"Sen. Dick Durbin (D-Ill.) has put a hold on all four pending Interior Department nominees over the Trump administration’s plans to potentially shrink multiple national monuments."
"Key Interior Department vacancies have lingered for an unusually long time, leaving Secretary Ryan Zinke's management team problematically short-handed."
"Gov. Scott Walker plans to sign a Republican bill lifting Wisconsin’s nearly 20-year ban on gold and silver mining — a ban he himself helped put in place as a legislator."
A look at an acclaimed new work by journalist Dan Egan on the environmental state of the Great Lakes finds much to laud. But our BookShelf editor and long-time Great Lakes reporter Tom Henry sees important weaknesses as well, such as when the comprehensive compendium of environmental challenges tackles Lake Erie’s algae crisis.
"The U.S. Department of Agriculture on Wednesday proposed lifting a mining ban on land near Grand Canyon National Park as part of the Trump administration’s broader effort to sweep away regulations impeding development."
"Among the federal regulations targeted by the Interior Department for elimination is a key Obama-era leasing reform strategy designed to guide oil and natural gas development away from areas with high natural and cultural resource values."
"Nevada rancher Cliven Bundy goes on trial on Monday for his role in leading a 2014 armed standoff against federal agents that became a rallying point for militia groups challenging U.S. government authority in the American West."
"Senator Hatch, a Utah Republican, said Mr. Trump told him in a phone conversation that he had approved recommendations drawn up by Ryan Zinke, the Interior secretary, to reduce the size of Bears Ears National Monument, established by former President Barack Obama, and Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument, designated by former President Bill Clinton."
"Nancy Johnson has lived near the Salton Sea her entire life. Her grandparents originally moved to the area at the behest of their doctors, who said the hot, dry desert was the perfect antidote for their emphysema."
"The Trump administration is considering substantial increases in entrance fees to 17 of the most popular national parks during their peak season, asking Americans to pay prices that rival the gate costs of amusement parks such as Six Flags and Busch Gardens."
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