Natural Resources

"There’s good news for the Chesapeake Bay this year. Underwater grasses are at the highest level on record — an important sign of water quality. Blue crabs are being harvested at a sustainable level — meaning there are enough to feed hungry Marylanders while still leaving plenty in the water to reproduce. More than a million acres of land in the Chesapeake watershed have been permanently protected from development since 2010 — preventing the polluted runoff associated with building houses, roads and shopping centers."

"Utah’s politically contentious southeast corner is a living landscape of culture and civilization". ... For 11 months, the rich legacy of this region was federally protected. It’s not clear who will be its steward now."

President Trump's pick to head Interior faces a committee confirmation vote today. "Brownstein Hyatt Farber Schreck has quadrupled its business since David Bernhardt joined the Interior Department in 2017." "The law and lobbying firm that previously employed President Trump’s pick to run the Interior Department saw a surge in revenue from clients hoping to influence the agency after he left for its upper ranks in 2017."

"Legal challenges abound for Daniel Jorjani, formally nominated yesterday to fill the long-vacant position of Interior Department solicitor."

"A Democratic lawmaker has asked the Interior Department's watchdog to look into reports that President Trump's nominee to lead the agency directly intervened to stop the release of a study linking the effects of two chemicals on endangered species."

"A federal judge has dealt a likely deathblow to a land-swap deal approved by the Interior Department last year that was meant to clear the way for a 12-mile single-lane gravel road through Alaska's Izembek National Wildlife Refuge."

"New Orleans Mayor LaToya Cantrell filed a lawsuit Friday (March 29) against Entergy New Orleans, Chevron U.S.A. Inc, ExxonMobil Pipeline Company and eight other oil and gas companies, demanding they repair damage caused by exploration, production and pipeline construction activities to wetlands along the city’s eastern edges."

"President Trump’s choice to lead the Interior Department, David Bernhardt, a former oil lobbyist who has been accused of conflicts of interest, faced questioning Thursday from senators who must decide whether he is the right person to oversee some 500 million acres of public land and vast coastal waters."

"John Sturgeon worried he was jinxing himself when he fixed up the mothballed hovercraft in his garage without knowing whether the Supreme Court would let him pilot it to his favorite moose-hunting grounds in Alaska."

"After years of effort, scientists at the Fish and Wildlife Service had a moment of celebration as they wrapped up a comprehensive analysis of the threat that three widely used pesticides present to hundreds of endangered species, like the kit fox and the seaside sparrow."