• Climate Change

Trump Administration Claims In Arctic Drilling Assessment That There Is No Climate Crisis

• Arctic
• Arctic National Wildlife Refuge
• environmental impact statement
• oil and gas drilling

E&E News reported on Monday that the Trump administration states it its Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) in favor of oil and gas leasing in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge that the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) – the agency responsible for EIS – “does not agree that the proposed development is inconsistent with maintaining a livable planet (i.e., there is not a climate crisis).”

Why This Matters:  This is yet another sign that the Trump Administration is ignoring the overwhelming opinion of expert scientists — the U.N. IPCC Oceans and Cryosphere report from last week is full of examples of how the Arctic region is being severely impacted by climate change caused by fossil fuel use.

• It is also highly likely that the BLM silenced its own scientists in the process of drafting the ANWR EIS.

• Land

Hipsters fueling illicit cactus trade

• Arctic National Wildlife Refuge
• cactus
• National Park Service
• NPS
• plants
• poaching

Cacti and succulents have rapidly grown in popularity in the past few years and it turns out that the insatiable demand to have the trendy plants adorn homes is driving poachers to dig them up from the wild and increasingly on public lands. The Guardian recently reported in its in-depth piece that “in the US […]

• Energy

Shutdown Not Slowing Down Trump Administration Energy Priorities

• Alaska
• Andrew Wheeler
• Arctic National Wildlife Refuge
• Bureau of Land Management
• confirmation
• Department of Interior
• EPA
• hearing
• oil and gas
• Senate
• shutdown
• wind power

While most of the Interior Department and the Environmental Protection Agency are in a seemingly endless shutdown limbo, the priorities of the Trump Administration go on without a hitch.  Two high profile examples came to light over the weekend — the preparation for newly nominated Acting EPA Administrator Andrew Wheeler’s confirmation hearing and the busiest […]