United States Department of the Interior OFFICE OF THE SECRETARY Washington, DC 20240 IIN REPLY REFER TO: OS-2019-00006 February 11, 2020 Via email: foia@americanoversight.org Austin R. Evers American Oversight 1030 15th Street NW, Suite B255 Washington, DC 20005 Dear Mr. Evers, The Office of the Secretary (OS) Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) office received your FOIA request, dated October 2, 2018 and assigned it control number OS-2019-00006. Please cite this number in any future communications with our office regarding your request. In your request, you asked for: “All records reflecting communications of political appointees* containing any of following terms: a. Mikah b. mikahmeyer.com c. https://www.mikahmeyer.com d. tbcmikah.com e. https://www.tbcmikah.com f. “Travel Beyond Convention” DOI may limit its search to the following: a. All political appointees in the Immediate Office of the Secretary; b. All political appointees in the Office of the Deputy Secretary; c. The Director of the Office of Acquisition and Property Management; d. The Deputy Director of the Office of Acquisition and Property Management; and e. The Associate Director of the Acquisition Services Directorate. From January 20, 2017, to the date the search is conducted.” Response We are writing with a final response to your request. We have enclosed one binder containing two-hundred and eighty-two (282) pages, which are released in part as described below: AM[ f ICAN pVERSIGHT Exemption 6 5 U.S.C. § 552(b)(6) One (1) page is released but withheld in part under Exemption 6, which allows an agency to withhold “personnel and medical files and similar files the disclosure of which would constitute a clearly unwarranted invasion of personal privacy.” 5 U.S.C. § 552(b)(6). The phrase “similar files” covers any agency records containing information about a particular individual that can be identified as applying to that individual. To determine whether releasing records containing information about a particular individual would constitute a clearly unwarranted invasion of personal privacy, we are required to balance the privacy interest that would be affected by disclosure against any public interest in the information. Under the FOIA, the only relevant public interest to consider under the exemption is the extent to which the information sought would shed light on an agency’s performance of its statutory duties or otherwise let citizens ‘know what their government is up to. The burden is on the requester to establish that disclosure would serve the public interest. When the privacy interest at stake and the public interest in disclosure have been determined, the two competing interests must be weighed against one another to determine which is the greater result of disclosure - the harm to personal privacy or the benefit to the public. The purposes for which the request for information is made do not impact this balancing test, as a release of information requested under the FOIA constitutes a release to the general public. The information that has been withheld under Exemption 6 consists of personal information and we have determined that the individuals to whom this information pertains have a substantial privacy interest in withholding it. Additionally, you have not provided information that explains a relevant public interest under the FOIA in the disclosure of this personal information and we have determined that the disclosure of this information would shed little or no light on the performance of the agency’s statutory duties. Because the harm to personal privacy is greater than whatever public interest may be served by disclosure, release of the information would constitute a clearly unwarranted invasion of the privacy of these individuals and we are withholding it under Exemption 6. We reasonably foresee that disclosure would harm an interest protected by one or more of the nine exemptions to the FOIA’s general rule of disclosure. Connie Rose, FOIA Coordinator, is responsible for this partial denial. Tony Irish, AttorneyAdvisor, with the Office of the Solicitor, was consulted in reaching this decision. Fees We do not bill requesters for FOIA processing fees when their fees are less than $50.00, because the cost of collection would be greater than the fee collected. See 43 C.F.R. § 2.37(g). Therefore, there is no billable fee for the processing of this request. Mediation Services N VERSIGHT Contact information for the Department’s FOIA Public Liaison, who you may seek dispute resolution services from, is available at https://www.doi.gov/foia/foiacenters. The 2007 FOIA amendments created the Office of Government Information Services (OGIS) to offer mediation services to resolve disputes between FOIA requesters and Federal agencies as a non-exclusive alternative to litigation. Using OGIS services does not affect your right to pursue litigation. You may contact OGIS in any of the following ways: Office of Government Information Services National Archives and Records Administration 8601 Adelphi Road - OGIS College Park, MD 20740-6001 E-mail: ogis@nara.gov Web: https://ogis.archives.gov Telephone: (202) 741-5770 Fax: (202) 741-5769 Toll-free: 1 (877) 684-6448 Please note that using OGIS services does not affect the timing of filing an appeal with the Department’s FOIA & Privacy Act Appeals Officer. Appeal Rights You may appeal this response to the Department’s FOIA/Privacy Act Appeals Officer. If you choose to appeal, the FOIA/Privacy Act Appeals Officer must receive your FOIA appeal no later than 90 workdays from the date of this final response. Appeals arriving or delivered after 5 p.m. Eastern Time, Monday through Friday, will be deemed received on the next workday. Your appeal must be made in writing. You may submit your appeal and accompanying materials to the FOIA/Privacy Act Appeals Officer by mail, courier service, fax, or email. All communications concerning your appeal should be clearly marked with the words: "FREEDOM OF INFORMATION APPEAL." You must include an explanation of why you believe the FWS’s response is in error. You must also include with your appeal copies of all correspondence between you and the OS concerning your FOIA request, including your original FOIA request and the OS's response. Failure to include with your appeal all correspondence between you and the OS will result in the Department's rejection of your appeal, unless the FOIA/Privacy Act Appeals Officer determines, in the FOIA/Privacy Act Appeals Officer’s sole discretion, that good cause exists to accept the defective appeal. Please include your name and daytime telephone number (or the name and telephone number of an appropriate contact), email address and fax number (if available) in case the FOIA/Privacy Act Appeals Officer needs additional information or clarification of your appeal. N VERSIGHT DOI FOIA/Privacy Act Appeals Office Contact Information Department of the Interior Office of the Solicitor 1849 C Street, N.W. MS-6556 MIB Washington, DC 20240 Attn: FOIA/Privacy Act Appeals Office Telephone: 202-208-5339 Fax: 202-208-6677 Email: FOIA.Appeals@sol.doi.gov Conclusion For your information, Congress excluded three discrete categories of law enforcement and national security records from the requirements of FOIA. See 5 U.S.C. 552(c). This response is limited to those records that are subject to the requirements of FOIA. This is a standard notification that is given to all our requesters and should not be taken as an indication that excluded records do, or do not, exist. This letter completes our response to your request. If you have any questions, you may contact me by phone at (703) 358-2470 or by email at connie_rose@fws.gov. Sincerely, Connie Rose FOIA Coordinator On Detail to the Office of the Secretary Enclosure From: To: Subject: Date: Evan Wilson @gmail.com Fwd: [EXTERNAL] U.S. Department of the Interior News Briefing for Wednesday, April 4, 2018 Wednesday, April 4, 2018 9:21:48 AM (b) (6) Sent from my iPhone Begin forwarded message: From: Bulletin Intelligence Date: April 4, 2018 at 4:02:04 AM MDT To: Subject: [EXTERNAL] U.S. Department of the Interior News Briefing for Wednesday, April 4, 2018 Mobile version and searchable archives available here. Please click here to subscribe. US Department of the Interior News Briefing Ii] DATE: WEDNESDAY, APRIL 4, 2018 6:00 AM EDT VERSIGHT DOI-18-0489-000001 Today's Table Of Contents DOI In The News • Associated Press: Interior Backing Away From Steep Fee Hikes At National Parks. • Associated Press: Interior Secretary Zinke To Speak At North Dakota GOP Convention. • Associated Press: 2 Top Dems Demand Public Hearings On Trump Cabinet Travel. • Associated Press: Election Commission Seeks Details On PAC Once Tied To Zinke. • Des Moines (IA) Register: Who Do GOP Voters Like For 2024 Iowa Caucuses? • Chattanooga (TN) Times Free Press: Sen Alexander Says Bill Could Be ‘Most Important Piece Of Legislation For National Parks In Decades.’ • Paste Magazine: National Park Service Scrubs Human Role In Climate Change From Science Report. • Politico: Interior, Education Departments Spar Over Funding. • Toledo (OH) Blade: City Plans To Gift Land, Money Toward Metroparks Toledo’s Manhattan Marsh Project. Bureau Of Indian Affairs • Oklahoma Tribe Soon To Break Ground On New Casino. • ‘Critical Conversation’ On Chief To Feature Two Prominent Guest Speakers. • Northern Arapaho Tribe Sues Drug Companies, Citing Opioid Epidemic On Central Wyoming Reservation. • American Indian Tribes See Improvements, Hurdles As They Charge Non-Natives. • Suicide Surveillance And Prevention A Priority For Navajo Committee. Bureau Of Indian Education • Trauma Impedes Native American Education Programs, Feds Must Address It. • 2 Tribes Say They Were Left Out Of DOI Education Plan. Bureau Of Land Management • E&E Publishing: BLM Greenlights Fracking In Colorado’s Whitewater Basin. • Wyoming Public Radio: BLM Proposes More Commercial Fishing Permits On North Platte River. • Medford (OR) Mail Tribune: BLM Program Brings Teachers Outdoors. • KHNS-FM Haines (AK): BLM To Hold Meetings On Plan For Lands Near Haines, Skagway. • Idaho Falls (ID) Post Register: BLM To Sponsor South Fork Artist In Residence. AMERICAN Bureau Of Ocean Energy Management pVERSIGHT DOI-18-0489-000002 • Group Pursuing Floating Wind Farm Off California Coast. • US To Sell Oil And Gas Leases In Gulf Of Mexico. Bureau Of Reclamation • Boaters In Colorado Would Have To Pony Up To Stave Off An Invasive Mussel Problem Under Measure That Passed State Senate. • Appeals Court OKs More Spill At Dams. • Water Managers Say Arizona Snowpack Near Record Lows This Year. Bureau Of Safety And Environmental Enforcement • BSEE Inspects Shell’s New Appomattox Platform In The Gulf Of Mexico. Fish And Wildlife Service • Greenwire: FWS Rule For Mexican Gray Wolf Rejected. • Greenwire: Judge Provides More Ammo For Trafficking And Safari Debates. • KBSC-FM Boise (ID): Idaho Exploring Possible Grizzly Bear Season. • Associated Press: More Than 1,000 Bison Removed From Yellowstone National Park. • JD Supra: FWS Proposes To Downlist Hawaiian Nene And Allow Limited Incidental Take. • Spencer (IA) Daily Reporter: Effort To Increase Monarch Butterfly Population Sets Goals. National Park Service • Washington Post: The Cherry Blossoms Are Speeding Toward Peak Bloom, Expected April 5-8. • San Diego Union-Tribune: National Parks Quest A World-Record Journey Of The Heart. • New Jersey Herald: Childs Park In Water Gap Closed Due To Storm Damage. • Sierra Club: New Mining Ban Around Yellowstone Moves Forward. • Sioux City (IA) Journal: Fond Memories Led To Emerson Park’s Inclusion On National Register. • Grand Canyon (AZ) News: Grand Canyon Railway To Apply Herbicide Within Grand Canyon National Park. • Teen Vogue: Logan Paul Reportedly Cited For “Illegal Operation” At Yosemite National Park. • Kaweah (CA) Commonwealth: NPS Accepting Bids For Pack Station. Insular And International Affairs • String Of Abuses Clouds Future Of Saipan Visa Program. • Small Dots, Large Strategic Areas: US Interests In The South Pacific. • The Census’ New Citizenship Question Excludes An Entire Category Of Americans. • Call For United Approach To Tackle Health Issues In US Pacific. • Pacific Partnership 2018 Concludes In Yap, Continues Onward To Palau. AMERICAN pVERSIGHT DOI-18-0489-000003 US Geological Survey • FedTech: Government Use Of IoT Needs To Catch Up With The Technology. • The Conversation (US): Half Of Earth’s Satellites Restrict Use Of Climate Data. Opinion Pieces • Secretary Zinke’s Diversity Problem. • Do The Rest Of Us A Favor, Zinke. • Of Course Zinke Doesn’t Care About Diversity. • Additional Reading. Top National News • CBS: Trump Says Military Will Guard Southern Border Until Wall Is Built. • Washington Times: Trump Says Border Wall Needs To Be “About 700800 Miles.” • Reuters: Media Analyses: US Escalates Trade Tensions With China With New Tariffs. • Washington Times: Media Analyses: Trump Offers “Qualified Support” For Pruitt. Editorial Wrap-Up • New York Times.    • Washington Post.    - “Trump’s Immigration Tweetstorm Is A Lesson In Fact-Free Fearmongering.”    - “The EPA’s Swamp Monster Gets Even More Toxic.”    - “Costa Rica Shows An Admirable Resistance To Demagoguery.” • Wall Street Journal.    - “The Fuel Economy Fraud.”    - “The Spotify Launch.”    - “A Model For Licensing Reform.” Big Picture • Headlines From Today’s Front Pages. Washington Schedule • Today’s Events In Washington. Last Laughs • Late Night Political Humor. DOI In The News Interior Backing Away From Steep Fee Hikes At National Parks. The AP (4/3, Daly) reports in continuing coverage that the Interior AM ICAN VERSIGHT DOI-18-0489-000004 Department is “backing down from a plan” that would “nearly triple fees at 17 of the nation’s most popular parks, including the Grand Canyon, Yosemite, Yellowstone and Zion, forcing visitors to pay $70 per vehicle during the peak summer season.” The proposal faced “widespread opposition from elected officials and the public.” The National Park Service “received more than 109,000 comments on the proposal, most of them opposed, during a two-month comment period that ended in late December.” One commenter wrote, “If I were considering a trip to one of these parks and suddenly found that the trip would incur an exorbitant entry fee, I would not...repeat NOT take my family on this trip.” A spokeswoman for Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke said plans are still being finalized, and officials have “taken the public’s suggestions seriously and have amended the plan to reflect those” comments.         Another commenter said the increase would “constitute discrimination against the poorest Americans when our national parks should be equally accessible to all,” the Arizona Republic (4/3, Craven) reports. The commenter added, “We as a nation need to budget enough federal money to maintain these national treasures for all to enjoy.”         The Flathead (MT) Beacon (4/3) reports the change of plan “comes as the beleaguered National Park Service grapples with a budget overrun with severe cuts and a $12 billion maintenance backlog, as well [as] park units overwhelmed by record crowds, warming temperatures and wildfire.” The fee increase was “aimed at backfilling the gaping budget hole and easing congestion by driving visitation into the shoulder season,” but critics asserted “the agency won’t solve its budget crisis by pricing out the visitors it most depends on.” Emily Douce, director of budget and appropriations for the National Parks Conservation Association, “noted that even fee increases as exorbitant as what Interior proposed will only generate $70 million annually, a small fraction of the revenue needed to keep the backlog of repairs from growing.”         The Guardian (UK) (4/3, Tobias) reports that “prominent public interest organizations and conservation groups, including the National Parks Conservation Association, the Wilderness Society and the Sierra Club, staunchly opposed the proposed fee increase.”         SNEWS (4/3, Hostetter) notes the “park service ‘free days’ were slashed in 2018. In 2017, the park service offered 10 free days. This year there are only four.” Talking Points Memo (4/3, Riga) reports that Interior says “a price raise is still on the table, but one small enough to avoid driving the incensed masses away from what could be a record-breaking year for visits.”         Also reporting on this story are Greenwire (4/3), Waynesboro (VA) News Virginian (4/3), Newsmax (4/3, Papadakis), KBSC-FM Boise (ID) Boise, ID (4/3, Mullen), Estes Park (CO) Trail-Gazette (4/3, Clemens), and the St. George (UT) Spectrum (4/3, DeMille). Interior Secretary Zinke To Speak At North Dakota GOP Convention. AM ICAN VERSIGHT DOI-18-0489-000005 The AP (4/3) reports Interior Secretary is scheduled to “give a keynote address at the North Dakota Republican Party’s endorsing convention this weekend.” The Forum of Fargo-Moorhead (ND) (4/3, Hageman) reports Zinke’s speech “is scheduled for early Saturday afternoon at the Alerus Center.” In a news release, the state GOP praised Zinke for being a “champion” for agriculture, small business, easing regulations and veterans affairs.         Another Forum of Fargo-Moorhead (ND) (4/3, Easter) article reports the announcement that Zinke will deliver the keynote “puts to rest a weekslong mystery surrounding the agenda’s top speaker spot. But that same suspense had led to speculation that a higherranking administration official—perhaps President Donald Trump— might make the visit.” Ed Schafer, a former North Dakota governor and US agriculture secretary, said, “The thing about Zinke, is initially (one may think) ‘that’s not the A team,’ and given the fact that our Senate race is going to be a nationally focused race ... I may have expected someone else.” However, Schafer noted Zinke’s deregulation agenda affects a significant swath of property owners, including farmers, “and quickly warmed to the idea.” He said, “As I thought about it, though, he’s in charge of a department that has a lot of impact on North Dakota.”         E&E Publishing (4/3) and KFYR-TV Bismarck (ND) Bismarck, ND (4/3, Horn) also reports on this story. 2 Top Dems Demand Public Hearings On Trump Cabinet Travel. The AP (4/3, Yen) reports two top Democrats on the House oversight committee are “demanding public hearings to force top Trump administration officials to explain their costly plane travel.” Reps. Elijah Cummings, the ranking member on the committee, and Raja Krishnamoorthi, a subcommittee chair, wrote a letter Tuesday to Republican Chairman Trey Gowdy citing “recent reports of travel by Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin and EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt involving military aircraft that cost taxpayers tens of thousands of dollars.” In the letter, they “complain that federal agencies have yet to fully respond to the oversight committee’s requests last September that sought information on the use of government-owned aircraft for personal travel or private aircraft for official travel.” The AP notes that other Cabinet secretaries facing scrutiny for their “use of government or private flights costing tens of thousands of dollars are Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke and Energy Secretary Rick Perry.”         Newsweek (4/3, Difazio) reports that last June, Secretary Zinke “chartered a private plane owned by oil company executives between Las Vegas and an airport near his home in Montana for more than $12,000, when commercial flights cost only a few hundred dollars, The Washington Post reported.” A CNN (4/3, Wolf) analysis mentions that in addition to former HHS Treasury Tom Price, “other Cabinet secretaries, including Pruitt, Shulkin, Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin and Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke all AM ICAN VERSIGHT DOI-18-0489-000006 have had travel issues.”         In an appearance on MSNBC’s All In (4/4, Hayes), Rep. Ted Lieu (D-CA) mentioned Zinke “spent $13,000 on office doors.” Also reporting on this story are Business Insider (4/3) and Washington (DC) Examiner (4/3, Quinn). Election Commission Seeks Details On PAC Once Tied To Zinke. The AP (4/3) reports in continuing coverage that FEC officials set a May 7 deadline for representatives of SEAL PAC, a political fundraising committee formerly affiliated with US Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke, “to explain why it didn’t initially disclose more than $600,000 in contributions.” The FEC wants SEAL PAC to “clarify the discrepancy between a report submitted last July and an amended version filed Jan. 31.” Zinke spokeswoman Heather Swift “said Tuesday the former Navy SEAL hasn’t been affiliated with the organization for more than a year and was not with it when the reports were produced.” The AP notes former SEAL PAC treasurer Vincent DeVito is “now a top Zinke aide.” This story is also discussed in a Politico (4/3, Schneider) roundup. Who Do GOP Voters Like For 2024 Iowa Caucuses? The Des Moines (IA) Register (4/3, Sherman) reports that a polling firm has been calling Iowa Republicans to test Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke’s name for a possible run for president, “presumably in 2024.” According to a Gravis Marketing Poll, “someone wants to find out how many Republicans here know the name Ryan Zinke, and if he is viewed favorably or not.” Doug Kaplan, president of Gravis Marketing, explained the goals of the Iowa poll: “We’re looking ahead trying to see who the heir apparent is after Trump. If you fundamentally believe the Republican Party has changed and Trump is not an anomaly, someone like Ryan Zinke could be that person. Based on our polling he’s extremely popular among Republican voters in Iowa. The interior secretary is someone to watch.” The Register says the poll indicates “the White House sweepstakes has started very early, and that Zinke is known in D.C. as somebody with White House ambitions.”         