May 17, 2017 This green group finally gets that restoring a forest requires cutting down trees The restoration thinning project outside the city of Cle Elum mirrors numerous projects in forests across the U.S. West, mostly on federal public lands,…
May 15, 2017 Antiquities Act abuses have put vital resources off limits to American West That means virtually every revenue-producing, recreational and other activity is regulated, restricted, prohibited or under attack in courts and other venues. No timber cutting…
May 9, 2017 Federal lands management is failing, here are some innovative solutions Targeted reforms to existing management policies could provide local managers with greater freedom and flexibility to implement creative, locally responsive management solutions while remaining…
May 5, 2017 ‘Environmental bias’ has WA ranchers wary about Forest Service monitoring The agency has been scolded and received enough pressure from members of Congress for its “blatant mistakes” and “environmental bias” in monitoring that it’s…
April 10, 2017 Zinke’s bumbling gives ‘eco-obstructionists’ leverage over resource development Whatever the reason, Trump’s Interior Department opened a real can of worms when it let the Obama Administration’s last-minute endangered species designation for the…
April 6, 2017 Obama DOI employees paid millions while under investigation for misconduct, sexual harassment The National Park Service spent the most on administrative leave among DOI agencies, with 69 employees on leave for nearly 62,000 hours at a…
March 28, 2017 Dependence on foreign minerals can be addressed with faster permitting, fewer regulations To address supply chain vulnerability and import dependence, President Trump and Congress should examine ways to speed up permitting of new U.S. mines and…
March 25, 2017 BLM ‘wild, scenic’ designation clashes with rancher’s water rights, bank stabilization efforts The plaintiffs claim BLM’s own analysis found that state and county governments are already protecting the river, so leaving the segment undesignated wouldn’t threaten…
March 20, 2017 Kansas wildfire relief impeded by rigid federal rules, red tape …one rancher even told him he ran out of ammunition shooting cattle injured in the fire. “They are shooting new baby calves, cows they…
March 18, 2017 Federal withdrawal of resource-rich lands threatens Minnesota jobs, way of life “This politically motivated decision, coming in the final days of the administration of President Barack Obama, is inconsistent with current national policy. It could…
