Tag

Interior Department

All articles tagged with #interior department

environment21 days ago•130 min saved

ESA guidance narrows 'harm' definition, easing incidental killings of imperiled wildlife

Interior Department guidance tied to a new Endangered Species Act rule narrows the definition of 'harm' to imperiled wildlife, potentially allowing incidental killings without permits. Environmentalists warn the move could accelerate extinctions and weaken habitat protections, while some companies may still seek permits to shield against future policy shifts. The ESA has historically helped recover key species, though political changes have repeatedly reshaped its enforcement.

via AP News|

#endangered-species-act #environment #habitat-protection

us-politics23 days ago•14 min saved

Trump Admin Seeks Signs Outside Smithsonian to Frame U.S. History Narrative

The Interior Department outlined a plan, in a Sept. 3 letter from Interior Secretary Doug Burgum, to install 12 temporary warning signs outside the Smithsonian’s National Museum of American History at a total cost of $84,000. The move, tied to Trump’s March 2025 executive order Restoring Truth and Sanity to American History, details what the signs would convey but does not specify their language or dimensions, signaling the administration’s effort to portray U.S. history in a particular light.

via The New York Times|

#interior-department #national-museum-of-american-history #signs

politics1 month ago•8 min saved

Hub-and-Spoke Shake-Up Could Redraw How National Parks Run

Draft Interior plans would reorganize the National Park Service into a hub-and-spoke system, with hub parks directing priorities and sharing resources with spoke parks, centralizing authority and potentially cutting staff. The plan, developed in secrecy, could affect science, law enforcement, and park-community relations, and Congress has not been notified.

via News of the United States - NOTUS|

#hub-and-spoke-model #interior-department #national-parks

politics1 month ago•390 min saved

Smithsonian Chief Lonnie Bunch to Step Down Amid Trump-Driven History Clash

Lonnie G. Bunch III, the Smithsonian’s first Black secretary and its first historian, will retire by year’s end after 38 years with the institution, as the Trump administration has criticized how the Smithsonian presents American history and Interior Department officials have threatened to cut funding; Chief Justice Roberts praised his leadership as the Smithsonian prepares a smooth transition.

via NBC News|

#interior-department #lonnie-bunch #museums

politics1 month ago•392 min saved

Trump Administration Threatens Smithsonian Funding Over Ideological Bias Claims

The Interior Department warned the Smithsonian it could lose executive-department support—including artifact loans, procurement, and grants—unless leadership addresses criticisms of a so-called ’culture of ideological activism’ and implements changes outlined in a White House report. Smithsonian Secretary Lonnie Bunch pushed back, saying the museum’s work is driven by scholarship and accuracy, while the White House contends Smithsonian leadership is steering the institution away from its foundational mission, signaling a continuing political pressure campaign over how American history is presented.

via NBC News|

#funding-threat #ideological-bias #interior-department

environment1 month ago•2 min saved

Yosemite parcel eyed for private development, triggering political backlash

Notus reports the National Park Service is weighing a plan to transfer a quarter-mile parcel inside Yosemite to Kingsbarn Realty Capital via a land exchange with equal-value California land; no final decision has been made and any move would undergo environmental review and public notification. The Interior Department’s top political leaders are said to back the idea, prompting outrage from conservation groups and California lawmakers who warn against privatizing public lands, while officials emphasize there is no predetermined outcome.

via The Guardian|

#environment #interior-department #kingsbarn-realty-capital

politics1 month ago•4 min saved

Nevada sues federal government over Colorado River plan, citing procedural flaws

Nevada filed a lawsuit against the Interior Department alleging the new Colorado River plan imposes heavy cuts on the Lower Basin (including Nevada) and was enacted with flawed procedures, failing to adequately consider the impact on Nevada’s people and economy and not mandating similar cuts for Upper Basin states. Arizona is still weighing its response, with California and other partners having pushed for a shared solution. The plan could trim more than 70% of Nevada’s allocation and allows larger reductions after 2028, while a temporary framework through 2028 was intended to ease cuts. Analysts say the suit could slow urgent, short-term fixes but is unlikely to reach the Supreme Court soon.