Taegan Goddard’s Political Wire (4/3) also reports on this story. Sen Alexander Says Bill Could Be ‘Most Important Piece Of Legislation For National Parks In Decades.’ The Chattanooga (TN) Times Free Press (4/3, Pace) reports Tennessee Sen. Lamar Alexander (R) touted the National Park Restoration Act “in a visit to Chattanooga on Tuesday morning, where he visited the Point Park branch of Chickamauga and Chattanooga National Military Park, learned local Civil War history and met with local park officials and members of the media.” Alexander said the bill, which addresses the $11.6 billion backlog of maintenance projects at national park, “could be the most AM ICAN VERSIGHT DOI-18-0489-000007 important piece of legislation for national parks in decades.” The bill was introduced to Congress last month by a group of bipartisan senators and representatives led by Alexander. According to the Free Press, it is the “only bill addressing deferred maintenance that has the full support of President Donald Trump and his Office of Management and Budget, which has refused to support similar bills due to funding concerns. U.S. Secretary of the Interior Ryan Zinke has claimed it would be the largest investment in national parks in history.” WRCB-TV Chattanooga (TN) Chattanooga, TN (4/3, Heron) reports Alexander “hopes the legislation will pass and end up on the President’s desk by the end of this year. “ National Park Service Scrubs Human Role In Climate Change From Science Report. Paste Magazine (4/3, Bell) provides continuing coverage of a recent Reveal (4/3, Bell) article that calls into question statements made by Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke to Congress last month “denying that his department is censoring scientific information.” The report in question “details sea level rise and storm surge while projecting flood risks posed to coastal national parks.” The report was “originally drafted in summer 2016 under the Obama administration and has gone through at least 18 different revisions. During those revisions, words such as ‘anthropogenic’ and ‘human activities’ that refer to mankind’s impact on nature were removed.” Paste notes that Zinke was “criticized during his testimony to Congress last month for removing a line referencing climate change and its effect on rising sea levels from a press release, but claimed he didn’t alter the document included in a department report.” Interior, Education Departments Spar Over Funding. Politico Morning Education (4/3, Leonor) reports Education Secretary Betsy DeVos and Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke “are clashing over $1.6 million in federal funds meant to help administer Bureau of Indian Education schools.” Zinke, in a letter to DeVos, “charges that the Education Department appears to be acting ‘not in the best interests of our students’ by withholding the funds” and “questions the Education Department’s legal authority for holding back the money. The Title I administrative funding was withheld by Education when the bureau did not meet an Oct. 2 deadline to appoint members to a negotiated rulemaking committee, according to a letter from Jason Botel, an Education official, also obtained by POLITICO.” City Plans To Gift Land, Money Toward Metroparks Toledo’s Manhattan Marsh Project. The Toledo (OH) Blade (4/3, Elms) reports Toledo city officials are nearing “an agreement with the U.S. Department of the Interior and the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency, which are seeking compensation for Ottawa River pollution caused decades ago by city-owned landfills operating along the river.” According to the AM ICAN VERSIGHT DOI-18-0489-000008 Blade, part of the “proposed agreement calls for the city to complete two projects: restoring Manhattan Marsh in North Toledo and improving Toledo’s low-service pump station near Curtice, Ohio, which borders the Cedar Point National Wildlife Refuge.” The proposed deal would have Toledo “transfer just under 22 acres of land to Metroparks Toledo for the parks district to maintain as part of its latest metropark, to be built on Manhattan Marsh in North Toledo. The city also would pay $241,500 toward restoring the wetland.” Bureau Of Indian Affairs Oklahoma Tribe Soon To Break Ground On New Casino. World Casino Directory (4/3) reports the Shawnee Tribe in Oklahoma “plans to break ground in Guymon for the Golden Mesa Casino after on March 28 following a Texas County records check and site visit an official deed signing placing the 102.98-acre site in trust took place at the Anadarko, Ok office of the Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA), according to KVll-TV.” Shawnee Chief Ron Sparkman said, “Today signifies an important advancement toward a project that will have a strong, positive economic impact on Texas County.” Sparkman added, “We appreciate the Bureau’s discernment and care throughout this process. Along with our partners at Global Gaming Solutions, we look forward with great anticipation to becoming a member of the Panhandle community.” ‘Critical Conversation’ On Chief To Feature Two Prominent Guest Speakers. The Urbana/Champaign (IL) News-Gazette (4/3, Wurth) reports Kevin Gover, a former assistant secretary at the Bureau of Indian Affairs and the director of the Smithsonian’s National Museum of the American Indian since 2007, will be one of the featured speakers at an event next week at the University of Illinois UrbanaChampaign focused on the Chief Illiniwek controversy. According to the story, “the goal” of the event “is to focus on how the university can move forward from the controversy.” The News-Gazette mentions that, as assistant secretary for Indian Affairs under President Clinton, Gover “won praise for rebuilding Indian schools and also apologized to Native American people for the historical conduct of the Bureau of Indian Affairs.” Northern Arapaho Tribe Sues Drug Companies, Citing Opioid Epidemic On Central Wyoming Reservation. The Casper (WY) Star-Tribune (4/3, Rosenfeld) reports the Northern Arapaho Tribe is suing “several opioid manufacturers and distributors,” having filed the court papers on Monday in federal court, “claiming the companies knowingly caused a public health epidemic on the Wind River Reservation in central Wyoming by deceptively marketing and distributing the drugs.” The article says AM ICAN VERSIGHT DOI-18-0489-000009 that National Indian Health Board director Stacey Bohlen “said that underfunding Indian Health Service, the federal program that offers free healthcare to members of recognized tribes, had contributed to the crisis.” American Indian Tribes See Improvements, Hurdles As They Charge Non-Natives. The AP (4/3) reports about changes on tribal lands that have given tribes more authority to prosecute non-tribal members for certain crimes after the passage of the Violence Against Women Act. While the law did pave the way for “tribes to bring criminal charges against non-Natives in domestic violence cases,” it does not cover “violence against children or other family members, and tribal prosecutors are urging lawmakers to expand the law to cover everyone in a household.” Furthermore, “tribal prosecutors also cannot charge property crimes, sexual misconduct, false imprisonment, threats, trafficking or stalking,” which prosecutors have long complained impedes “their ability to make plea deals with offenders.” Suicide Surveillance And Prevention A Priority For Navajo Committee. The Navajo-Hopi Observer (AZ) (4/3) reports about efforts at the Navajo Nation Epidemiology Center “to reduce the prevalence and incidence rates of suicidal behavior and substance use disorders on the Navajo Nation by primarily focusing on youth populations ranging in ages 10-24.” With support from the SAMSHA Native Connections Grant Program, the Navajo Nation Epidemiology Center is engaged in its Building Communities of Hope project, which will work to raise “self-esteem, culture, and resiliency.” Bureau Of Indian Education Trauma Impedes Native American Education Programs, Feds Must Address It. The Chronicle of Social Change (4/3, Renick) reports a federal court has ruled that the “federal government is obligated to meet the mental health and wellness needs of Native American students as part of its educational obligations to those children.” Members of the Havasupai tribe “filed a lawsuit against the federal government in January 2017 for failing students who attend Havasupai Elementary, located in the remote village of Supai in the Grand Canyon.” The court’s ruling “recognizes the impact complex trauma and adverse childhood experiences have on a child’s ability to learn, to the extent that such children may be disabled and require special education programs.” The court also ruled that the “government itself had recognized that the Havasupai students had disabilities and were in need of special education, though the government had contended that it did not have that knowledge and should not, AM ICAN VERSIGHT DOI-18-0489-000010 therefore, be held accountable for providing related services.”         Arizona Public Media (4/3, Morales) reports Havasupai Chairwoman Muriel Coochwytewa said the US government has an obligation to Native communities. “Our children do not receive even minimal sufficient education. The consequences are dire for our children, for our community and for our future,” Coochwytewa said. The ruling is also significant as it recognizes for the first time in US history “that exposure to historical, intergenerational trauma has an impact on the way kids learn.” Fronteras (4/3, Morales) also reports on this story. 2 Tribes Say They Were Left Out Of DOI Education Plan. Law360 (4/3, Lidgett) reports in a paywalled article that the Cheyenne River Sioux Tribe and Rosebud Sioux Tribe “urged a South Dakota federal judge Monday to deny the U.S. Department of the Interior a quick win in their lawsuit claiming it didn’t meaningfully consult them on a planned restructuring of support systems for Native American schools in the Great Plains.” The tribes “each opposed the government’s summary judgment bid and also requested a quick win be granted in their favor.” Bureau Of Land Management BLM Greenlights Fracking In Colorado’s Whitewater Basin. E&E Publishing (4/3) reports that after a multi-year process, the Bureau of Land Management has approved oil driller Fram Operating LLC to “carry out hydraulic fracturing operations in Colorado’s Whitewater Basin.” The drilling proposal had been stalled since 2013 by opponents that appealed the original approval “on the grounds that BLM had not adequately considered fracking’s potential effects on local water and air quality.” BLM Proposes More Commercial Fishing Permits On North Platte River. Wyoming Public Radio (4/3, McKim) reports the Bureau of Land Management has issued a request for public comment regarding new commercial permits for fishing along “a section of the North Platte River, between Gray Reef and Casper,” that has seen “increased annual demand.” The comment period is open until April 13. BLM Program Brings Teachers Outdoors. The Medford (OR) Mail Tribune (4/3, Tornay) reports on the Bureau of Land Management’s Teachers on Public Lands program, which “brings teachers on as interns of sorts for the federal agency, with the goal of bringing knowledge of the work and the wilderness back to the classroom.” Over the course of the program, which began in 2014, “teachers spend 160 hours in the field, and their time is split between learning about the role and function of the BLM and AM ICAN VERSIGHT DOI-18-0489-000011 development of their own curriculum to adapt in their classrooms in the upcoming school year.” BLM To Hold Meetings On Plan For Lands Near Haines, Skagway. KHNS-FM Haines, AK (4/3, Eaton) reports the Bureau of Land Management Glennallen Field Office is hosting several open house meetings this week – one took place on Monday, with another pair planned for Wednesday and Thursday – in Haines and Skagway “to gather information about how” its more than 320-thousand acres of public land “will be managed for the next twenty years.” Marnie Graham, acting field manager for the BLM Glennallen Field Office, explained the meetings will focus on “bringing people back up to speed – this is what we’ve done before, this is where we are at now, this is the new information [that] we need to consider.” She added, “Then we will have different stations around the room so [that] people can kind of delve into the different considerations a little bit more, and talk to different specialists and look at maps and there will be a station where people can actually provide some written comments for consideration in the plan.” BLM To Sponsor South Fork Artist In Residence. The Idaho Falls (ID) Post Register (4/3, Clark) reports the Bureau of Land Management on Tuesday announced it “is seeking applications for a first local artist-in-residence program, which will allow a painter, photographer, poet or other artist to spend time on the South Fork of the Snake River” in eastern Idaho. Bureau Of Ocean Energy Management Group Pursuing Floating Wind Farm Off California Coast. Reuters (4/3) reports “EDP Renewables and four other companies have joined” with the Redwood Coast Energy Authority “to develop the first U.S. offshore wind farm to boast advanced floating turbines, the group said in a statement on Tuesday.” RCEA “solicited bids for an offshore wind project earlier this year because it is seeking to generate more of its power needs locally.” The group is planning “to submit an unsolicited lease application to the federal Bureau of Ocean Energy Management in May or June of this year, said Lori Biondini, director of business development for RCEA.” The group also “is speaking to fishing industry and Department of Defense representatives about suitable locations for the wind farm.” US To Sell Oil And Gas Leases In Gulf Of Mexico. Offshore Technology (4/3) reports the US Interior Department is preparing “to allow oil and gas firms to explore and develop 77.3 million acres offshore Texas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama and Florida.” Lease Sale 251, expected to take place on August 15, AM ICAN VERSIGHT DOI-18-0489-000012 2018, “will include all available unleased areas in federal waters of the Gulf of Mexico” and is, according to Offshore Technology, “consistent with President Donald Trump’s America-first offshore energy strategy announced last year and will be the third offshore sale under the National Outer Continental Shelf (OCS) oil and gas leasing programme for the period between 2017 and 2022.” Bureau of Ocean Energy Management acting director Walter Cruickshank is quoted as saying: “BOEM has a vital role in advancing responsible offshore energy development.” Bureau Of Reclamation Boaters In Colorado Would Have To Pony Up To Stave Off An Invasive Mussel Problem Under Measure That Passed State Senate. The Denver Post (4/3, Paul) reports about a proposal in Colorado to “force Colorado motor- and sail-boaters using the state’s waterways to pay an annual $25 aquatic nuisance fee on top of registration costs starting next year, which would go to fund a program to prevent” the further spread of the quagga mussel, an invasive freshwater species. The Mussel-Free Colorado Act originated in the state House and has already passed in the Senate, too, and now goes back to the House for reconciliation before heading to Gov. John Hickenlooper. According to the story, “Colorado Parks and Wildlife says the number of motorboats and sailboats infested with zebra and quagga mussels that inspectors intercept each year has been on the rise.” Appeals Court OKs More Spill At Dams. The Idaho Mountain Express (4/3) reports a US District Court “has upheld a district court ruling from March 2017 that federal dam operators on the Columbia and Snake rivers must increase spring water releases over spillways at eight dams to improve survival rates for juvenile salmon migrating to the ocean.” The ruling from Judge Michael Simon comes “in response to litigation filed by 25 plaintiffs, including the Idaho Wildlife Foundation, Idaho Rivers United and Idaho Steelhead and Salmon United.” The story mentions that the Bureau of Reclamation and US Army Corps were also among the appellants in the case. Water Managers Say Arizona Snowpack Near Record Lows This Year. The Grand Canyon (AZ) News (4/3, Kuhn) reports about the annual water expo for the Salt River Project, which “this year featured a ‘snowpack simulator’ – a pile of cold, wet, white stuff on a hot, sunny day in Tempe,” Arizona. According to the story, the lessons about snowfall are “critical” to the state’s water supply “because most of the West is under stress from climate change and other factors.” As of March, the state’s “snowpack was far below normal, AM ICAN VERSIGHT DOI-18-0489-000013 at 28 percent. ... one of the lowest totals in 105 years of recordkeeping.” Bureau Of Safety And Environmental Enforcement BSEE Inspects Shell’s New Appomattox Platform In The Gulf Of Mexico. World Oil (4/3) reports the Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement “signed off on several topsides components” at Shell’s Appomattox Semi-Submersible Platform hull in the Gulf of Mexico “during a pre-production inspection March 27.” BSEE New Orleans District Production Operations Section Chief Anthony Pizza said, “The purpose of our inspection is to ensure the topsides are constructed as planned, meet industry and BSEE standards and comply with federal regulations.” The bureau will also “perform an additional inspection after the Appomattox is moved to its fixed location in about 7,400 ft of water.”         Offshore Energy Today (4/3) reports that “according to Shell, the platform is slated for first oil by the end of this decade and will add about 175,000 barrels of oil equivalent per day to the nation’s supply.” Pizza said, “Our engineers and inspectors are working with Shell to ensure the Appomattox is prepared to operate in a safe and environmentally sustainable manner. With an estimated 650 million barrels of recoverable oil equivalent in the field, the potential contribution to America’s energy needs is great.” Fish And Wildlife Service FWS Rule For Mexican Gray Wolf Rejected. Greenwire (4/3, Reilly) reports a federal judge on Monday “knocked down the Fish and Wildlife Service’s 2015 rule for managing the experimental population of the Mexican gray wolf, finding it ‘fails to further the conversation’ of the imperiled species.” Judge Jennifer Zipps of the US District Court for the District of Arizona wrote that the agency “ignored studies showing that the population goal in the rule was insufficient to ensure long-term viability and guard against genetic threats,” and that it “failed to adequately consider whether the experimental population was essential to the continued survival of the species.” She added, “Any effort to make the recovery effort more effective must be accomplished without undermining the scientific integrity of the agency’s findings and without subverting the statutory mandate to further recovery. The agency failed to do so here.”         