Lake Tahoe — During the evening of July 10th, the U.S. Senate passed the Lake Tahoe Restoration Reauthorization Act. Originally passed in 2016, the Lake Tahoe Restoration Act gave $114 million in federal dollars to protect Lake Tahoe from wildfires, plastic pollution, and traffic congestion. Now, the Senate has approved the reauthorization of those funds, to be allocated to the same place as the 2016 law. The legislation will now move to the U.S. House of Representatives, being co-sponsored by representatives from Nevada and California.
NEVADA — On June 12th, the Senate Subcommittee on Public Lands, Forests, and Mining, chaired by Senator Cortez-Masto (D-NV) will receive testimony about the proposed Southern Nevada Economic Development and Conservation Act (SNEDCA), commonly known as the Clark County Lands Bill.
State Leaders Urge Swift Action to Conserve Public Lands, Preserve Cultural Resources, and Protect Wildlife Habitat
Phoenix, AZ – After prioritizing extractive industries for the past 40 years, today the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) released its final “Public Lands Rule” to balance and uphold its multiple-use mission.
Pinedale, WY – Today the Wyoming Game and Fish Commission voted to approve the final Wyoming Elk Feedgrounds Management Plan that sustains the artificial feeding of elk herds, contradicting science-based recommendations, and jeopardizing northwest Wyoming’s delicate ecosystem. The plan, published in February after years of development, was meant to initiate the phased withdrawal of the 21 state run feedgroun
ELY, MN -- Today, Interior Secretary Deb Haaland signed a Public Land Order protecting the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness (BWCAW or Wilderness), Voyageurs National Park (VNP), and 1854 Treaty Area from sulfide-ore copper mining. The PLO, called a mineral withdrawal, bans toxic mining on 225,504 acres of Superior National Forest land in the watershed of the BWCAW and upstream of the Wilderness.
Today, the US Forest Service issued a draft of an environmental assessment, recommending a 20-year mineral withdrawal from Minnesota’s Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness. This process will also initiate a 30-day comment period, after which a final environmental assessment will be delivered to the Bureau of Land Management, and then to the desk of Interior Secretary Deb Haaland for a decision.
Utah— Today, the Southern Utah Wilderness Alliance (SUWA), Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC) and Sierra Club released a report that highlights how the America’s Red Rock Wilderness Act would play a vital role in slowing the extinction and climate crises.
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) finalized a rule change that alters the process for designating critical habitat under the Endangered Species Act. This will weaken the ability to designate critical habitat for at-risk species and prioritize economics over science. The rule gives increased weight in decision making to developers to prioritize oil and gas development and other industries over safeguarding and restoring habitat for endangered species.
WASHINGTON, D.C.-- The House Natural Resources Committee today passed out of committee several important pieces of legislation, including the Boundary Waters Wilderness Protection and Pollution Prevention Act, H.R. 5598, sponsored by Rep. Betty McCollum (D-N.M), the Robert E. Lee Statue Removal Act, H.R. 970, sponsored by Rep. Jamie Raskin (D-MD), and a bill on the removal of the Albert Pike statue near Judiciary Square, H.R. 4135 introduced by Rep. Eleanor Norton (D-DC).
Oakland, CA— Sierra magazine’s July/ August edition is now on newsstands and arriving at subscribers’ homes. The issue dives into our ever-evolving relationship with nature and the outdoors. Highlights include: