJ itself is readying for seismic shifts. SEJ President Bobby Magill shares firsthand knowledge of the Square State, plus a look into changes for the organization, in his latest quarterly report.
"A coalition of environmental groups is mounting a legal challenge to former Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke's controversial decision to reinstate grazing rights for Oregon father-and-son ranchers Dwight and Steven Hammond following President Trump's pardon of their arson convictions."
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