The Albuquerque (NM) Journal (4/3, Hayden) reports that the “Revision to the Regulations for the Nonessential Experimental Population of the Mexican Wolf describes procedures for the wolf’s release, population area and management in the United States. But environmental groups felt it did not do enough to save the species.” Several groups sued over the FWS rule, arguing ti violated the AM ICAN VERSIGHT DOI-18-0489-000014 Endangered Species Act and did not provide for the recovery of the wolf. The ruled expanded its habitat “by millions of acres,” but it “also eased restrictions on killing the animals if livestock is preyed upon, capped the number of wolves in the U.S. at 325 and did not allow wolves north of Interstate 40 in New Mexico and Arizona.” Also reporting on this story are the Arizona Daily Star (4/3, Fischer) and Missoula Current (MT) (4/3). Judge Provides More Ammo For Trafficking And Safari Debates. Greenwire (4/3, Doyle) reports US Magistrate Judge Bruce Macdonald “directed the Fish and Wildlife Service to turn over” additional public records about wildlife being imported in the US within 14 days. The Center for Biological Diversity “sought the documents under the Freedom of Information Act.” Macdonald’s 17page order “directs FWS to divulge more of the records contained in the Law Enforcement Management Information System (LEMIS). The database includes forms filed by applicants for the importation or exportation of fish and wildlife.” Idaho Exploring Possible Grizzly Bear Season. KBSC-FM Boise, ID (4/3, Guilhem) reports on its website that Idaho Fish and Game officials are “coming up with guidelines for a proposed grizzly bear hunt later in the fall.” The grizzly bear was “first listed as an endangered species in 1975 when fewer than 150 of the creatures roamed the area around Yellowstone National park.” Since then, their numbers have increased to more than 700, which led the Interior Department to delist the Yellowstone population last year. This move “opened the door to hunting the mighty beasts in the three-state area surrounding the park.” Idaho “is exploring a season that would allow one male bear to be killed. That one tag would be given out by way of a lottery.” More Than 1,000 Bison Removed From Yellowstone National Park. The AP (4/3) reports a total of 1,115 bison were removed from Yellowstone National Park this winter as part of population control. The figure “surpassed bison managers’ reduction goals” of 600 to 900 this winter. Yellowstone officials “estimate there will be about 4,300 bison in the park after this spring’s calving seasons. That will meet an agency goal of a population less than 4,500 bison for the first time since 2012.” Yellowstone Insider (4/3, Reichard) notes that “Yellowstone bison are managed for brucellosis, a disease livestock officials and producers fear could spread to cattle in Montana should bison spread further outside the park.” However, “there have been no cases of bison-to-cattle brucellosis transmission” to date. FWS Proposes To Downlist Hawaiian Nene And Allow Limited Incidental Take. AM ICAN VERSIGHT DOI-18-0489-000015 JD Supra (4/3) reports on Monday, the US Fish and Wildlife Service proposed downlisting the Hawaiian goose, also known as the “nene,” from endangered to threatened under the Endangered Species ACT.” According to JD Supra, the nene “was federally listed as endangered in 1967, after the population fell below 30 individuals on Hawaii’s Big Island.” Since then, FWS “instituted a captive-rearing program to rebuild the wild population and subsequently published a Nene Recovery Plan that set a delisting objective at 2,250 individuals spread between the islands of Hawaii and Maui.” FWS also “proposed adopting a special rule pursuant to ESA section 4(d), known as a ‘section 4(d) rule,’ allowing incidental take of nene for particular conservation and law enforcement functions. Effort To Increase Monarch Butterfly Population Sets Goals. The Spencer (IA) Daily Reporter (4/3, Van Western) reports organizations across Iowa and the Midwest are “taking positive steps to put a stop to” the decline in the monarch butterfly population. Iowa Department of Natural Resources wildlife diversity biologist Stephanie Shepherd says “the Prairie Lakes Wildlife Unit, based out of Ruthven, in conjunction with the Iowa DNR Prairie Resource Center, Iowa Natural Heritage Foundation, Natural Resource Conservation Service and the United States Fish and Wildlife Service has reconstructed approximately 500 acres of monarch-friendly prairie habitat in Clay County from 2014-18.” National Park Service The Cherry Blossoms Are Speeding Toward Peak Bloom, Expected April 5-8. The Washington Post (4/3, Fritz) reports about 20 percent of the Yoshino cherry trees planted along the Tidal Basin were in full bloom as of Monday, according to the National Park Service, and “given the progress the trees are making this week, forecasters expect peak bloom to occur at some point between Thursday and Sunday.” The Post explains that “thunderstorms are possible Wednesday, which could generate damaging wind gusts,” and while “this isn’t a high likelihood,” the location of the trees does leave “them more susceptible to wind.” WTOP-FM Washington (4/3) also reports on the announcement. National Parks Quest A World-Record Journey Of The Heart. The San Diego Union-Tribune (4/2, Kragen) reports on 32-year-old Mikah Meyer’s “three-year quest to visit all 417 U.S. National Park sites in one continuous trip,” which he began on April 29, 2016, and expects to wrap up in spring of 2019. When he finishes his “Travel Beyond Convention” tour, Meyer is “expected to hold the world record as the first person to visit all the National Park sites in one continuous journey” and “could also be the youngest person to visit AM ICAN VERSIGHT DOI-18-0489-000016 every National Park site.” Childs Park In Water Gap Closed Due To Storm Damage. The New Jersey Herald (4/3, Scruton) reports “the National Park Service said this week many areas of the Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area will be closed for much of this year and popular Childs Park is closed indefinitely” due to damage resulting from a “blitz” of recent Nor’easters. Deputy Superintendent Keith Farrar described the storm damage as “both significant and widespread,” and said repairs “will take many months, perhaps even years in some cases.” New Mining Ban Around Yellowstone Moves Forward. The Sierra Club (4/3) reports the US government is going forward with a plan to halt new mining claims in the Absaroka Mountains north of Yellowstone National Park. The proposal, which has been in the works since 2016, would “withdraw 30,370 acres of public lands in Montana’s Paradise Valley from new claims for gold, silver, and other mineral extraction for a period of 20 years.” According to the Sierra Club, “after proposals for a pair of gold mines popped up in the Emigrant and Crevice mining districts, residents and local businesses in the Yellowstone Gateway Business Coalition requested that the U.S. Forest Service and Bureau of Land Management withdraw the area’s public lands from mining. In response, the Interior Department announced exploration in the area would be halted pending a two-year review.” Following the release of its draft environmental assessment for the mineral withdrawal last Thursday, the US Forest Service “announced its support for the 20-year ban on new mining claims in the area in order to protect scenic views, wildlife corridors, and recreational opportunities.” Fond Memories Led To Emerson Park’s Inclusion On National Register. The Sioux City (IA) Journal (4/3, Hytrek) reports fond childhood memories of Emerson, Nebraska, and the Emerson City Park led Joseph Dale and his sister, who “didn’t grow up in Emerson” but “cherished the family visits to [their] maternal grandparents” there, “to get the park, unique for the grand fountain in its center, listed on the National Register of Historic Places.” The park officially received the designation a few weeks ago from the National Park Service and the Nebraska State Historical Society. Grand Canyon Railway To Apply Herbicide Within Grand Canyon National Park. Grand Canyon (AZ) News (4/3) reports that “Grand Canyon Railway, in consultation with the National Park Service (NPS), will apply herbicide” along its railroad tracks from April 4-6 in an effort “to inhibit the growth of vegetation adjacent to the railroad tracks, lowering the risk of train wheel sparks igniting a fire.” Tracks AM ICAN VERSIGHT DOI-18-0489-000017 scheduled for application include “those within Grand Canyon National Park,” where the herbicide will also “aid in the fight against invasive plant species.” Logan Paul Reportedly Cited For “Illegal Operation” At Yosemite National Park. Teen Vogue (4/3, Rearick) reports YouTube celebrity Logan Paul was cited by the National Park Service last weekend for “participating in a dangerous stunt” involving “tents affixed to the top of a moving school bus” that park rangers “deemed an ‘illegal operation.’” The incident resulted in a citation and a fine. NPS Accepting Bids For Pack Station. The Kaweah (CA) Commonwealth (3/30, Elliott) reports, “The National Park Service is seeking proposals for operation of the pack station, stables, and other associated visitor services within Kings Canyon National Park.” The agency released a prospectus on March 28 that “outlines this business opportunity, describes the existing business, and provides details on how to submit a responsive proposal.” Insular And International Affairs String Of Abuses Clouds Future Of Saipan Visa Program. The AP (4/3, Yan) reports a push to save a visa program “unique to the Northern Mariana Islands is hitting skids after recent cases of labor abuse and visa fraud, delivering a major blow to the U.S. commonwealth’s economy, which relies heavily on foreign workers.” Known as CW-1, the visa classification “allows employers to seek permission to hire foreign workers and is aimed at alleviating a labor shortage among the Pacific islands’ population of roughly 52,000. The program was launched about a decade ago and has brought in nurses, teachers, hotel maids, bakers and more.” Yet a “recent spate of visa abuses” has “cast a shadow over efforts to bolster the program, due to sunset next year.” NMI Rep. Gregorio Sablan (D) and Alaska Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R) introduced a bill in January that seeks to extend the program for another decade. Small Dots, Large Strategic Areas: US Interests In The South Pacific. The Interpreter (AUS) (3/29, Edel) reports that the pacific region “remains strategically vital to the US for two key reasons. First, it is in US interests to prevent the emergence of a regional hegemon that could threaten America and its allies; and second, the US wants to maintain the free flow of goods and ideas to Asia.” The Trump Administration has also called for a “free and open IndoPacific,” and “broadened the strategic geography of the Western Pacific to extend into the Indian Ocean region.” According to the AM ICAN VERSIGHT DOI-18-0489-000018 article, “for the US, increasing aid and investment in the region, working to combat the effects of climate change, growing the capacity of the islands to police their waters and combat illegal fishing, strengthening anti-corruption norms, and ensuring that it expeditiously delivers funding to the compact states can all play a part here.” However, the “biggest strategic challenge is one of time and attention paid to an important region that often slips under Washington’s radar.” The Census’ New Citizenship Question Excludes An Entire Category Of Americans. Slate (3/30, Stern) reports the controversial citizenship question that will appear on the 2020 census, as it is currently framed, “allows for five possible answers. Respondents can say they’re citizens born in the U.S. or citizens born abroad to American parents. ... They can also say they’re citizens by naturalization or that they’re not U.S. citizens at all. Finally, respondents can note that they are citizens born in one of America’s four territories with birthright citizenship: Puerto Rico, Guam, the U.S. Virgin Island, or the Northern Mariana Islands.” The question implies that the territories are not part of the US, which is untrue, and it completely excludes citizens born in American Samoa. Call For United Approach To Tackle Health Issues In US Pacific. Radio New Zealand (3/29) reports the Pacific Island Health Officers Association (PIHOA) is hosting its 63rd annual meeting in American Samoa. Speakers at the event say “there needs to be a more unified approach to tackling health issues in countries and territories associated with the US.” Kaleni Kaneko, acting president of the association’s board of directors and health minister of the Marshall Islands, spoke at the opening ceremony and “called on member countries to work together to resolve health issues.” He said, “[T]here is no one people that can tackle health issues alone. So we have to come together and we have to work together. PIHOA is what brings us together, PIHOA is our anchor.” Pacific Partnership 2018 Concludes In Yap, Continues Onward To Palau. DVIDS Hub (4/1) reported that Pacific Partnership 2018, “the largest annual multilateral humanitarian assistance and disaster relief (HA/DR) preparedness mission, concluded aboard the expeditionary fast transport ship USNS Brunswick (T-EPF 6) in Yap, Federated States of Micronesia, April 1.” According to the article, over 134 “military personnel from the U.S., United Kingdom, Japan and Australia conducted 51 medical engagements and subject matter exchanges, 6 engineering projects and 22 community relations and band performances along with subject matter exchanges with local professionals on HA/DR readiness.” AM ICAN VERSIGHT DOI-18-0489-000019 US Geological Survey Government Use Of IoT Needs To Catch Up With The Technology. FedTech (4/3) reports that as of two years ago, few federal agencies had adopted the Internet of Things. In 2016, the “Center for Data Innovation interviewed experts in the public and private sectors involved in government IoT solutions, and discovered a handful of innovative and beneficial examples.” Notably, the US Geological Survey’s earthquake early warning system, ShakeAlert, “relies on hundreds of sensors spaced in the ground miles apart to report earthquake activity to a control center in real time.” Meanwhile, a “wide variety of IoT-related systems” at the Defense Department “do everything from detect submarines with sensorladen buoys to provide data on brain injuries thanks to wearable technologies.” To spur reforms that “could spark broader government adoption of IoT,” the federal CIO council “should establish an IoT taskforce to provide much-needed crossgovernment leadership and coordination to support adoption and deployment of this technology.” Half Of Earth’s Satellites Restrict Use Of Climate Data. The Conversation (US) (4/3, Borowitz) reports that scientists require satellite data to “understand and address climate change,” but data from more than half of “unclassified Earth-observing satellites is restricted in some way, rather than shared openly.” While satellites “collect valuable data,” they are also “expensive, ranging between US$100 million to nearly $1 billion per mission.” To recoup the costs, some nations “attempt to sell or commercialize data.” For example, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and the European Space Agency “attempted data sales at an earlier stage in their programs,” while the US Landsat program “was turned over to a private firm in the 1980s before later returning to government control.” Making data freely, according to the author, “is the best way to make sure the greatest number of people access and use it.” USGS in 2001 “sold 25,000 Landsat images, a record at the time. Then Landsat data was made openly available in 2008. In the year following, the agency distributed more than 1 million Landsat images.” Opinion Pieces Secretary Zinke’s Diversity Problem. Former Interior Department official Joel Clement writes in the Union of Concerned Scientists (4/3, Reichmuth)blog that prior to being reassigned bu the Trump Administration, he served as Interior’s senior executive and climate policy advisor, where he “focused on leading an interagency response to the slow-moving disaster in America’s Arctic.” Clement was among the 33 senior executives AM ICAN VERSIGHT DOI-18-0489-000020 Secretary Ryan Zinke reassigned last June, and recently-released internal Interior documents that he “requested months ago (and had to sue the agency to obtain) have shown that nearly half of the reassigned senior executives were minorities, a disproportionate number of them were women, and a full third of them were American Indian.” Clement further details how Zinke has neglected or disrespected Native Americans, notably his push to shrink the Bears Ears and Grand Staircase Escalante National Monuments over the objections of the leadership of the four primary tribes who advocated for protecting their “sacred area.” He concludes, “It’s impossible to know what Zinke’s intentions are, but it’s clear that his actions are having a deleterious effect on the agency’s diversity, morale, and effectiveness.” Do The Rest Of Us A Favor, Zinke. In a letter to the editor of the Washington Post (4/3, Hoskins), Diane Hoskin, campaign director of the non-profit Oceana, writes that Interior Secretary Zinke’s “favor” to Florida Gov. Rick Scott “perfectly frames the debate about expanding offshore drilling in the United States.” Hoskin asserts that “removing Florida from the administration’s drilling plan was considered a political boost for Mr. Scott seems to demonstrate that President Trump and Mr. Zinke know their plan is unpopular, unwanted and unneeded.” Hoskin says there is considerable concern or opposition to offshore drilling activities, which “threaten 2.6 million jobs and nearly $180 billion in gross domestic product from thriving fishing, tourism and recreation industries in the Atlantic and Pacific oceans and the eastern Gulf of Mexico.” She encourages Zinke to “do all coastal communities a favor and instead withdraw this radical plan.” Of Course Zinke Doesn’t Care About Diversity. Glenn Nelson writes in Outside (4/3, Nelson) that Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke last week downplayed “the significant of workforce diversity in his department,” but Nelson notes the Interior Department was, “as of 2016, 73 percent white. In other words, the business that’s usual in the Interior Department is overwhelming whiteness.” Indeed, the Interior Department’s “whiteness is so baked into its roots, bureaucracy, and hiring procedures that it would probably require a divine being dedicating every minute of every day and every ounce of creative juice to bursting the diversity logjam.” Regardless, Zinke’s so-called “straight talk about diversity should clearly reveal the void that can be filled only by the remainder of the green ecosystem—the affinity groups, conservation and environmental organizations, and outdoor industry.” Additional Reading. • . AM The Hill: Trump’s Monumental Deception Unravels (4/3, Coppola). -------Hatch Magazine: The President Stole Your Land And You Were Lied ----------To (4/3, Shmukler). ICAN VERSIGHT DOI-18-0489-000021 . Everett (WA) Herald: Editorial: Zinke An Unexpected Ally For ---------Cascade Grizzlies (4/3). Fiddlehead (ME) Focus: Refuge Is A Local Gem (4/3, Selfridge). · -------- Top National News Trump Says Military Will Guard Southern Border Until Wall Is Built. To mostly skeptical media coverage, the President said yesterday the US military will guard the border with Mexico until his proposed wall is built. Reports caution that Trump’s move could engender resentment in Latin America, and describe a sense of confusion about his plans both in the Administration and the military. The CBS Evening News (4/3, story 2, 2:30, Garrett), for example, reported that “South American diplomats said the idea of placing the US military on the southern border would generate hostility toward Mr. Trump and solidarity with Mexico at next week’s summit of the Americas in Peru,” while ABC World News Tonight (4/3, story 4, 2:30, Karl) said that among those “most surprised by the President’s idea to use the military” was “the military,” with “multiple officials” telling “ABC News there have been no specific proposals yet developed to use the military on the border.” Politico (4/3, Nelson, Lima), meanwhile, indicates that “a senior official” at DHS said “that putting troops on the US-Mexico border had been under discussion but that no rollout had been planned because of unresolved policy issues.” The official “said [Defense Secretary] Mattis did not want armed troops at the border,” and that “the idea was previously shot down by John Kelly.”         NBC Nightly News (4/3, story 3, 1:25, Holt) reported, however, that “the Pentagon [is] now readying options” to fulfill the President’s request, and Jim Acosta said on CNN’s Anderson Cooper 360 (4/3) that he spoke to a “senior Administration official” who “says that the Trump Administration does have a working number of National Guard troops that they want to deploy to the southern border,” but they aren’t releasing a number at the moment. The Military Times (4/3) cites a “defense official” who “noted one option could be similar to the 2006-2008 patrols US military personnel conducted under Operation Jump Start,” in which George W. Bush “called for up to 6,000 National Guard members to secure parts of the border.” Barack Obama also “deployed Army forces from Fort Bliss to the Tucson, Arizona, and El Paso, Texas, areas for Operation Nimbus, a joint operation between US Northern Command and Customs and Border Patrol.” The AP (4/3, Colvin, Baldor) notes Texas “has also deployed military forces to its 800mile border with Mexico.” Then-Gov. Rick Perry, “now serving as Trump’s energy secretary, ordered the deployment of 1,000 Texas National Guardsmen to the Rio Grande Valley in summer 2014 in response to a sharp rise in the numbers of Central American children crossing the border alone.” Newsday (NY) (4/3, □ □ □ AM ICAN VERSIGHT DOI-18-0489-000022 Hernandez) indicates that Trump’s “move is not entirely unprecedented,” though “US law bars active-duty military from apprehending and arresting people at the border.”         The Dallas Morning News (4/3, Gillman), meanwhile, also says “key questions” remain “unanswered: how many troops, how heavily armed they would be, their mission, or how success will be defined.” The News warns that “militarizing the border would likely escalate tensions with Mexico, which is in the midst of a presidential campaign in which a leading candidate has vowed to ensure that his country is no longer a ‘piñata’ for foreign powers.” CNN (4/3, Watkins) reports “the Mexican ambassador to the US said Tuesday that...Trump’s apparent call for the US military to guard the US-Mexico border is an unwelcome one.” Said Geronimo Gutierrez, “It’s certainly not something that the Mexican government welcomes, but as soon as we have further clarification, we can expect to have a better idea of where we are.”         