via KJZZ|

#colorado-river #interior-department #lawsuit

politics1 month ago•2 min saved

Warning on Lincoln Reflecting Pool peeling surfaced before Hearn case, charges later dropped

A June warning from a National Park Service engineer about peeling in the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool during renovations preceded a June 19 charge against former Olympian David Hearn for destruction of property; prosecutors later dropped the case after Interior Department documents indicated the damage resulted from flawed installation and overspray by the contractor, not vandalism, while Trump publicly claimed the pool was vandalized and there were moves to dismiss the case without prejudice.

via NBC News|

#david-hearn #department-of-justice #interior-department

national1 month ago•2 min saved

Bubble-Tinged Vandalism at WWII Memorial Prompts Investigation

The World War II Memorial on the National Mall was vandalized with pink spray-painted messages reading 'Clean hands, dirty money,' and a fountain overflowed with bubbles as U.S. Park Police sealed off the area; the Interior Department called the act an 'utter disgrace' and said authorities are investigating with no suspect identified yet.

via NBC4 Washington|

#bubbles #interior-department #national

politics2 months ago•11 min saved

Interior Turmoil: Burgum Faces Secrecy, Turnover as Staff Presses Back

Interior Department staff who once supported Secretary Burgum now describe a poorly run, increasingly secretive agency marked by mass turnover, reports of nondisclosure agreements, shredded documents, and disappearing messages that raise questions about record-keeping, as the turmoil spills into a public clash with U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro over the Reflecting Pool vandalism—even as Interior and the White House defend Burgum.

via Politico|

#doug-burgum #federal-records-act #interior-department

politics2 months ago•5 min saved

Olympian Cleared as Reflecting Pool Damage Traced to Flawed Contractor Work

The U.S. Justice Department has dropped charges against former Olympian David Hearn after Interior Department documents showed the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool damage resulted from a rushed, flawed contractor installation rather than vandalism; a key witness testified the pool was already damaged before Hearn touched it, and prosecutors say they learned of the flawed installation amid a hurried renovation tied to the America 250 celebration around Independence Day 2026.

via USA Today|

#david-hearn #doj #flawed-installation

politics2 months ago•5 min saved

DOJ blames botched renovation for Reflecting Pool damage, not vandals

The DOJ moved to dismiss charges against former Olympian David Hearn over vandalism at the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool, saying newly disclosed information shows the pool’s blue lining was installed hastily and did not bond properly, causing widespread damage rather than vandalism. The Interior Department is criticized for not sharing relevant information earlier, and Trump had publicly blamed vandals for the damage. The findings underscore a botched renovation project that overran budget and schedule.

via Politico|

#department-of-justice #donald-trump #interior-department

politics2 months ago•5 min saved

Trump's DC golf plan ignites clash with residents

President Trump plans to break ground on Sept. 1 for a new 'world-class' golf course on National Park Service land near the White House, a move that would replace the public East Potomac course and draw opposition from local residents and preservationists; a lawsuit by the DC Preservation League challenges the process, a federal judge questioned whether there has been a final agency action, and the White House has not disclosed plans or secured required sign-offs. A debris pile from East Wing renovations containing toxic metals was found at the site, complicating the project.

via NBC News|

#federal-court #golf #interior-department

politics2 months ago•11 min saved

Trump reshapes endangered-species rules, easing habitat protections

Trump's administration finalizes changes to the Endangered Species Act that shrink protections for threatened species, expand development exemptions (including Gulf of Mexico drilling), and shift habitat decisions to states; critics warn these rollbacks could jeopardize wildlife recovery, while officials argue they balance conservation with economic interests.

via The Independent|

#canada-lynx #center-for-biological-diversity #donald-trump

environment3 months ago•1 min saved

Trump Admin Repeals Habitat-Harm Rule, Expanding Development Under ESA

The Interior Department finalized the repeal of the Endangered Species Act 'harm rule' that treated habitat destruction as harm to endangered species, arguing it aligns with the Act's intent and reduces regulatory burdens; the change could enable more mining, ranching and other development in protected areas, while opponents like Earthjustice vow to sue.

via The Washington Post|

#endangered-species-act #environment #environmental-policy