Natural Resources

"US fossil fuel companies have taken at least $50m in taxpayer money they probably won’t have to pay back, according to a review of coronavirus aid meant for struggling small businesses by the investigative research group Documented and the Guardian. A total of $28m is going to three coal mining companies, all with ties to Trump officials, bolstering a dying American industry and a fuel that scientists insist world leaders must shift away from to avoid the worst of the climate crisis."

"A federal judge, rapping the Trump administration for its weak environmental assessments, has vacated hundreds of oil and gas leases across a large swath of Montana."

"Two advocacy groups are threatening to sue Interior Secretary David Bernhardt if he allows the acting directors of the Bureau of Land Management and the National Park Service to remain in place after their terms expire next week."

"The latest front in the war against drilling for oil in Alaska’s rugged wildlife refuge isn’t Washington -- it’s Wall Street."

"House Democrats are questioning the Trump administration over its plan to reopen 'as rapidly as possible' certain national parks that closed amid concerns over the coronavirus pandemic."

"Aside from brief sessions to pass major funding relief packages, the House and Senate have not met in more than a month. ... Despite all of this, advocates for fully funding the Land and Water Conservation Fund as well as tackling the massive parks maintenance backlog are confident they can still get the job done in 2020."

"Evergreen forests blanket the Grand Canyon's less traveled northern plateau, and the perfume of Ponderosa pine drifts down a creekbed to the bottom of the great redrock canyon. Downstream, the strangely blue waters of the Little Colorado River meet the main Colorado, coming from the southern plateau close to sacred places for indigenous people who have lived here for centuries. Both plateaus are also where mining companies want to unearth uranium."

"The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers has suspended a nationwide program used to approve oil and gas pipelines, power lines and other utility work, spurred by a court ruling that industry representatives warn could slow or halt numerous infrastructure projects over environmental concerns".

"President Trump said Wednesday that his administration would begin to reopen national parks as states relax restrictions meant to curb the spread of the coronavirus."

"EPA published its Navigable Waters Protection Rule in the Federal Register this morning .... Publication starts a 60-day clock before the rule goes into effect and waves a green flag for an onslaught of lawsuits likely to be filed around the country. The litigation will undoubtedly run beyond Election Day, so the future of the rule likely depends on whether Trump wins a second term."