NBC Nightly News (4/3, story 3, 1:25, Holt) referred to “a dramatic escalation” on Trump’s part, Politico (4/3, Nelson, Lima) to “an escalation,” and the New York Times (4/3, Davis, Sullivan) to a “remarkable escalation.” The Times also says Trump made the announcement “at the White House, seated beside the defense secretary at a meeting with visiting leaders of Baltic nations.” Said Trump, “We have very bad laws for our border, and we are going to be doing some things – I’ve been speaking with General Mattis – we’re going to be doing things militarily. ... Until we can have a wall and proper security, we’re going to be guarding our border with the military. That’s a big step. We really haven’t done that before, or certainly not very much before.” The President later tweeted footage of his comments with the message “WE WILL PROTECT OUR SOUTHERN BORDER!”, and Breitbart (4/3, Munro) says “the White House confirmed late Tuesday that it will deploy the National Guard to help contain the rising flood of Central American economic migrants during this spring and summer.”         The Wall Street Journal (4/3, A1, Ballhaus, Mauldin) runs a similar story on its front page, and Bloomberg News (4/3, Epstein, Sink) notes Trump has also “previously suggested that he could use money allocated for the US military to construct the border wall for which he has so far been unable to secure congressional funding.” Breitbart (4/3, Spiering) reports Trump “did not detail specific plans for policing the border but appeared eager to make it happen after Democrats stalled progress on his long-promised border wall,” and Townhall (4/3, Pavlich) that his “statement comes just hours after Mexico stopped a caravan of over a 1,000 illegal aliens from Honduras from entering the United States.” The CBS Evening News (4/3, story 2, 2:30, Garrett), meanwhile, said the “so-called caravan of about 1,200 migrants moving through Mexico appears to have sparked the President’s interest in militarizing the border.”         The Washington Times (4/3, Boyer, Dinan) says Trump “blamed changes to the law and policy he said happened under President Obama for weakening the immigration system and □ AM ICAN VERSIGHT DOI-18-0489-000023 creating the opportunity for more people to show up on the country’s border to demand admission through asylum or other legal avenues.” Said the President, “We cannot have people flowing into our country illegally, disappearing, and by the way never showing up for court. ... If it reaches our border, our laws are so weak and so pathetic … It’s like we have no border.” The Daily Caller (4/3, Enjeti) reports “the President’s comments appear to take aim at current US policy which requires border agents to catch then release family units who arrive at the border from noncontiguous countries.”         Katie Pavlich of Townhall said on Fox News’ Special Report (4/3), “It’s not just about illegal immigration on the border – it’s about deterrence with cartels and violent operations that are happening there as well. This will probably be welcomed by the governors of Arizona and Texas. It will not be welcomed by the governor of California, to be sure,” but it “does go hand-in-hand with the Administration talking points and push this week to end catch and release.” Pavlich added that Trump is “clearly sending a message of deterrence by putting a military there when he’s talking about preventing people from coming here because our own immigration laws allow people who get here from certain countries, the majority of them, to stay. It becomes more of a problem for our legal system than borders.”         Mara Liasson of NPR said on Fox News’ Special Report (4/3), “This is a dramatic, tough action that he can send a message: ‘Yes, I’m doing something about illegal immigration, even though I couldn’t get funding for my wall in the omnibus.’ That’s the context for this – he’s very frustrated about that and he’s gotten some pushback from the base because of that.”         Trump Says Migrant Caravan “Broken Up” After He Pressured NBC Nightly News (4/3, story 3, 1:25, Holt) Mexico To Act. reported that Trump is now “claiming credit for stopping” a caravan of migrants heading through Mexico towards the US. Trump was shown saying, “I have just heard that the caravan coming up from Honduras is broken up and Mexico did that, and they did it because frankly, I said ‘you really have to do it.’” The Washington Times (4/3, Boyer, Dinan) says the development headed off “a major headache for American officials,” and adds the President indicated “Mexico bowed to pressure from the US to take action.” USA Today (4/3, Jackson, Korte) also says Trump “took credit for stopping the caravan, saying pressure on Mexico helped to turn it back,” and “alluded to his threat to kill off the North American Free Trade Agreement with Mexico and Canada, saying ‘NAFTA had been a terrible deal for the United States.’” Business Insider (4/3, Woody) quotes Trump as saying, “We will be doing things with Mexico, and they have to do it. ... Otherwise I’m not going to do the NAFTA deal.”         Reuters (4/3) quotes him as saying, “As of 12 minutes ago, it was all being broken up. We’ll see what happens.” Reuters adds “Mexican officials intensified efforts to process the dwindling group AM ICAN VERSIGHT DOI-18-0489-000024 and determine whether they had the right to stay in Mexico or be returned to their countries of origin.” Mexico “has said such ‘caravans’ of mostly Central Americans, including many escaping violence in Honduras, have occurred since 2010.” The AP (4/3, Spagat), however, disputes Trump’s statement, reporting, “Nothing is being broken up in Mexico. The caravan of largely Central American migrants never intended to reach the US border, according to organizer Irineo Mujica. The caravan was meant to end at a migrant’s right symposium in central Mexico later this week.”         At any rate, the New York Post (4/3, Fredericks, Steinbuch) reports, “in a statement late Monday, the Mexican government said about 400 members of the caravan had already been sent back to their home countries.” The Washington Post (4/3, Partlow, Agren) also reports “the caravan...has now halted on a brown-grass soccer field, its participants unsure and anxious about the way forward.” Mujica, “the head coordinator of the migrant caravan,” told the crowd of would-be migrants, “We are scared, just like you. ... Now President Donald Trump has said that he wants to hit us with nuclear bombs.”         Earlier yesterday, Trump had tweeted, “The big Caravan of People from Honduras, now coming across Mexico and heading to our ‘Weak Laws’ Border, had better be stopped before it gets there. Cash cow NAFTA is in play, as is foreign aid to Honduras and the countries that allow this to happen. Congress MUST ACT NOW!” The Los Angeles Times (4/3, Bierman) reports Trump’s “threat to Honduras...marks an about-face after his administration has sought close ties with the Central American nation, and illustrates how his impulsive tweets can send confusing signals to allies.” The Washington Post (4/3, Kim) notes “Honduras received about $127.5 million in aid from the United States in fiscal 2016, according to data from the United States Agency for International Development.” Moreover, says the Washington Post (4/3, Morello) in a separate story, “Honduras was among only seven nations that voted with the United States and Israel in December against a resolution condemning the US decision to recognize Jerusalem as Israel’s capital.” In fact, “Trump and Nikki Haley, the US ambassador to the United Nations, both suggested US aid could hinge on how nations voted.”         WPost: Trump Focusing On Border “Problem That Does Not Exist.” The Washington Post (4/3) editorializes, “While the president harps on a problem that does not exist – a weak border – he ignores a problem that does: the United States’ aging population and workforce, long-term trends that are likely to generate demand for more immigrant workers, not fewer. ... Economists say an aging workforce erodes productivity over time, meaning it is in the United States’ interest to allow more young immigrants with their energy and ambition to invigorate the economy. Mr. Trump is determined to do the opposite.” Trump Says Border Wall Needs To Be “About 700-800 Miles.” AM ICAN VERSIGHT DOI-18-0489-000025 The Washington Times (4/3, Dinan) reports President Trump “has once again cut the size of his border wall, saying Tuesday that there only needs to be between 700 and 800 miles of barriers.” Speaking to reporters Tuesday, Trump said, “We need to have a wall that’s about 700-800 miles.” The Times says it is “the latest reduction for Mr. Trump, who during the campaign left the impression that his planned wall would stretch along the 1,950-mile border, but last year said it may just be 900 miles.” Media Analyses: US Escalates Trade Tensions With China With New Tariffs. Reuters (4/3, Lawder) reports that on Tuesday, the Administration “raised the stakes in a growing trade showdown with China, announcing 25 percent tariffs on some 1,300 industrial technology, transport and medical products to try to force changes in Beijing’s intellectual property practices.” The US Trade Representative’s office unveiled a list of “mainly non-consumer products representing about $50 billion of estimated 2018 imports that would nonetheless hit supply chains for many US manufacturers.” The announcement drew “a swift threat of retaliation” from the Chinese Embassy in Washington, which said in a statement, “As the Chinese saying goes, it is only polite to reciprocate. The Chinese side will resort to the WTO dispute settlement mechanism and take corresponding measures of equal scale and strength against US products in accordance with Chinese law.”         The New York Times (4/3, Swanson) also says the move “is likely to inflame an already-simmering trade war between the countries,” and the Los Angeles Times (4/3, Lee) says it “escalated the brewing trade war with China,” and is “likely to be met with retaliatory action from China and could further rattle stock markets.”         Politico (4/3, Behsudi) similarly says the President “escalated his trade war with China on Tuesday,” in what it called “the latest step in [his] trade offensive that aims to punish Beijing for pursuing policies accused of bolstering its own technological and economic development at the expense of US companies.” The tariffs, it adds, are “likely to invite even more retaliation from China.”         Bloomberg News (4/3, Mayeda) reports the Administration proposed imposing tariffs on “a range of Chinese-made products worth about $50 billion, focusing on high tech products while seeking to minimize the impact on US consumers.” In a statement, the USTR’s office said, “This level is appropriate both in light of the estimated harm to the US economy, and to obtain elimination of China’s harmful acts, policies and practices.”         The Wall Street Journal (4/3, A1, Davis, Zumbrun, Wei) reports on its front page that President Trump said yesterday ahead of the announcement, “We intend to get along with China, but we have to do something very substantial about the trade deficit. I campaigned on that, I talked about that.”         WTimes Analysis: Trump Has “Rewritten Washington Playbook AM ICAN VERSIGHT DOI-18-0489-000026 On Trade.” A Washington Times (4/3, McLaughlin) analysis says the President has “rewritten the Washington playbook on trade politics and many GOP Senate candidates are chasing after him, embracing get-tough approaches that would have been unthinkable for Republicans just a few years ago.” Rep. Luke Messer, a “onetime free trade advocate,” is “blunt about the transformation,” saying, “The President has changed my opinion on these trade agreements.”         McConnell Warns Tariffs A “Slippery Slope.” The Louisville (KY) Courier-Journal (4/3, Novelly) reports President Trump “may think trade wars are ‘good and easy to win,’ but Sen. Mitch McConnell said they’d be disastrous for Kentucky.” Speaking to farmers and business leaders Tuesday in home state, McConnell said, “I’m not a fan of tariffs, and I am nervous about what appears to be a growing trend in the administration to levy tariffs. This is a slippery slope, so my hope is that this will stop before it gets into a broader tit-fortat that can’t be good for our country.”         WPost Analysis: Trade War Could Hurt GOP This Year. Michael Scherer writes in the Washington Post (4/3, Scherer) “PowerPost” blog that the tariffs could hurt Republicans in this year’s midterm elections. Democrats “have blamed Republicans for the growing trade dispute’s impact on local farmers, and Republican leaders have been publicly pleading with Trump to pull back from the brinkmanship.” In March, 100 House Republicans sent a letter to the President “expressing ‘deep concern’ about the prospect of new US tariffs on steel and aluminum.” Media Analyses: Trump Offers “Qualified Support” For Pruitt. While EPA Administrator Pruitt “has been under fire over revelations that last year he rented a Capitol Hill condo from the wife of a prominent energy lobbyist whose firm has clients regulated by the EPA,” President Trump gave him “qualified support Tuesday,” telling reporters, “I hope he’s going to be great,” the Washington Times (4/3, Boyer) reports. According to “an anonymous administration official,” in a phone call Monday night, Trump told Pruitt to “keep your head up” and “keep fighting,” and that the White House has “got your back.” Politico (4/3, Restuccia, Lima, Cook) says White House press secretary Sarah Sanders confirmed Trump’s conversation with Pruitt on Monday night and that White House Chief of Staff Kelly spoke with him Tuesday morning. While “reports said the message to Pruitt was that ‘we’ve got your back,’” Politico adds that in the Trump White House, “messages of support do not always carry much weight and can quickly be followed by an ouster.” Politico also cites a “White House official” who said “on Tuesday that Pruitt’s future in the administration was uncertain.”         Mary Bruce said on ABC World News Tonight (4/3, story 6, 2:20, Llamas) that “privately, sources say the President is frustrated with all the controversy,” while Hallie Jackson on NBC Nightly News (4/3, story 5, 1:50, Holt) cited “a spokesperson” who said that Pruitt “is focused on advancing President Trump’s □ □ AM ICAN VERSIGHT DOI-18-0489-000027 agenda, and under his leadership, the EPA is doing just what the President wanted.”         The New York Times (4/3, Davenport) reports that Pruitt on Tuesday “formally announced his most sweeping regulatory rollback to date: a plan to weaken President Barack Obama’s stringent rules on planet-warming tailpipe emissions.” While it should have been Pruitt’s “finest moment,” instead of “basking in glory,” he is “caught up in a swirl of allegations of impropriety.” A Washington Post (4/3) editorial says the “emerging picture is of a chief environmental officer not only fighting a war on science as he promotes oil and gas interests but also arrogantly betraying the public trust.” The Post says Trump’s expression of support for Pruitt “prov[es] once again the emptiness of his campaign promise to clean up Washington. Time and again, Mr. Trump has accepted arrogance and incompetence on his staff as long as loyalty remains beyond question.”         Mara Liasson of NPR said on Fox News’ Special Report (4/3), “I haven’t talked to a single person at the White House who would not put money on the fact that he is on thin ice and will be gone. Now, to stipulate, the President’s personnel decisions are always unpredictable, but there is a sense that there is just one too many ethics problems. Look, Donald Trump’s brand was draining the swamp. He doesn’t like it when somebody is acting like they are repopulating the swamp instead of draining it, and that is the problem here.”         Pruitt Says Washington Is “Toxic” And Critics “Resort To Anything” To Stop Trump’s Agenda. The Washington Examiner (4/3, Bedard) reports that in an interview, Pruitt “forcefully pushed back against criticism that he won a short-term sweetheart rental deal from a lobbyist friend, claiming it’s just the latest attempt by his and the president’s attackers to ‘resort to anything’ to stop their agenda.” Pruitt said, “There are people that have long in this town done business a different way and this agency has been the poster child of it. And so do I think that because we are leading on this agenda that there are some who want to keep that from happening? Absolutely. And do I think that they will resort to anything to achieve that? Yes. ... It’s toxic here in that regard.”         Curbelo Calls For Pruitt’s Resignation. Politico (4/3, Holden) reports that Republican Rep. Carlos Curbelo on Tuesday called for Pruitt’s resignation, tweeting, “Major policy differences aside, @EPAScottPruitt’s corruption scandals are an embarrassment to the Administration, and his conduct is grossly disrespectful to American taxpayers. It’s time for him to resign or for @POTUS to dismiss him.”         Democrats Seek Investigation Of Pruitt’s Rent Deal. USA Today (4/3, Estepa) reports that Democratic Reps. Ted Lieu and Don Beyer “are calling for an investigation into the administrator’s rent deal with the wife of an energy lobbyist.” The lawmakers wrote Tuesday to the EPA’s IG, asking him to look into Pruitt’s lease.         WPost: Pruitt Used Obscure Law To Hire Former Lobbyists, AM ICAN VERSIGHT DOI-18-0489-000028 Others. The Washington Post (4/3, Grandoni) highlights Pruitt’s hiring of “at least two ex-lobbyists and several other aides for noncritical positions through an obscure provision” in the Safe Drinking Water Act. According to the Post, the “unusual hires” are raising questions about whether Pruitt “is circumventing President Trump’s ethics directives or using his emergency hiring authority as intended.” Editorial Wrap-Up New York Times. The New York Times did not publish editorials on Wednesday. Washington Post. “Trump’s Immigration Tweetstorm Is A Lesson In Fact-Free Fearmongering.” The Washington Post (4/3) editorializes, “While the president harps on a problem that does not exist – a weak border – he ignores a problem that does: the United States’ aging population and workforce, long-term trends that are likely to generate demand for more immigrant workers, not fewer. ... Economists say an aging workforce erodes productivity over time, meaning it is in the United States’ interest to allow more young immigrants with their energy and ambition to invigorate the economy. Mr. Trump is determined to do the opposite.”         “The EPA’s Swamp Monster Gets Even More Toxic.” A Washington Post (4/3) editorial says the “emerging picture is of a chief environmental officer not only fighting a war on science as he promotes oil and gas interests but also arrogantly betraying the public trust.” The Post says Trump’s expression of support for Pruitt “prov[es] once again the emptiness of his campaign promise to clean up Washington. Time and again, Mr. Trump has accepted arrogance and incompetence on his staff as long as loyalty remains beyond question.”         “Costa Rica Shows An Admirable Resistance To Demagoguery.” The Washington Post (4/3) editorializes that, “in a world where populism of all stripes is on the rise, and liberal democracy seems to be on the defensive,” Costa Rica “continues to embrace tolerance and civility.” The editors assert that if Costa Rican voters had not “reject[ed] the candidacy of right-wing populist Fabricio Alvarado Muñoz...which was based almost exclusively on opposition to samesex marriage,” the country may have been left “in the unusual position of lagging behind Latin America in individual freedom.” Instead, although the country is “showing some of the same signs of wear and tear that better-known counterparts in Europe and North America exhibit,” its “people showed an admirable resistance to demagoguery and single-issue politics,” and the new president now must show they were right to put their trust in democratic values. AM ICAN VERSIGHT DOI-18-0489-000029 Wall Street Journal. “The Fuel Economy Fraud.” In an editorial, the Wall Street Journal (4/3) praises the EPA’s decision to slow the Obama-era Corporate average fuel economy (Cafe) standards, but discusses possibilities for Administrator Pruitt if revising the targets entirely proves politically unfeasible. The editors also lament California’s ability to impose its own fuel standards, due to a waiver it received in 2009 that allowed it to adopt its own auto-emission standards.         “The Spotify Launch.” In an editorial, the Wall Street Journal (4/3) welcomes Spotify, which began public trading in its shares in Tuesday to the market, calling its listing on the NYSE without investment bank underwriters good news for non-wealthy investors.         “A Model For Licensing Reform.” The Wall Street Journal (4/3) editorializes that the Nebraska legislature’s consideration of a wholesale occupational licensing reform is welcome. The Journal asserts that the proposed reforms would protect the licensing from political lobbying and would help Nebraskans with criminal records find work by not requiring them to invest time and money in training before the licensing boards decide whether they qualify. The Journal argues that Nebraska’s reforms should be held up as a national model. Big Picture Headlines From Today’s Front Pages. Wall Street Journal: Spotify’s Splashy Debut Pressures Banks Trump Calls For Military To Guard Southern Border Crack And Pack: How Companies Are Mastering The New Tax Code US Details Tariffs On $50 Billion Of China Imports New York Times: Trump Plans To Send National Guard To The Mexican Border Church Leaders Who Propelled Civil Rights Movement Look To Rekindle King’s Activist Spirit Inside A Private Prison: Blood, Suicide And Poorly Paid Guards Amazon Has Lots Of Company As Trump Slams ‘Stupid’ Businesses Several Wounded In Shooting At YouTube Headquarters; Police Say Female Suspect Is Dead Sermons and Shouted Insults: How Erdogan Keeps Turkey Spellbound Washington Post: Along MLK Avenue, A ‘Dream’ Deferred Mueller Keeps His Sights On President President: Military Will Be Sent To Border Trump Supports Pruitt As Ethics Concerns Swirl AM ICAN VERSIGHT DOI-18-0489-000030 Migrant Caravan Stalls At Soccer Field Financial Times: Putin Marks Nuclear Deal With Turkey Spotify Ends First Trading Day At $26.5bn Valuation AfD Bloc Turns Up The Heat In Germany’s Bundestag French Unions Test Macron’s Reform Resolve With Rolling Strikes Washington Times: Trump To Deploy Military To Guard Border Until Wall Completed Trump Rewrites GOP Playbook On Trade Trump Veers From Pentagon With Plan To Exit Syria China’s Ambitious ‘One Belt One Road’ Investment Yet To Pay Off In Pakistan Trump Judiciary Creates Legal Landscape To Overturn Roe v. Wade, Pro-Life Activists Say Thailand Civilians Pressure Military To Stop Supporting Prayuth, Junta Story Lineup From Last Night’s Network News: ABC: YouTube HQ Shooting; YouTube HQ Shooting-Investigation; Severe Weather; Trump-Border Troops; Russia Probe; EPA Administrator Controversy; Homeland Security-DC Listening Devices Discovery; Teachers Protest; Rail Crossing-Close Call; North Carolina Spouse Murder Investigation; Water Park Accident Trial; Indiana-Small Plane Crash; Florida-Jewelry Height; MLK Memorial; LA-Ditch Rescue. CBS: YouTube HQ Shooting; Trump-Border Troops; Trump-Amazon Comment; Russia Probe; Teachers Protest; Family Murder Mystery; Kenya-Ground Break; CDC-Nightmare Bacteria; Spotify IPO; Rail Crossing-Close Call; MLK Memorial. NBC: YouTube HQ Shooting; Workplace Shootings; Trump-Border Troops; Russia Probe; EPA Administrator Controversy; Teachers Protest; Severe Weather; MLK Memorial; LA-Ditch Rescue; TexasDust Storm; Spotify IPO; NCAA News; Golf-Viral Video. Network TV At A Glance: YouTube HQ Shooting – 9 minutes, 45 seconds Trump-Border Troops – 6 minutes, 25 seconds Teachers Protest – 4 minutes, 25 seconds Russia Probe – 1 minute, 40 seconds Story Lineup From This Morning’s Radio News Broadcasts: ABC: YouTube HQ Shooting; Trump-Border Troops; Russia Probe; DC Listening Devices Discovery. CBS: YouTube HQ Shooting; Trump-Border Troops; Trump-Amazon Comment; CDC-Nightmare Bacteria; MLK Memorial; Wall Street News. FOX: YouTube HQ Shooting; Trump-Border Troops; Census Citizenship Question Lawsuits. AM ICAN VERSIGHT DOI-18-0489-000031 NPR: YouTube HQ Shooting; Trump Admin-Tariffs; Trump-North Korea; National Park Fee Debate. Washington Schedule Today’s Events In Washington. White House: PRESIDENT TRUMP — Has private dinner with supporters. VICE PRESIDENT PENCE — No public events scheduled. US Senate: On recess until 9 April. US House: House Ethics Committee self-imposed deadline to announce update on GOP Rep. John Duncan – House Committee on Ethics due to announce its course of action on the matter regarding Republican Rep. John Duncan – which was referred to the Committee by the Office of Congressional Ethics in January – on or before today * Matter was extended in February, although with the Committee noting that the extension ‘does not itself indicate that any violation has occurred, or reflect any judgment on behalf of the Committee’ * Reasons for investigations are generally kept secret, although Rep. Duncan has recently faced questions over his campaign spending, including a large number of payments made to family members Location: TBD ethics.house.gov         On recess until 9 April. Other: 9:00 AM POSTPONED: Atlantic Council discussion on NAFTA – POSTPONED: ‘The Strategic Imperative of NAFTA Negotiations’ Atlantic Council discussion, with Mexican Ambassador to the U.S. Amb. Geronimo Gutierrez, and former DEA administrator, KPT Consulting Founding Principal and Homeland Security Advisory Council Current Member Karen Tandy Location: Atlantic Council, 1030 15th St NW, Washington, DC http://www.atlanticcouncil.org/ https://twitter.com/ACLatAm         10:00 AM Democratic Rep. Eleanor Holmes Norton speaks at second annual ‘DC Hires Vets’ job fair Location: DC Armory, 2001 E Capitol St SE, Washington, DC https://norton.house.gov/ https://twitter.com/EleanorNorton         10:00 AM Lithuanian economy minister speaks at Heritage Foundation – ‘On the Path to Prosperity: Economic Reform in Lithuania’ Heritage Foundation discussion with Lithuanian Economy Minister Virginijus Sinkevicius Location: Heritage Foundation, 214 Massachusetts Ave NE, Washington, DC www.heritage.org https://twitter.com/Heritage         10:00 AM Inter-American Dialogue / Atlantic Council roundtable on President Trump’s upcoming Latin America trip – Inter-American Dialogue / Atlantic Council press roundtable on President Donald Trump’s trip to Peru, for the Summit of the Americas, and Colombia * President Trump departs for Peru 12 Apr, his first trip to Latin America as president Location: Inter-American Dialogue, 1155 15th Street NW, Washington, DC www.thedialogue.org https://twitter.com/The Dialogue AM ICAN VERSIGHT DOI-18-0489-000032 Last Laughs Late Night Political Humor. Jimmy Fallon: “President Trump has been sending angry tweets about Amazon for the way they run their business. And someone handed Trump some bubble wrap from an Amazon box and he forgot all about it. ... After Trump attacked Amazon on Twitter, their stock fell by 5 percent. It’s all part of Trump’s plan to get Amazon stock to match his approval rating.” Jimmy Fallon: “I saw that six of Trump’s cabinet members have been questioned about improper spending. Trump was shocked. He said, ‘I still have six cabinet members? How is that possible?’” Seth Meyers: “President Trump said today that nobody’s been tougher to Russia than Donald Trump, and Vladimir Putin said, ‘It’s true, he’s been a terrible employee. Never come to work, always golfing.’” Seth Meyers: “When asked about EPA leader Scott Pruitt today, President Trump said, quote, ‘I hope he’s going to be good.’ You hope he’s going to be good? He’s a member of your cabinet, not a golden retriever.” Copyright 2018 by Bulletin Intelligence LLC Reproduction or redistribution without permission prohibited. Content is drawn from thousands of newspapers, national magazines, national and local television programs, radio broadcasts, social-media platforms and additional forms of open-source data. Sources for Bulletin Intelligence audience-size estimates include Scarborough, GfK MRI, comScore, Nielsen, and the Audit Bureau of Circulation. Data from and access to third party social media platforms, including but not limited to Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and others, is subject to the respective platform’s terms of use. Services that include Factiva content are governed by Factiva’s terms of use. Services including embedded Tweets are also subject to Twitter for Website's information and privacy policies. The Department of the Interior News Briefing is published five days a week by Bulletin Intelligence, which creates custom briefings for government and corporate leaders. We can be found on the Web at BulletinIntelligence.com, or called at (703) 483-6100. AMERICAN VERSIGHT DOI-18-0489-000033 From: To: Subject: Date: Nedra Darling benjamin Keel@ios.doi.gov Fwd: U.S. Department of the Interior News Briefing for Friday, February 10, 2017 Friday, February 10, 2017 7:04:04 AM I asked for you to be added to these clips. Are you receiving them each  workday? Begin forwarded message: From: Bulletin Intelligence Date: February 10, 2017 at 7:02:51 AM EST To: Subject: U.S. Department of the Interior News Briefing for Friday, February 10, 2017 Mobile version and searchable archives available here. Please contact Public Affairs with subscription requests, questions or comments. US Department of the Interior News Briefing Ill DATE: FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 10, 2017 7:00 AM EST AM ICAN VERSIGHT DOI-18-0489-000034 Today's Table Of Contents DOI In The News • Politico: Senate GOP Working On Deal To Confirm Trump Cabinet Before Recess. • Coastal Television (AK): Murkowski Believes Zinke Will Support Oil Development In Alaska. • Associated Press: Chaffetz Pressed On Bears Ears Before Town Hall. • Deseret (UT) News: Utah Gov. Herbert Wants Meeting With Outdoor Retailer Show Organizers. • Salt Lake (UT) Tribune: Rogue Civil Servants Set Up Social Media Accounts. • Kenai (AK) Peninsula Clarion: Safari Club Sues Interior, Fish And Wildlife, And National Parks Over Rules Governing Alaska. • Glasgow (KY) Daily Times: Edmonton Receives LWCF Grant For Park Improvements. • Moab (UT) Sun News: Additional Coverage Of Impact Of Federal Hiring Freeze On Interior Agencies. • New York Times: Trump Urged To Uphold Protections For Clean Water. • Palm Springs (CA) Desert Sun: Trump Administration Urged To Protect Public Lands. America’s Great Outdoors National Park Service • Virgin Islands Consortium (VIR): NPS, Project Promise Launch “Every Kid In A Park” Program. • Medford (OR) Mail Tribune: 10,000 Rounds Of Ammo Stolen At Crater Lake National Park. • Knoxville (TN) News Sentinel: Twenty-year Old NPS Fire Plan Shows Previous Fires Spread In Smokies By Spotting. • Point Reyes (CA) Light: Drakes Estero Diver Files Allegations Against NPS. • Lehigh Valley (PA) Express Times: NPS Completes Review Of Gov. Wolf Building Restoration. • Atlanta Journal-Constitution: Public Input Sought On NPS Designation For Historic Church’s Future. • Voice of America: Traveler On Mission To Visit All NPS Sites. • Huffington Post: Additional Coverage: Yellowstone Sending Hundreds Of Bison To Slaughter. Fish And Wildlife Service • Washington Post: FWS Delays Listing Rusty Patched Bumble Bee As Endangered. • Salem (MO) News: Trump Urged To Overturn Ammunition And Tackle Ban. • Daily Caller: Continuing Coverage Of Pollution At John Heinz National AMERICAN pVERSIGHT DOI-18-0489-000035 Wildlife Refuge. • Idaho Statesman: Former FWS Official Sentenced For Ethics Violation. • Wichita (KS) Eagle: Ponds Made To Protect Ozark Cave Fish. • Silver City (NM) Sun-News: Protestors Demand End To New Mexico’s Blockade On Wolf Releases. • WBUR-FM Boston: Yellow Cedar Tree In Decline. Bureau Of Land Management • Associated Press: Trial Begins Of Six Men In Standoff At Cliven Bundy’s Ranch. • Washington Times: BLM Purchases Dotsero Landing Recreation Site. • Washington Times: BLM, Wexner Land Swap On Hold. • Salt Lake (UT) Tribune: Utah County Sues BLM Over Wild Horses. • Las Vegas Review-Journal: BLM Holds Forum On Gold Butte Designation As National Monument. Securing America’s Energy Future Offshore Energy Development • Law360: Exxon Seeks To Intervene In California Coastal Fracking, Acidizing Suits. Onshore Energy Development • Reuters: ETP Starts Construction On Pipeline Despite Legal Challenge. • Inquisitr: Gosar’s Bill Would Make It Easier To Drill On National Park Lands. • Associated Press: Utah County May Oppose Oil And Gas Drilling Near Zion National Park. • Associated Press: Interior Finds West Virginia Not Enforcing Laws Governing Coal Mining. • Riverton (WY) Ranger: BLM Requests Comment On Analysis Of Wind River/Bighorn Basin District Part Of Oil And Gas Lease Sale. • Washington Times: Protesters Attend Meeting On Proposed Pipeline Under Potomac. • Grand Junction (CO) Daily Sentinel: U.S. Chamber Targets BLM’s Planning 2.0, Gas Venting And Flaring Rules. • KAML-FM Gillette (WY): BLM Oil, Gas Lease Sale Nets Over $129 Million. • Winona (MN) Daily News: Republicans Criticized For Stopping Stream Protection Rule. • Reuters: Author Says Appalachia Needs Clean Energy Jobs, Not Coal Job Promises. Renewable Energy • North American Windpower: Court Hears Arguments Against Offshore Wind Lease Sale Off Cost Of Long Island. • Palm Springs (CA) Desert Sun: California Gov. Brown Wants Trump To Help Fund Eagle Mountain Hydropower Project. AMERICAN pVERSIGHT DOI-18-0489-000036 • New York Times: Wind Power Overtakes Hydroelectric In Generating Capacity In 2016. Empowering Native American Communities • Courthouse News: American Indian Leaders Testify To Lack Of Federal Help During Disasters. • Santa Rosa (CA) Press Democrat: Denham Sponsors Bill To Create Reservation For Lytton Rancheria. Tackling America’s Water Challenges • Brentwood (CA) Press: Supporters Of Brown’s Water Plan Now “Cautiously Upbeat.” • Klamath Falls (OR) Herald And News: BOR To Release Klamath Water Pulse Friday. • The Hill: US Urged To Agree On Large Infrastructure Investments For Water And Irrigation. • Sacramento (CA) Bee: Walters: Brown Seeking Money From Trump For Train. Top National News • CBS: Trump Vows To Keep Fighting For Immigration Policy After Court Declines To Reinstate Order. • New York Times: Trump Says Blumenthal Misrepresented Gorsuch’s Comments. • Los Angeles Times: Conway Comments On Ivanka Trump’s Products Raise Ethical Questions. Editorial Wrap-Up • New York Times.    - “Kellyanne Conway’s White House Infomercial.”    - “‘Bad Dude’? No, But Deported Anyway.”    - “When Rules No Longer Apply.” • Washington Post.    - “A Group Of Prominent Republicans As An Excellent Plan To Fight Climate Change.”    - “A Terrorism Label That Would Hurt More Than Help.”    - “Bowser Should Take A Stand Against DC’s Costly Family Leave Bill.” • Wall Street Journal.    - “Trump’s Judicial Debacle.”    - “Trade Punishment For Trump Voters.”    - “The FCC’s New Life Of Pai.”    - “Merkel On The Ropes.” Big Picture • Headlines From Today’s Front Pages. Washington Schedule • Today’s Events In Washington. AMERICAN pVERSIGHT DOI-18-0489-000037 Last Laughs • Late Night Political Humor. DOI In The News Senate GOP Working On Deal To Confirm Trump Cabinet Before Recess. Politico (2/9) cited “several sources” who said Senate Republicans are pushing “a deal that would lock in votes to confirm the vast majority of President Donald Trump’s Cabinet by the time Congress goes on recess on Feb. 17.” While Democrats “are still publicly resisting,” there are “signs of a thaw, after this week’s battle over Education Secretary Betsy DeVos and Attorney General Jeff Sessions.” After the Senate “remained in session for 57 consecutive hours to confirm those two nominees,” the “collective exhaustion could open the door to negotiations on a broader deal to confirm Trump’s Cabinet.” Protracted battles over the confirmations of Treasury Secretary-designate Steven Mnuchin and Health and Human Services Secretary-designate Rep. Tom Price are expected, but, Politico says, “Some nominees, like Rep. Ryan Zinke’s (RMont.) for interior secretary, Small Business Administration hopeful Linda McMahon and energy secretary nominee Rick Perry, could move relatively smoothly.”         The Hill (2/9, Carney) reports that Sen. John Cornyn said earlier this week that Zinke “could be up as early as next week.” However, “asked about the schedule on Thursday, he demurred.” Cornyn said, “I know everybody’s curious, I am too. Senator McConnell hasn’t indicated what the order will be.”         A New York Times (2/9, Pearce) analysis said the Senate historically “voted with little opposition to confirm a president’s first slate of cabinet nominees,” but as Congress “has become more partisan and quicker to oppose incoming presidents, more nominees have faced contentious confirmation votes.” Trump’s confirmed nominees “have already faced an unprecedented level of opposition.” While “only five first-year nominees have ever received 40 or more ‘no’ votes,” three of them were Trump’s. Murkowski Believes Zinke Will Support Oil Development In Alaska. Coastal Television (AK) (2/9, Athens) reports in the wake of the Obama Administration’s decision to cancel “all Arctic offshore oil lease plans until 2022,” Senator Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) said, “We had a good discussion with the nominee for Secretary of Interior Congressman Ryan Zinke,” and “he is very supportive of accessing America’s energy resources for the benefit of America.” Murkowski added, “I think we will have a Secretary of the Interior and a President that views our energy resources as a positive.” Chaffetz Pressed On Bears Ears Before Town Hall. AM ICAN VERSIGHT DOI-18-0489-000038 The AP (2/9, GOLDEN, PRICE) reports that “hundreds of people lined up early for a town hall” with Rep. Jason Chaffetz on Thursday evening, “many holding signs criticizing the congressman’s push to repeal” the recently designated Bears Ears National Monument. According to the article, “the main complaints among the crowd at a high school in a Salt Lake City suburb were that the Republican is not doing what is best for the state’s natural resources and that he needs to investigate President Donald Trump’s ties to Russia.”         The Deseret (UT) News (2/9, Lockhart) reports that “the frustration of some Utah voters upset with the president — roughly 1,000 of them inside the Brighton High School auditorium, and well over 1,000 people protesting outside the school — reached a fever pitch from the very start of the Utah Republican’s question-andanswer session Thursday.” Chaffertz was frequently interrupted with criticism and boos.         Also, the Salt Lake (UT) Tribune (2/9, Wood, Davidson) reports that Chaffetz during a visit Thursday to the Utah Legislature said that Trump has “brought a refreshing sea change by taking personal interest in Utah issues.” He added that Interior secretarydesignate Ryan Zinke, “hopes to visit San Juan County shortly after his confirmation to talk with people there about Bears Ears.”         Additional coverage was provided by the AP (2/10, GOLDEN, PRICE) and the Provo (UT) Daily Herald (2/9, England). Utah Gov. Herbert Wants Meeting With Outdoor Retailer Show Organizers. The Deseret (UT) News (2/9, O'Donoghue) reports that Utah. Gov. Gary Herbert “said Thursday he is anxious to meet with organizers of the Outdoor Retailer show to detail why Utah remains the best public lands state to host the lucrative convention.” Colorado Gov. John Hickenlooper “said in late January that his state is a better venue to host the shows, which have been staged in Salt Lake City since 1996.” However, Herbert, “during his weekly meeting with reporters, said Colorado is not a better public lands state than Utah, stressing that it has only 4 acres of public land per capita compared with Utah’s more than 12 acres.”         More Companies Withdraw From Outdoor Retailer Trade Show Over Public Lands Issue. Adventure Journal (2/9, Casimiro) reports that on Thursday, four companies announced that they will join “Patagonia in pulling out of the biannual Outdoor Retailer trade show, held in Salt Lake City.” Instead, Arc’teryx will “donate an additional $150,000 over the next three years to the Conservation Alliance’s Public Lands Defense Fund.” Joining Arc’teryx in “boycotting the show” are Peak Design, Kammock, and Power Practical.         