Ground Truth
BLM Withdraws New Mexico Oil and Gas Leases
Facing pressure from conservationists, Native American tribes and members of Congress, Bureau of Land Management officials have decided not to offer oil and natural gas leases near Chaco Culture National Historic Park in New Mexico. In a brief statement released on...
More Problems for Atlantic Coast Pipeline
Construction has halted on the 600-mile Atlantic Coast Pipeline, as the pipeline’s proponents grapple with adverse judicial rulings and growing skepticism that the project will go forward. Dominion Energy, the project’s lead developer, is also facing increasing costs....
Groups Sue Forest Service Over Grazing
A pair of environmental groups is suing the Forest Service for approving livestock grazing in an area of southwest Colorado that is home to bighorn sheep. In establishing a new grazing allotment for domestic sheep in the San Juan Mountains, officials with the Rio...
Study: Owls Thrived After Rim Fire
The 2013 Rim Fire burned more than 250,000 acres in Yosemite National Park and the adjacent Stanislaus National Forest, making it the largest fire ever recorded in the Sierra Nevada. It also burned much of the best habitat for great gray owls, which are listed as...
Colorado Wilderness Bill Proposed
Colorado Sen. Michael Bennet will introduce legislation this week that would create about 73,000 acres of new wilderness areas in the state and extend protection to about 400,000 acres. Bennet’s legislation combines four bills that have previously been introduced in...
Trump Administration Accused of Favoring Drilling During Shutdown
Democrats are accusing the Trump administration of favoring oil and gas drilling during the partial government shutdown. Since the shutdown began, the Bureau of Land Management has issued more than 150 permits to drill on public land, according to an objection filed...
Legislation Backs Northern Minnesota Mine
In his first bill introduced as a member of Congress, Rep. Pete Stauber (R-Minn.) is pushing for a land exchange that could clear the way for a massive copper and nickel mine near Lake Superior in northern Minnesota. PolyMet Mining, Inc., wants to exchange 6,690 acres...
Disease Threatens Beech Trees
A mysterious disease first detected seven years ago is attacking beech trees in Ohio and Pennsylvania. Scientists are scrambling to find the cause as the disease spreads rapidly. Beech leaf disease has been detected in 11 counties in Ohio, eight in Pennsylvania, and...
Forrest Trump
You’ve probably already seen yesterday’s tweet from President Trump regarding FEMA funding for victims of California’s wildfires. But just in case, here is the original transcript: “Billions of dollars are sent to the State of California for Forrest fires that, with...
Oregon Martens May Be Protected from Trapping
A rare subspecies of marten may be spared from trapping in Oregon’s coastal forests, after the state’s Fish and Wildlife Service reached a court settlement with conservationists last week. Fewer than 200 Humboldt marten are believed to remain on the Oregon coast, due...
Objections Filed to Alaska Logging Plans
Conservation groups have filed extensive objections to a plan to log thousands of acres of the Tongass National Forest over a 15-year period. An 85-page objection letter prepared by Earthjustice on behalf of nine conservation organizations describes the plan for...
West Virginia Hydro Project Draws Criticism
A proposed $1.2 billion hydroelectric facility in the mountains of West Virginia is years from generating electricity, even if the company proposing it secures the necessary permits. But it is already generating criticism from conservationists, local residents and...
Trump Signs Executive Order for More Logging
Late last week, shortly before a partial government shutdown took effect, President Trump signed an executive order calling for the Forest Service and the Bureau of Land Management to ramp up logging on public lands. “For decades, dense trees and undergrowth have...
Job Satisfaction Drops Among Forest Service Employees
The Forest Service is among the least popular agencies to work for in the federal government, according to an annual survey of public employees. Just under 53 percent of Forest Service employees are satisfied with their jobs, according to the 2018 “Best Places to Work...
Zinke Shown the Door
He rode in on a horse named Tonto. He leaves with something less of a flourish. Ryan Zinke’s tenure as Secretary of Interior lasted less than two years. He leaves behind a legacy of slashed national monuments, freewheeling fracking and a slew of scandals that promise...
A Farm Bill Win
Sometimes a little bit of arm-twisting can yield big results. Earlier this year, the U.S. House of Representatives approved a version of the 2018 Farm Bill that would have opened wide swaths of national forests to clearcutting with little or no environmental review....
Fishers Released in North Cascades
With a little help, fishers are returning to the Pacific Northwest. Last week, six of the carnivorous, cat-sized weasels were released in the North Cascades of Washington state, where they are listed as an endangered species. The animals, including five females and...
Legislation Considered to Allow Pipeline in Appalachian Mountains
Backers of a 600-mile natural gas pipeline are attempting a legislative end run around a court ruling last summer that prohibited the pipeline from crossing beneath the Blue Ridge Parkway in Virginia. In August, a three-judge panel invalidated two permits for the...
Space Project To Measure Planet’s Forests
The world’s forests are about to get a close-up. Tomorrow, a laser-shooting instrument is scheduled to blast into space for a rendezvous with the International Space Station, with the goal of taking precise measurements of the height, mass and structure of forests...
Court Strikes Down Four Tongass Logging Projects
Conservationists yesterday scored a major victory for preserving old growth in Alaska’s Tongass National Forest, as a federal appeals court ruled that the Forest Service must scrap plans for four logging projects. The ruling comes after a 10-year legal battle staged...
A Few Trails in Columbia River Gorge Reopen
The Forest Service has reopened a six-mile stretch of road and several hiking trails in the Columbia River Gorge National Scenic Area in Oregon, a year after the Eagle Creek Fire burned 50,000 acres. However, several popular trails, including in a designated...