Additional coverage was provided by the High Country (CO) News (2/10, Wiles). Rogue Civil Servants Set Up Social Media Accounts. The Salt Lake (UT) Tribune (2/9, Burr) reports that in response to AM ICAN VERSIGHT DOI-18-0489-000039 Trump Administration policies, “scores of unofficial accounts” have been “set up, supposedly by rogue government staffers, to tweet out information that wouldn’t be popular with the sitting president or his advisers.” According to the article, “there are some 80 unofficial accounts and counting, including those for the National Park Service, the Homeland Security and Energy departments, the Environmental Protection Agency and even the White House itself.” The article says that “each claims to be from insiders and promises to speak out if there are attempts to muzzle science-based information or dubious claims from the official, sanctioned socialmedia accounts.” Safari Club Sues Interior, Fish And Wildlife, And National Parks Over Rules Governing Alaska. The Kenai (AK) Peninsula Clarion (2/9, Earl) reports the Safari Club International is suing the US Department of the Interior, the Fish and Wildlife Service and the National Park Service challenging the rules “enacted in 2016 to restrict hunting and trapping practices on national preserves and on national wildlife refuges” in the Kenai National Wildlife Refuge. The suit alleges that the new rules “conflict with the state’s ability to manage wildlife” and with “Alaskans’ ability to hunt and trap.” Edmonton Receives LWCF Grant For Park Improvements. The Glasgow (KY) Daily Times (2/9, Kinslow) reports that the city of Edmonton has been “awarded a $8,500 federal Land and Water Conservation Fund grant.” Edmonton “applied for the grant in April 2016, with hopes of using the grant money, if awarded, for improvements at the Edmonton Memorial Park.” According to Page Edwards, director of the city’s parks and recreation department, “the grant money will be used to purchase new picnic tables for the park, and to reimburse the city for the cost expended for redoing the fence at the park’s softball field.” Additional Coverage Of Impact Of Federal Hiring Freeze On Interior Agencies. Additional coverage of the impact of the federal hiring freeze and the exemption granted by the U.S. Office of Management & Budget and Office of Personnel Management was provided by the Moab (UT) Sun News (2/9, McLaughlin). Trump Urged To Uphold Protections For Clean Water. In an op-ed for the New York Times (2/10, Wood), Chris Wood, president and chief executive of Trout Unlimited, criticizes the decision by Congress to overturn the Stream Protection Rule, “designed to protect streams from the devastating effects of mountaintop removal mining.” Wood says President Trump “can take a first step toward protecting our water resources — and incidentally, earn a place as a conservation champion in the eyes of the nation’s hunters and anglers — by vetoing Congress’s AM ICAN VERSIGHT DOI-18-0489-000040 misguided vote to roll back stream protection.” Wood argues that “smartly regulating mountaintop removal mining at the outset is a lot more cost-effective than trying to repair streams from the ravages of acid mine drainage caused by mining.” Wood hopes that Trump will “demonstrate his concern for clean water and that the members of Congress will prove that they were not simply pandering to America’s 45 million sportsmen and sportswomen during the election, only to ignore our concerns in the new term.” Trump Administration Urged To Protect Public Lands. In an op-ed for the Palm Springs (CA) Desert Sun (2/9, Paull), Robert Paull, a member of the board of the Native American Lands Conservancy, writes that President Donald Trump “has said he wants to follow” President Teddy Roosevelt’s “example and voiced his support for being ‘great stewards’ of our national public lands.” Paull hopes “that President Trump and his nominee for Secretary of the Department of Interior, Rep. Ryan Zinke, will stand against partisan efforts to revoke national monuments and tarnish our great system of public lands.” Instead, he urges them “to unequivocally embrace our shared responsibility to protect America’s parks, monuments and other public lands.” America’s Great Outdoors National Park Service NPS, Project Promise Launch “Every Kid In A Park” Program. The Virgin Islands Consortium (VIR) (2/9) reports that “Project Promise is continuing its partnership with the National Park Service (NPS) to give local students the opportunity to visit and learn about Salt River Bay National Historical Park and Ecological Preserve, Project Promise announced Wednesday.” On Monday, “the two organizations rolled out the ‘Every Kid In A Park’ program focused on getting fourth graders to visit the park.” Project Promise, “through its partnership with the National Park Service, was selected to receive a 2016 field trip grant from the National Park Foundation (NPF), the official charity of America’s national parks, to support Every Kid in a Park at Salt River Bay.”         Additional coverage was provided by Environment Guru (2/9). 10,000 Rounds Of Ammo Stolen At Crater Lake National Park. The Medford (OR) Mail Tribune (2/9, Freeman) reports that National Park Service agents are “offering a $1,000 reward for information leading to the arrest of whoever stole about 10,000 rounds of ammunition last weekend from its park ranger program.” According to park spokeswoman Jennifer Evans, “the ammunition, which was a combination of rifle and handgun bullets, was taken from a building near park headquarters.”         Additional coverage was provided by the AP (2/10) and KTVZTV Bend, OR (2/9, Lerten). AM ICAN VERSIGHT DOI-18-0489-000041 Twenty-year Old NPS Fire Plan Shows Previous Fires Spread In Smokies By Spotting. The Knoxville (TN) News Sentinel (2/9, Jacobs) reports that “despite surprise expressed by officials, winds carrying glowing embers from wildfires a half-mile to spark new flames are nothing new in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park.” The article notes that “the National Park’s fire plan 20 years ago noted documented cases of embers traveling that far.” Drakes Estero Diver Files Allegations Against NPS. The Point Reyes (CA) Light (2/9, Guth) reports that “a diver who worked for the company clearing out the remains of Drakes Bay Oyster Company has made serious allegations against both the company and the National Park Service concerning his payment, the job’s safety protocol, the project’s environmental impacts and more.” However, “several agencies overseeing the rack removal project are pushing back against the allegations and the company hired to do the work has questioned the credibility of the diver, who was fired after filing his complaints.” Matthew Zugsberger, “a former marine and professional diver who lives in Upperlake, sent a letter last month to the United States Department of the Interior and the National Park Foundation detailing his complaints.” The letter, “which followed up on an initial complaint filed in October, asked the Interior Department to conduct a comprehensive investigation.” NPS Completes Review Of Gov. Wolf Building Restoration. The Lehigh Valley (PA) Express Times (2/9, Bresswein) reports that “the redevelopment of the Gov. Wolf Building in Downtown Easton has met the rigorous standards of the National Park Service, U.S. Rep. Matt Cartwright announced.” NPS officials “completed a favorable review of the 1893 building’s rehabilitation and reuse as 50 apartments, said Cartwright.” As a result, “redeveloper Mark Mulligan’s VM Development Co. will receive a 20 percent federal tax credit on qualified expenses, according to Cartwright’s office.” Public Input Sought On NPS Designation For Historic Church’s Future. The Atlanta Journal-Constitution (2/9, Poole) reports that “the public will get to weigh in on whether the historic sanctuary of West Hunter Street Baptist Church should become part of the National Park Service system.” The NPS “hosted free public meetings this month (including this last one on Feb. 9)from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. in the former church’s dining hall) to consider the potential future of the church, once led by civil rights veteran the Rev. Ralph David Abernathy Sr.” Public comments may be submitted through March 31. Traveler On Mission To Visit All NPS Sites. AM ICAN VERSIGHT DOI-18-0489-000042 Voice of America (2/9) reports on national parks traveler Mikah Meyer, “who’s on a mission to visit all of the more than 400 sites within the National Park Service.” Meyer “shared highlights of his experiences in South Carolina, Georgia and Florida with VOA’s Julie Taboh.” Additional Coverage: Yellowstone Sending Hundreds Of Bison To Slaughter. Additional coverage that “federal officials are beginning the annual process of shipping hundreds of wild American bison from Yellowstone National Park to slaughter” was provided by the Huffington Post (2/9, Hanson). Fish and Wildlife Service FWS Delays Listing Rusty Patched Bumble Bee As Endangered. The Washington Post (2/9, Eilperin) reports the US Fish and Wildlife Service “delayed listing the rusty patched bumble bee as endangered” because of “a regulatory freeze” adopted by President Trump. The bee has lost 87 percent of its numbers in the last 20 years, due to “a parasitic fungus carried by commercial bees,” as well as “habitat destruction and pesticide exposure.”         The AP (2/9, Flesher) reports that Fish and Wildlife Assistant Director Gary Frazer “said the move was not expected to impact conservation efforts.” The FWS “is developing a recovery plan to guide efforts to bring this species back to a healthy and secure condition,” Frazer said in a statement.         Coverage by the AP was also picked up by the Detroit (MI) Free Press (2/9), the Sacramento (CA) Bee (2/9, Flesher), the Washington (DC) Post (2/9, John Flesher), the Boston (MA) Globe (2/9, Flesher), the Chicago (IL) Tribune (2/9), Philly (PA) (2/9, Flesher), the Washington (DC) Times (2/9, Flesher), ABC News (2/9, Flesher), the Globe and Mail (CAN) (2/9), and the Daily Mail (2/9, Flesher).         Additional coverage was provided by The Hill (2/9, Devaney), the International Business Times (2/9, Dellinger), U.S. News & World Report (2/9, Flesher), Treehugger (2/9, Breyer), SlashGear (2/9, Burns), The Verge (2/9, Potenza), Vocativ (2/9, Harfenist), and Law360. Trump Urged To Overturn Ammunition And Tackle Ban. The Salem (MO) News (2/9) reports that Rep. Jason Smith “acted as the lead author of a bipartisan letter yesterday along with over 60 of his colleagues to President Trump urging him to revoke a ‘midnight rule’ from the Obama Administration that would ban lead ammunition and fishing tackle from being used on any public lands.” Upon sending the letter, Smith said, “This last minute rule issued by the Obama White House is simply unacceptable. This is exactly the type of regulatory red tape which has been thrown up AM ICAN VERSIGHT DOI-18-0489-000043 by unelected bureaucrats over the last eight years and what the American people soundly rejected last November.”         Additional coverage was provided by Ozark Radio News (MO) (2/9).         Effort To Remove Lead Ammunition Criticized As Abuse Of Administrative State. Rebecca Burgess, of the Program on American Citizenship at the American Enterprise Institute, writes at The Hill (2/9, Burgess) “Pundits Blog” blog, against the decision by US Fish and Wildlife Service Director Dan Ashe to ban “the use of traditional lead ammunition on all federal lands.” She describes the history of federal efforts to get rid of lead in ammunition and fishing tackle, beginning with the 2009 National Park Service “Get–the-Lead-Out!” initiative, followed by an EPA request for public comment on a possible ban on lead in ammunition. In each of these previous cases there was sufficient popular objection, that they were dropped. Continuing Coverage Of Pollution At John Heinz National Wildlife Refuge. The Daily Caller (2/9, Barton) reports that Environmental Protection Agency officials “let pollution threaten a community ‘in the minority’ with limited money and influence for more than 35 years, a local environmental activist said.” Congress ordered the EPA and Fish and Wildlife Services “to study and clean pollution” at the John Heinz National Wildlife Refuge in 1980. But “little waste has been cleaned up since that time and contaminants are still leaking into the Darby Creek, running through the refuge, even though it was made a Superfund site in 2001.” Former FWS Official Sentenced For Ethics Violation. The Idaho Statesman (2/9, Sewell) reports that “a judge on Thursday sentenced a former official of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to three years probation and a $10,000 fine for falsifying reports to conceal a side job he held at an organization that receives funding from the agency.” Stephen M. Barton, “67, of Boise, had waived federal indictment and pleaded guilty Oct. 24 in Boise to one count of making false statements, a felony punishable by up to five years in prison and/or a $250,000 fine.” Ponds Made To Protect Ozark Cave Fish. The AP (2/9, Wood) reports that “a series of ponds being built along Interstate 49 near Lowell aren’t for fishing but rather to protect the blind Ozark cave fish and other sensitive, threatened or endangered creatures living in the Cave Springs recharge area, according to state highway officials.” They were “developed through consultation with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service during an Endangered Species Act consultation process for the I-49 widening project, according to Josh Seagraves, section head over special studies with the Arkansas Highway and Transportation Department.” The basins were “also recommended in a later study AM ICAN VERSIGHT DOI-18-0489-000044 looking at ways to protect the Cave Springs recharge area.” Protestors Demand End To New Mexico’s Blockade On Wolf Releases. The Silver City (NM) Sun-News (2/9) reports that “more than 250 people gathered at the state capitol Wednesday to protest roadblocks Gov. Susana Martinez has erected to saving endangered Mexican gray wolves from extinction.” The protesters “called on the governor to allow wolf releases from captivity into the wild to address the lack of unrelated mates.” Yellow Cedar Tree In Decline. WBUR-FM Boston (2/9, Jenkins) reports that yellow cedars are “declining” and “scientists say that’s mostly due to the planet heating up.” The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has “been petitioned to put yellow cedar on the endangered species list.” However, “it’s unclear if that listing will ever happen.” Bureau of Land Management Trial Begins Of Six Men In Standoff At Cliven Bundy’s Ranch. The AP (2/9, Ritter) reports on the trial of six men who went to Cliven Bundy’s Nevada ranch in April 2014, and who the government says are “insurrectionist lawbreakers” who were willing to “do whatever it takes” to prevent Bureau of Land Management agents from taking Bundy’s cattle. The defense argued they were “patriotic citizens and peacemakers” who may have carried rifles, but as in the case of Gregory Burleson, his attorney argued, “at no time did he point a weapon at anyone. At no time did he participate in any illegal activity.” Burleson and the others – Eric Parker, Orville Scott Drexler, Steven Stewart, Todd Engel, and Richard Lovelien – are all being charged with “conspiracy, firearm offenses and assault on a federal officer.” The Arizona Republic (2/9, Anglen) reports Judge Gloria Navarro ordered the prosecutors “to turn over an investigative report accusing a key government witness of wrongdoing.” Navarro said they must release “an unredacted copy” of report from the Department of Interior’s Office of the Inspector General.         Additional coverage was provided by TIME (2/9), Reuters (2/9, Smith), the Chicago (IL) Tribune (2/9, Ritter), the Albuquerque (NM) Journal (2/9, Ritter), the Arizona Republic (2/9), Oregon Public Broadcasting (2/9, Ritter), KSL-TV Salt Lake City (UT) Salt Lake City (2/9, Ritter), and WALB-TV Albany (GA) Albany, GA (2/9, Ritter). BLM Purchases Dotsero Landing Recreation Site. The AP (2/9) reports that the Bureau of Land Management has “purchased a recreation site on the Upper Colorado River from Eagle County.” The bureau used $526,000 from the Federal Land and Water Conservation Fund to acquire the Dotsero Landing AM ICAN VERSIGHT DOI-18-0489-000045 Recreation Site from Eagle County Open Space. According to the article, “key access points like Dotsero Landing help distribute recreational use throughout the area, reducing crowding and impacts on the environment.”         Additional coverage was provided by the Aspen (CO) Daily News (2/9). BLM, Wexner Land Swap On Hold. The AP (2/9) reports that “a land swap between the Bureau of Land Management and a billionaire retail magnate in western Colorado is on hold for now.” The bureau “planned to close the deal with Leslie Wexner, the owner of Victoria’s Secret and Bath and Body Works, and his wife Abigail Thursday.” However, “the agency’s appeals board temporarily blocked it from going through so it can review objections that the BLM underestimated the worth of the land.”         Additional coverage was provided by the Glenwood Springs (CO) Post Independent (2/9, Summerlin) and Aspen Public Radio (CO) (2/9, Stewart-Severy). Utah County Sues BLM Over Wild Horses. The Salt Lake (UT) Tribune (2/9, Maffly) reports that “wranglers for the U.S. Bureau of Land Management completed a roundup of 655 wild horses from Utah’s West Desert in late January, but the agency’s decision to return dozens back to the range has prompted a lawsuit from Beaver County.” In the suit filed Monday in U.S. District Court, the county’s attorneys claim the BLM is “shirking its legal duty under the Wild Free-Roaming Horses and Burros Act of 1971 to keep horse populations below certain thresholds, known as ‘appropriate management levels,’ or AMLs, and degrading the range and displacing livestock in the process.” The county “seeks an order to remove ‘all excess’ horses, arguing that the BLM’s plan could result in up to $1.1 million in ‘opportunity costs’ to the local economy.” BLM Holds Forum On Gold Butte Designation As National Monument. The Las Vegas Review-Journal (2/9, Brean) reports on a public forum held Thursday by the Bureau of Land Management regarding the establishment of Gold Butte as a national monument, which happened December 28 of last year. About 150 people came to the meeting. BLM field manager Gayle Marrs-Smith told the meeting that the “more than 600 miles of designated roads” in the monument “will stay open.” She also said that the proclamation President Obama signed, is “consistent with the on-the-ground management that has been going on for the last almost 20 years.” The area is also “the site of the long-simmering public land dispute involving rancher Cliven Bundy” and some of his “relatives and supporters were in attendance.” AM ICAN VERSIGHT DOI-18-0489-000046 Securing America’s Energy Future Offshore Energy Development Exxon Seeks To Intervene In California Coastal Fracking, Acidizing Suits. Law360 (2/9, Lidgett) reports that Exxon Mobil Corp. “sought Wednesday to intervene in two lawsuits challenging an environmental assessment by two U.S. Department of the Interior divisions that would allow acid well stimulation and fracking off Southern California’s coastline, saying the company has invested significant resources in exploration and development in the area.” Onshore Energy Development ETP Starts Construction On Pipeline Despite Legal Challenge. Reuters (2/9, Sylvester, Hampton) reports Energy Transfer Partners LP said it has started drilling under Lake Oahe despite a legal challenge from the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe. The tribe filed a court challenge on Thursday seeking a temporary restraining order to halt construction, but legal experts say the tribe is unlikely to convince any court to stop ETP. Spokeswoman Vicki Granado said, “We have started to drill to go beneath Lake Oahe and expect to be completed in 60 days with another 23 days to fill the line to Patoka.” CNN (2/9, Almasy) reports the tribe said in a statement, “The Trump administration may have announced termination of the EIS, but that will not go unchallenged. This administration has expressed utter and complete disregard for not only our treaty and water rights, but the environment as a whole.” The Hill (2/9, Cama) reports the Cheyenne River Sioux Tribe asked federal court in Washington DC to block the easement and issue a restraining order to stop construction. The tribe said in court, “The granting of the easement and resulting construction activity violates the tribe’s and its members’ constitutional rights, and will result in immediate and irreparable harm to the tribe and its members before this court will be able to rule on the merits of this claim.” The Los Angeles Times (2/9, Yardley) reports construction started less than 24 hours after the final easement was granted. ETP said it expects to have $2.6 billion in loans for project “within the next several days.” The pipeline is expected to be fully operational before June. The AP (2/9) reports North Dakota Governor Doug Burgum urged “cooperation and restraint” from all parties, and requested federal law enforcement help during construction. Protesters rallied in several cities on Wednesday against the decision to grant the easement. The Huffington Post (2/9, Abbey-Lambertz) reports protesters gathered outside the White House on Wednesday to voice objections to the project. The Standing Rock Sioux are planning a Native Nations march in Washington next month as part of the protest against the pipeline.         The AP (2/9, Glass), NPR (2/9), TIME (2/9) also provided AM ICAN VERSIGHT DOI-18-0489-000047 coverage.         Bloomberg News (2/9, Vamburkar) reports when granting the executive order, President Trump noted it was “subject to terms and conditions to be negotiated by us,” but the project was approved with no-strings attached. Trump also directed the Commerce Secretary to lead a study to look into building the pipelines with US made steel, but ETP has not commented on whether the remaining section of the pipeline was US-sourced. The Dallas Morning News (2/9) reports Trump’s demand that infrastructure projects be built with US steel may violate international trade law. Companies say they already try to maximize the use of US products, so it is unclear what practices would change. Further, demanding companies use American products may violate WTO rules that say countries cannot discriminate against foreign companies and productions. In addition, it contradicts the “usual GOP desire to leave business free of government interference.”         Five Protesters Arrested For Torching Bridge In October. The Washington Times (2/9, Richardson) reports five Dakota Access pipeline activists have been indicted on federal charges stemming from the October 27 confrontation in which activists set fire to a bridge in order to stop authorities from reaching the protest camp. The five men, identified by aerial photography, are charged with setting barricades made of “stacked logs, fallen trees, tires and other miscellaneous items” on fire. An affidavit by ATF special agent Derek J. Hill said that once protesters were notified law enforcement was approaching, “several protesters made their way to the County Road 134 Bridge and began to pour gasoline on the barricades. Approximately three barricades were constructed on the west side of the bridge. The barricades were set on fire and these fires resulted in law enforcement having to stop their forward movement.” Three of the five men charged with civil disorder and using fire to commit a federal crime are still at large. Gosar’s Bill Would Make It Easier To Drill On National Park Lands. Inquisitr (2/9, Cotton) reports Rep. Paul A. Gosar has proposed a resolution that would “make it easier for companies with rights to resources that partially exist beneath national parks to start drilling on national park lands.” At present it is up to the National Park to decide whether the drilling can go forward. Utah County May Oppose Oil And Gas Drilling Near Zion National Park. The AP (2/9) reports Washington County commissioners may “oppose a proposal to lease public lands for oil and gas drilling” near to Zion National Park. The commission may vote to urge the Bureau of Land Management “to ensure any leases wouldn’t negatively affect tourism, traffic or water resources.” AM ICAN VERSIGHT DOI-18-0489-000048 Interior Finds West Virginia Not Enforcing Laws Governing Coal Mining. The AP (2/9) reports the Department of Interior’s Office of Surface Mining Reclamation Enforcement conducted a three year investigation finding the West Virginia Department of Environmental Protection “has failed numerous times to enforce state rules governing the coal-mining industry.” BLM Requests Comment On Analysis Of Wind River/Bighorn Basin District Part Of Oil And Gas Lease Sale. The Riverton (WY) Ranger (2/8) reports the Bureau of Land Management has requested public comment through February 16 on “analysis of the Wind River/Bighorn Basin District portion of the August 2017 competitive oil and gas lease sale.” Protesters Attend Meeting On Proposed Pipeline Under Potomac. The AP (2/9, Dishneau) reports that “environmental activists crowded a TransCanada open house Thursday in western Maryland, blocking access to displays about the company’s proposed pipeline beneath the Potomac River to carry natural gas from Pennsylvania to West Virginia.” Protest leaders vowed “a sustained campaign against the project, planned by the same Canadian energy company behind the disputed Keystone XL oil pipeline.” The article notes that “the project will require permits from the state of Maryland, which owns the Potomac, and the National Park Service since the pipeline also would run beneath the Chesapeake and Ohio Canal National Historical Park.” U.S. Chamber Targets BLM’s Planning 2.0, Gas Venting And Flaring Rules. The Grand Junction (CO) Daily Sentinel (2/10, Harmon) reports that Congress should “get rid of” the Bureau of Land Management’s “Planning 2.0” rule and rules on venting and flaring natural gas, a representative of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce said. Christopher Guith, senior vice president at the U.S. Chamber’s Institute for 21st Century Energy, “urged about 50 people at the Grand Junction Area Chamber of Commerce energy briefing on Wednesday to contact Colorado’s U.S. senators, Republican Cory Gardner and Democrat Michael Bennet, to urge them to vote to repeal the regulations under the Congressional Review Act.” BLM Oil, Gas Lease Sale Nets Over $129 Million. KAML-FM Gillette, WY (2/7) reports that the Bureau of Land Management “generated $129.3 million for leasing rights on parcels offered at the BLM’s quarterly federal oil and gas lease auction on February 7, in Cheyenne.” The lease sale “included 285 parcels from the BLM’s High Plains and Wind River Bighorn Basin Districts.” AM ICAN Republicans Criticized For Stopping Stream Protection Rule. VERSIGHT DOI-18-0489-000049 The Winona (MN) Daily News (2/9) carries an editorial from the St. Louis Post-Dispatch criticizing Republicans in the House and Senate for “dismantling” the Stream Protection Rule, which means that “companies will face fewer hurdles dumping mine waste into streams and rivers.” The paper says, “Republicans made trashing the planet in defense of a dying industry their first priority. Nice.” The Henderson (KY) Gleaner (2/9) also criticizes the Republicans for getting rid of the rule, saying it will allow the coal industry “to further pollute Kentucky’s water with more tons of toxin-laden leftovers from surface mining.”         MinnPost (MN) (2/9, Meador) criticizes the Republican Congress for overturning environmental regulations, arguing that they are acting “to deliver for their donors.” Author Says Appalachia Needs Clean Energy Jobs, Not Coal Job Promises. Author Alison Stine writes in a commentary for Reuters (2/9) about the economic and social hardship of coal’s decline in Southeastern Ohio. President Trump’s promise to bring back coal jobs “feels hollow in a place where coal died a generation or more ago.” Stine argues that instead of promises, “new jobs need to come here, new clean energy technologies.” Companies “need to trust Appalachians to call upon the resourcefulness, self-sufficiency, ingenuity and altruism that have always guided this part of the country.” Trump, ,she says, offers “false hope.” Renewable Energy Court Hears Arguments Against Offshore Wind Lease Sale Off Cost Of Long Island. North American Windpower (2/9, Lillian) reports on a court hearing in which “fishing communities, associations and businesses” were arguing in US District Court in Washington, DC, “against an offshore wind lease sale off the coast of Long Island, N.Y.” The lease was awarded by the US Bureau of Ocean Energy Management to Statoil “for $42.5 million.” Opponents argued the lease would interfere with the scallop and squid fisheries in the area.         Additional coverage was provided by Windpower Engineering & Development (2/9, Dvorak) and reNews (2/9). California Gov. Brown Wants Trump To Help Fund Eagle Mountain Hydropower Project. The Palm Springs (CA) Desert Sun (2/9, Roth) reports that California Gov. Jerry Brown wants President Trump to help fund the Eagle Mountain hydropower project. According to the article, “Brown’s office included the Eagle Mountain proposal on a list of 50 priority infrastructure projects it submitted to the National Governors Association this week, to be considered for federal funding as President Trump looks to fulfill his campaign promise of a $1-trillion infrastructure package.” AM ICAN VERSIGHT DOI-18-0489-000050 Wind Power Overtakes Hydroelectric In Generating Capacity In 2016. According to the New York Times (2/9, Cardwell), the wind power industry has tripled capacity since 2008, surpassing the generating capacity of the hydroelectric industry in 2016, says the American Wind Energy Association. The Times presents the caveat that hydroelectric may still lead as far as actual power production. Nuclear plants are reportedly nearly three times more efficient than hydroelectric and wind plants, according to 2015 data from the Energy Information Administration. Empowering Native American Communities American Indian Leaders Testify To Lack Of Federal Help During Disasters. Courthouse News (2/9, Buchman) reports on a hearing by the US Senate Committee on Indian Affairs, at which Robert Holden, deputy director at the National Congress of American Indians, testified, as did Russell Begaye, president of the Navajo Nation. Begaye focused on the Gold King Mine spill in which the EPA spilled toxic water into the Animas River, has refused to pay for any damages, meanwhile urging other federal agencies not to help, and according to Begaye neither FEMA, nor HHS, nor the USDA provided any aid. Michael Chavarria, governor of the Santa Clara Pueblo in New Mexico, described “similar frustrations with FEMA” in which while there was “some engagement from FEMA” yet “the relief feels short lived.” Denham Sponsors Bill To Create Reservation For Lytton Rancheria. The Santa Rosa (CA) Press Democrat (2/9, Mason) reports the Sonoma County tribe of Lytton Pomos is now working with Rep. Jeff Denham (R-CA) “to create a reservation for the Lytton Rancheria.” Denham has sponsored the Lytton Rancheria Homeland Act of 2017 and has “received more than $68,000 from the Lytton tribe and its San Pablo Casino over the past year.” Tackling America’s Water Challenges Supporters Of Brown’s Water Plan Now “Cautiously Upbeat.” The Brentwood (CA) Press (2/9, Hunt) reports that friends of Gov. Brown’s plan for “two massive tunnels and reset water-pumping operations in the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta are cautiously upbeat” even though “relations between the federal government and the state of California [are] close to the breaking point.” The Press points out that in addition to the tunnels and water pumping, there is supposed to be “a habitat-conservation component” but that was designed “separately” and it is not known what that plan AM ICAN VERSIGHT DOI-18-0489-000051 is and “when and how it will be implemented.” BOR To Release Klamath Water Pulse Friday. The Klamath Falls (OR) Herald And News (2/9) reports that the Bureau of Reclamation will “increase flows below Iron Gate Dam in California to reduce the risk of disease for coho salmon in the Klamath River.” The article notes that “the releases are in response to a federal court order and lawsuit filed by downstream tribes and environmental groups.” On Wednesday, U.S. District Judge William H. Orrick ordered the BOR to implement “winter-spring flushing flows designed to dislodge and flush out polychaete worms that host C. shasta.” US Urged To Agree On Large Infrastructure Investments For Water And Irrigation. Dan Keppen, executive director of the Family Farm Alliance, and Laura Ziemer, senior water counsel for Trout Unlimited, write in The Hill (2/9, Ziemer, Keppen) “Congress” blog, that “both parties agree on...the need for large infrastructure investments on roads, bridges and other systems.” They argue that “Western water and irrigation systems” would benefit from “modernization.” Walters: Brown Seeking Money From Trump For Train. Dan Walters writes in his column in the Sacramento (CA) Bee (2/9, Walters), on California Gov. Jerry Brown’s (D) State of the State address.in which he said the state can work with President Trump on “roads and tunnels and railroads and even a dam.” Walters points out that the Obama Administration had already given the state “a few billion dollars” which California was “was supposed to match, but hasn’t yet, thanks to a waiver.” Now Brown is seeking “more.” Top National News Trump Vows To Keep Fighting For Immigration Policy After Court Declines To Reinstate Order. A three judge panel of the US Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit unanimously ruled in a 29-page decision on Thursday not to reinstate President Trump’s executive order that temporarily suspends immigration from seven countries. Media coverage – including more than a combined eight minutes on the three broadcast networks – characterizes the decision as a significant defeat for the White House and highlights President Trump’s response. Reporting also describes the ruling as only the next step in a process that is likely to end at the Supreme Court. There was little additional analysis, with the majority of coverage recapping the events that occurred prior to Thursday’s ruling.         The CBS Evening News (2/9, lead story, 2:15, Pelley) reported that the panel “reject[ed] the Administration’s arguments AM ICAN VERSIGHT DOI-18-0489-000052 that it should reinstate that travel ban while the courts considered whether or not it was in fact constitutional.” The New York Daily News (2/9, Edelman) says the ruling is “a huge victory for opponents” of Trump’s order as the argument in front of the appeals court “had been the greatest legal challenge yet to the ban.” Jonathan Karl reported on ABC World News Tonight (2/9, lead story, 3:45, Muir) that the decision “is a big setback for the White House and a decision that will outrage” Trump. The ruling, according to the Washington Post (2/9, Zapotosky), means that “previously barred refugees and citizens from seven Muslimmajority countries can continue entering the US.”         Reuters (2/9, Levine, Rosenberg) reports that Trump’s initial response came “shortly after” the ruling was announced, when he tweeted, “SEE YOU IN COURT, THE SECURITY OF OUR NATION IS AT STAKE!” After he “lashed out” on Twitter, The Hill (2/9, Fabian) says, Trump spoke to reporters in the West Wing and called the ruling “a political decision.” Trump said he had not yet addressed the issue with Attorney General Sessions, “but predicted the administration would ultimately prevail.” The Wall Street Journal (2/9, Barrett, Kendall) quotes Trump as saying, “This is just a decision that came down, but we’re going to win the case.”         The New York Times (2/9, Liptak) reports the ruling “was focused on the narrow question of whether it should be blocked while courts consider its lawfulness” and the Wall Street Journal (2/9, Palazzolo) phrases the question being decided as whether District Court Judge James Robart abused his discretion by temporarily freezing Trump’s order. Roll Call (2/9) reports the court found that at this “very preliminary stage,” the Administration did not convince it of two legal points: that not implementing the order immediately would cause injury to the White House and the government is likely to succeed on the merits of the case. The Washington Times (2/9, Dinan) says the court “said the administration bungled the writing of the Jan. 27 executive order by making it too broad, and botched its legal defense in court” by not presenting evidence that the people targeted by the policy have conducted attacks in the US. The court wrote, according to the Los Angeles Times (2/9, Dolan, Kaleem), that the federal government “has not shown a likelihood of success on the merits of its appeal, nor has it shown that failure to enter a stay would cause irreparable injury.” The court said that “by contrast,” according to McClatchy (2/9, Doyle), “the states have offered ample evidence that if the Executive Order were reinstated even temporarily, it would substantially injure the states and multiple other parties.”         The Washington Examiner (2/9) says the court “ripped the Justice Department for arguing that Trump’s immigration action was not subject to judicial review. The court said, “There is no precedent to support this claimed unreviewability, which runs contrary to the fundamental structure of our constitutional democracy.” The Huffington Post (2/9, Farias) says the court indicated that the judicial branch has a role in safeguarding □ AM ICAN VERSIGHT DOI-18-0489-000053 people’s rights. The court said that while the Supreme Court has indicated “deference to the national security determinations of the political branches,” it “has made clear that the Government’s authority and expertise in [such] matters do not automatically trump the Court’s own obligation to secure the protection that the Constitution grants to individuals, even in times of war.” AFP (2/9) – in a story that Breitbart runs under the banner “Inevitable: Leftwing Ninth Circuit Blocks Trump Security Exec Order – reports that the court “said aspects of the public interest favored both sides, highlighting the ‘massive attention’ the case had drawn.” The court wrote that the public “has a powerful interest in national security and in the ability” of the President “to enact policies,” but also in “free flow of travel, in avoiding separation of families, and in freedom from discrimination.”         NBC Nightly News (2/9, lead story, 2:10, Holt) reported “the courtroom wrangling is just beginning,” as USA Today (2/9, Wolf, Gomez) says the “quick decision” could “lead to a showdown at the Supreme Court” unless the White House alters the order or seeks to try the case in front of the judge in Seattle who halted enforcement of the action last week. Washington State Attorney General Bob Ferguson said on MSNBC’s Rachel Maddow Show (2/9), “It’s a unanimous ruling and we could not have written a better ruling. The court essentially granted everything we wanted at this stage of the proceedings.” When asked “what happens next?” Ferguson said it’s “up to the federal government.”         Politico (2/9, Gerstein) reports “the prospects for such an appeal” to the High Court “are uncertain due in part to the high court being short a justice and split evenly between Democratic and Republican appointed justices.” According to the AP (2/9, Thanawala), Trump’s nominee to fill the ninth spot on the court – Judge Neil Gorsuch – “could not be confirmed in time to take part in any consideration of the ban.” Bloomberg Politics (2/9, Mehrotra) reports that a spokesman said the Justice Department is considering its options. Bloomberg adds that a White House official indicated that its attorneys are reviewing the decision and do not plan an immediate comment other than Trump’s tweet.         Kellyanne Conway said on Fox News’ First 100 Days (2/9, MacCallum), “You see the President’s initial reaction in his tweet. He said we’ll see you in court. And the nation’s safety is at risk. That’s what this has always been about from the beginning, keeping the country safe. It’s not just a promise he made as a candidate, it’s his duty and responsibility as president of the United States and commander-in-chief.”         Chris Cillizza writes for the Washington Post (2/9) that the court’s decision “ended” Trump’s “18-month winning streak,” referring to the President’s success during the election campaign. The New York Post (2/9, Fredericks, Halper) reports the Democratic Party “immediately seized the ruling for political gain.” Interim DNC Chairwoman Donna Brazile called the ruling “a massive blow to the White House.” Brazile added, “President Trump still lacks the □ AM ICAN VERSIGHT DOI-18-0489-000054 judgment to see the pointless chaos and harm he has caused – our courts, thankfully, do not. We are confident this ruling will stand.”         Merits Of Decision Debated. Sen. Cory Booker said on MSNBC’s Hardball (2/9, Matthews), “This is a good day for the United States of America because we’re continuing to assert the reality that Donald Trump doesn’t seem to want to accept, that he’s not above the law, that he can’t just unchecked do bans like this, and ultimately, in my opinion, make our country less safe and not more. … These are seven countries that he picked in which we have not since 1975 had Americans being killed by a terrorist act from someone coming in as a refugee or coming in to become a citizen of this country. It’s just not happening.” Sen. Ben Cardin said on MSNBC’s For The Record (2/9, Van Susteren), “I think it shows the checks and balances in our system will work. Obviously, this executive order, many thought it made this nation less safe. I’ve talked to world leaders who told me it’ll be a recruitment tool by the terrorists. So the courts have ruled, and they have blocked it from going forward. But that’s important for the executive order itself, but it also shows that President Trump, who has the propensity to issue a lot of executive orders, that his power is not unlimited.”         However, Rep. Peter King said on CNN’s Situation Room (2/9, Blitzer) that “the Constitution and statutes clearly give this power to the President.” Alan Dershowitz expressed a similar position on MSNBC’s Hardball (2/9, Matthews), saying it “looks like it’s based more on policy than on constitutionality.” Charles Krauthammer called the decision “disgraceful” on Fox News’ Tucker Carlson Tonight (2/9, Carlson), saying the court “substituted their judgment as to what constitutes a threat to American security for the President’s.” The Wall Street Journal (2/9) editorializes that the immigration order has become an opportunity for the judiciary to restrict the power of the political branches to carry out foreign policy. The Journal says that it still opposes the policy that the order represents, but the court’s decision causes concern about judicial overreach.         Former DNI Clapper, Sen. Shaheen: Order Will Be Used For Jihadist Propaganda. CNN’s Situation Room (2/9) reported former DNI James Clapper told CNN “that he doesn’t know of any threat warranting the President’s executive order,” reportedly adding that ISIS will use the order “as propaganda.” Jim Sciutto said that Clapper called the order “unnecessary” and “damaging.” Clapper claimed the vetting process in place before Trump took office was already effective.         Prior to the news of the court’s ruling, Sen. Jeanne Shaheen, a member of the Foreign Relations and Armed Services Committees, told CNN’s Situation Room (2/9) that she doesn’t believe the order is “good policy” because the “people who we want to help us in this fight against terrorism are the people who are going to be turned off by this order. And what we’re seeing already □ □ □ □ AM ICAN VERSIGHT DOI-18-0489-000055 is that ISIS and other terrorist groups are using it as a recruiting tool.”         Langford: Executive Order Not A “Muslim Ban.” Sen. James Langford told CNN’s Situation Room (2/9) that while Trump’s order is “labeled as a Muslim ban, it’s not,” because the countries included on the list are “countries where there is concern of terrorism, war, or no functioning government.” He added that there is also a “high level of risk” for terrorism, and cited the situation “in Europe right now [where] individuals from ISIS are traveling with refugees.”         WSJournal Analysis: Ruling Could Empower Tech Companies To Continue Fighting Order. The Wall Street Journal (2/9, Nicas) reports the decision could empower the tech companies who have fought against Trump’s order to continue their efforts. The Journal notes that nearly 130 companies, mostly from the tech industry, had taken a public position against the order with a joint legal filing that argued the policy is unconstitutional and hurts their businesses.         Krauthammer: “Core Idea” Of Order “Makes Sense,” But Restrictions “Unnecessary And Damaging.” In his Washington Post (2/9) column, Krauthammer says that even if Trump’s order “is ultimately vindicated in the courts (as is likely), that doesn’t change the fact that it makes for lousy policy.” Krauthammer argues that “the core idea makes sense,” but “the moratorium was unnecessary and damaging” with the sole purpose of “fulfill[ing] an ill-considered campaign promise.” Krauthammer adds the policy “caused enormous disruption without making us any safer.” □ Trump Says Blumenthal Misrepresented Gorsuch’s Comments. President Trump on Thursday accused Sen. Richard Blumenthal of misrepresenting Judge Neil Gorsuch’s comment from a day earlier when the lawmaker quoted the Supreme Court nominee as saying the President’s criticism of the judiciary was “disheartening” and “demoralizing.” Media coverage – including more than six minutes on the three broadcast networks – treats the President’s criticism negatively, saying that the disputed comments from Gorsuch were confirmed by a spokesman and other lawmakers.         The New York Times (2/9, Savage, Weisman) says White House adviser Ron Bonjean’s confirmation that Gorsuch made the statement “wasn’t enough to stop the president from going after Mr. Blumenthal where it hurt.” The Washington Post (2/9, Wagner) reports that Trump “lashed out” at Blumenthal in a tweet that “tried to question [his] credibility.” The President referred to Blumenthal’s 2010 “acknowledgment” when he was the attorney general of Connecticut that “he had misspoken about having served in Vietnam” despite never having been to war. Trump tweeted, according to the Los Angeles Times (2/9, Bennett, Bennett), “Richard Blumenthal, who never fought in Vietnam when he said for years he had (major lie), now misrepresents what Judge Gorsuch told him?” AM ICAN VERSIGHT DOI-18-0489-000056         The Washington Times (2/9, Boyer) reports that Trump repeated the criticism of Blumenthal later in the day during a White House meeting with Democrats. Trump said Gorsuch’s “comments were misrepresented and what you should do is ask Sen. Blumenthal about his Vietnam record which didn’t exist.” Trump added, the AP (2/9, Werner, Thomas) says, that Blumenthal “misrepresented that just like he misrepresented Judge Gorsuch.”         NBC Nightly News (2/9, story 3, 2:20, Holt) reported the White House “now insists he was speaking generally” and Reuters (2/9, Chiacu, Heavey, Cowan) says White House press secretary Sean Spicer said that Gorsuch was not commenting specifically about Trump’s statements. The Hill (2/9, Fabian) reports former Sen. Kelly Ayotte – who is Gorsuch’s “sherpa” on Capitol Hill – similarly said in a statement that the nominee had told Blumenthal and other senators “that he finds any criticism of a judge’s integrity and independence disheartening and demoralizing.” Ayotte added that Gorsuch was talking about attacks on judges in general, rather than a specific case. USA Today (2/9, Jackson) reports that Ayotte added that Gorsuch has made clear in his meetings with senators that “he could not comment on any specific cases and that judicial ethics prevent him from commenting on political matters.” The Washington Times (2/9, Sherfinski) reports Sen. Ben Sasse told MSNBC on Thursday that Gorsuch “relayed to him in a private meeting that he was dismayed” about the President’s comments about the judge who temporarily halted the immigration executive order. The CBS Evening News (2/9, story 3, 1:30, Pelley) showed Sasse saying, “He got a little bit emotional and he said that any attack, or any criticism, of his ‘brothers and sisters of the robe,’ is an attack or a criticism on everybody wearing the robe as a judge.”         ABC World News Tonight (2/9, story 2, 3:05, Muir) reported that Blumenthal defended his characterization of Gorsuch’s comments, and the Washington Times (2/9, Sherfinski) says the senator indicated the judge should repeat the statement in public. The Times indicates that Blumenthal said during an appearance on CNN, “Colleagues heard the same thing in their private meeting, and I believe Judge Gorsuch – more than just saying it behind closed doors – needs to publicly condemn these attacks.” Blumenthal, according to the Wall Street Journal (2/9, Reinhard), also noted that a spokesman for Gorsuch had confirmed the remarks.         The Washington Times (2/9, Dinan) reports that Senate Minority Leader Schumer also said it is not enough “to whisper in a closed room, behind closed doors.” Schumer added, “You can’t just assert I’m an independent person. You have to show examples.” The Times says the Democratic National Committee “went even further” by saying the judge’s comments were a ploy by the White House. DNC adviser Zac Petkanas said, “This is clearly a meaningless White House orchestrated attempt to help Judge Gorsuch pretend he won’t be a rubber stamp for the Trump administration.” □ □ AM ICAN VERSIGHT DOI-18-0489-000057         However, the Washington Post (2/9, Sullivan, Costa) reports that “mixed signals” from Senate Democrats are “a sign that the judge’s comments could attract some badly needed Democratic support.” Sen. Dianne Feinstein, according to the Post, said she “appreciated” Gorsuch’s comments and felt the judge was “being truthful as to how he felt about it.”         Trump Urges Moderate Democrats To Support Gorsuch. USA Today (2/9, Groppe, Collins) reports that during the White House meeting, Trump also urged moderate Democrats to support his nomination of Gorsuch, “suggesting...that the only reason not to would be politics.” Trump said that some Democrats have told him that they like Gorsuch “very much,” but added that he believes “perhaps they’re not going to vote for him” due to politics. Trump continued, “I think that’s a shame because that’s not being honest. That’s one of the reasons that our country is in stagnation in so many different forms and so many different ways.”         Conway: Focus On “Mutual Respect” Between Trump, Gorsuch. Kellyanne Conway said on Fox News’ First 100 Days (2/9, MacCallum) that the focus should be on the “mutual respect” that Trump and Gorsuch have for each other and “to recognize that on a list of 21 highly qualified men and women, Judge Gorsuch is the one that President Trump himself chose to be his first nominee and that speaks for itself.”         Collins, Barrasso Say Gorsuch Would Be Independent Judge, Uphold Law. The Washington Times (2/9, Sherfinski) reports Sen. Susan Collins on Thursday said she’s “certainly impressed” with Gorsuch and is confident that he will be an independent judge. However, Collins said she will wait for his confirmation hearing before making a decision on whether to support the nomination. Collins said that during her meeting with Gorsuch, the nominee “clearly outlined his respect for the judiciary – his willingness to be a check on the executive branch.”         Sen. John Barrasso said on CNN’s Wolf (2/9, Blitzer) that Gorsuch “understands that the Constitution is where we need to be.” Barrasso added, “And that he is somebody that’s going to apply the law, not try to rewrite or re-create the law. So I’m with him all the way.” □ Conway Comments On Ivanka Trump’s Products Raise Ethical Questions. The ethical questions stemming from presidential counselor Kellyanne Conway’s call for TV audiences to purchase Ivanka Trump’s products are the subject of heavy media attention, including more than seven minutes of coverage on the network news broadcasts and extensive print and online reporting. Coverage is almost universally negative, with most reports suggesting Conway may have violated federal law and many questioning whether she will face discipline given what they see as President Trump’s apparent support for her remarks.         The Los Angeles Times (2/9, Bierman) says Conway’s AM ICAN VERSIGHT DOI-18-0489-000058 “endorsement” raised “ethical and legal questions, giving the appearance that she was using the White House to further the Trump family’s commercial interests,” while the New York Daily News (2/9, Jagannathan) says Conway’s comments “appeared to violate federal law” and the New York Times (2/9, Pérez-Peña, Abrams) says Conway “may have violated federal ethics rules,” according to “legal experts.” The Wall Street Journal (2/9, Kapner) likewise cites ethics experts who said Conway’s comments were likely a violation of ethics rules, while Reuters (2/9, Heavey) says Conway “drew sharp criticism and complaints” over the comments.         Lester Holt on NBC Nightly News (2/9, story 2, 2:30, Holt) described a “firestorm surrounding” Conway, and correspondent Peter Alexander said the White House has offered “few details about possible consequences for Conway.” Sen. Cory Booker said on CNN’s The Lead (2/9, Tapper) that the law “says very explicitly that you cannot use your position to endorse merchandise or try to sell merchandise. It’s clearly what she did. She clearly broke the law.” Booker added that it “speaks to a much larger issue which I think most Americans should be very, very concerned about. It’s the fact that we still are now two, three weeks into the presidency and Donald Trump has not removed himself from his businesses.”         The New York Times (2/9, Board) expresses a similar view in an editorial, saying Conway’s endorsement was “cartoonishly crass, but perhaps not surprising, considering the example set by the president himself.” Her remarks “plainly violated federal ethics regulations,” but whatever happens to her, “the deeper concern here is over the administration’s insistence on treating the White House as a wholly-owned subsidiary of the Trump Organization.” On CNN’s The Lead (2/9), Jake Tapper asked “So when did the White House Briefing Room become QVC?”         The Washington Post (2/9, A1, Harwell, Hamburger, Helderman) reports in a front-page story that White House press secretary Sean Spicer said Thursday that Conway “has been counseled” about her comments, but offered no additional detail. According to legal experts, Conway broke “a key ethics law banning federal employees from using their public office to endorse products.” Her comments also drew fire from House Oversight committee chairman Jason Chaffetz who said her endorsement was “clearly over the line” and “unacceptable,” and ranking Democrat Elijah Cummings, who called them “a textbook violation of government ethics laws” and “urged Chaffetz to support a review.” Chaffetz, the AP (2/9, Bykowicz, Condon) reports, argued that the White House counseling Conway is insufficient, and said “It needs to be dealt with.” The AP notes that this the “first time during the young administration that Chaffetz has questioned an ethical matter.”         The Washington Times (2/9, Sherfinski) says Conway earned “a strong rebuke from the House oversight committee chairman,” and reports that Chaffetz and Cummings “plan to jointly write to □ □ AM ICAN VERSIGHT DOI-18-0489-000059 the White House and the Office of Government Ethics (OGE) on the matter.” ABC World News Tonight (2/9, story 3, 2:35, Muir) showed Chaffetz saying, “I want to make sure it’s dealt with swiftly, and completely and that this is not a routine pattern out of White House.”         The Hill (2/9, Easley, Parnes) described the White House as being in “crisis mode” over the matter. The Hill called Spicer’s statement “terse” and “unusual,” and added that it “came as Democrats expressed outrage over the issue, and as legal complaints were filed with the Office of Government Ethics suggesting that Conway” had broken the law. Complaints to the OGE “appeared to crash its website, which was down most of the day Thursday.” The agency said in a tweet “that it its website, phone system and email systems had been besieged by ‘an extraordinary volume of contacts from citizens about recent events.’” McClatchy (2/9, Hadley) says the agency “clarified” that “the high volume of traffic does not mean any investigation will be opened into President Donald Trump.” Nonetheless, the “events mark another twist in the Trump administration’s relationship with the OGE.”         Politico (2/9, Mccaskill, Nelson, Arnsdorf) said that among those filing complaints with OGE were the “progressive advocacy group Public Citizen,” and the “the liberal watchdog group Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington,” which also filed a complaint the White House Counsel’s Office. According to Politico, a violation in the White House would typically “be dealt with by the White House counsel,” but “it’s not clear how the regulation will be enforced under a president who, based on his own statement Wednesday, seems likely to approve of what Conway said.” Correspondent Tom Llamas said on ABC World News Tonight (2/9, story 3, 2:35, Muir) that Conway “says the President has told her he supports her, and in the Trump White House, he is the only person that matters.” Conway said on Fox News’ First 100 Days (2/9, MacCallum), “All I can say to America’s women is at some point in your life, you ought to have a boss who treated me the way that the President of the United States treated me today.”         Corespondent Nancy Cordes said on the CBS Evening News (2/9, story 2, 2:10, Pelley) that Chaffetz and Cumming “sent a letter to Ethics officials, calling on them to determine whether Conway should be disciplined.” While “the President will have the final say...they noted here that he has a conflict of interest because Conway was talking about his daughter’s products.” Likewise, Politico (2/9, Arnsdorf, Dawsey, White) reported that while ethics lawyers “called it a clear violation of the executive branch’s regulation against officials’ endorsing companies and products,” there is “little official recourse since the White House essentially self-polices on such ethics issues. And Conway is unlikely to face reprimand from a boss who clearly approves.”         USA Today (2/9, Schouten), the New York Post (2/9, Moore), and the Washington Times (2/9, Boyer) also report on Conway’s □ □ AM ICAN VERSIGHT DOI-18-0489-000060 comments and the reaction to them.         NYTimes Analysis: Trump “Lashing Out” At Nordstrom Could Have Unintended Consequences. A New York Times (2/9, Wolfers) analysis says that President Trump’s “lashing out” at Nordstrom’s after the department store decided to drop his daughter Ivanka’s clothing line “seems to reflect an approach to industrial policy that often brings unintended consequences.” Trump’s complaint on Twitter was “dutifully retweeted” by his official presidential account, and “his son Donald Trump Jr. followed up with reports that supporters were planning to boycott the store.” The Times calls the actions “bullying” which “could be a signal to other retailers that it’ll be costly to cut off existing business relationships with the Trump family.” A possible “costly Trump tantrum,” the Times adds, “could give factory bosses reason to think twice before setting up shop in the United States.” Editorial Wrap-Up New York Times. “Kellyanne Conway’s White House Infomercial.” A New York Times (2/9, Board) editorial says presidential counselor Kellyanne Conway’s endorsement of Ivanka Trump’s products was “cartoonishly crass, but perhaps not surprising, considering the example set by the president himself.” Her remarks “plainly violated federal ethics regulations,” but whatever happens to her, “the deeper concern here is over the administration’s insistence on treating the White House as a wholly -owned subsidiary of the Trump Organization.”         “‘Bad Dude’? No, But Deported Anyway.” In an editorial, the New York Times (2/10) says that “by no standard of common sense or decency should Guadalupe García de Rayos” – who was arrested Wednesday by ICE agents in Phoenix and deported Thursday to Mexico – “have been a priority for deportation.” President Trump, however, “persists in the absurd claim that America will be safe and great again only after an assault on ‘bad dudes’ and ‘criminal aliens,’ whom he has promised to arrest and remove by the millions. But Ms. Rayos fits no such definition and was no threat.”         “When Rules No Longer Apply.” A New York Times (2/10) editorial says Republicans in Congress “seem strangely eager to let coal companies pollute streams without telling the public, to let oil and gas companies more easily bribe foreign officials, and to let any company win federal contracts no matter how badly it has violated labor laws.” And they’re “well on their way to getting all this done under the Congressional Review Act.” The Times argues that Donald Trump “won the presidency, in part, by promising to hold powerful interests accountable for practices that harm the public” and the move “elevates corporate interests above all others.” Washington Post. AM ICAN VERSIGHT DOI-18-0489-000061 “A Group Of Prominent Republicans As An Excellent Plan To Fight Climate Change.” The Washington Post (2/9), in an editorial praises the Climate Leadership Council that includes James A. Baker III, George P. Shultz, Martin S. Feldstein, N. Gregory Mankiw, and Henry M. Paulson Jr. for having an “excellent” for carbon emissions reduction. The Post regards it as “a political long shot,” but also sees it as “an elegant climate policy” in keeping with “conservative ideology” and urges Republicans to “listen.”         “A Terrorism Label That Would Hurt More Than Help.” The Washington Post (2/9) editorializes that a “blanket designation” of the Muslim Brotherhood as a foreign terrorist organization would be “a senseless political designation that would miss the mark.” The Post says that while those supporting such a move “think it will strike a singular blow against violent extremism,” they don’t seem to understand that the Brotherhood is “not a single, cohesive unit,” and it “does not systematically engage in terrorism.”         “Bowser Should Take A Stand Against DC’s Costly Family Leave Bill.” The Washington Post (2/9) in an editorial says that Washington, DC Mayor Muriel E. Bowser should “show some leadership” and attempt to stop Bill 21-415, the Universal Paid Leave Amendment Act of 2016, which would create a “lavish paid family leave program for people who work in the nation’s capital.” The Post says that she “thinks this is a bad bill” as does the Post. It urges her to veto the bill. Wall Street Journal. “Trump’s Judicial Debacle.” The Wall Street Journal (2/9) editorializes that President Trump’s immigration order has become an opportunity for the judiciary to restrict the power of the political branches to carry out foreign policy. The Journal says that it still opposes the policy that the order represents, but the court’s decision causes concern about judicial overreach.         “Trade Punishment For Trump Voters.” A Wall Street Journal (2/9) editorial argues that President Trump’s trade policies are already harming the rural and farm-state voters who helped elect him.         “The FCC’s New Life Of Pai.” A Wall Street Journal (2/9) editorial says FCC Chairman Ajit Pai is returning much-needed bipartisanship and political accountability to the agency.         “Merkel On The Ropes.” The Wall Street Journal (2/9) in an editorial on the upcoming fall elections in Germany says that Chancellor Angela Merkel may lose, given that a recent poll showed her Christian Democratic Union (CDU) polling second to the Social Democratic Party (SPD) for the first time since 2010. The Journal is pleased by the poll, not because it favors the SPD, but because it believes Merkel and Germany will be better off with a little competition which it hopes will cause Merkel to move to the right. The Journal hopes the election will allow Germans to decide between mainstream center left and center right leaders. AM ICAN VERSIGHT DOI-18-0489-000062 Big Picture Headlines From Today’s Front Pages. Wall Street Journal: Court Rules Against Travel Ban Ruling Showcases Checks And Balances Domestic Politics In Other Nations Are Churned By Trump’s Wild Start Foreigners Dump Debt, Offering Up A Test For Rates New York Times: Court Refuses To Reinstate Travel Ban, Dealing Trump Another Legal Loss Neil Gorsuch’s Criticism Wasn’t Aimed At Trump, Aides Say In Reversal After Silence From Xi, Trump Endorses One China Policy Trump May Turn To Arab Allies For Help With Israeli-Palestinian Relations Kellyanne Conway Promotes Ivanka Trump Brand, Raising Ethics Concerns Going Home To Falluja, A City Slipping Back Into Turmoil Washington Post: Abe’s Charm Offensive Nets A Weekend With Trump Officials Say Flynn Discussed Sanctions Trump Said He’d Change: So Far, No Sign In Idaho, Replacing ACA May Not Be As Easy As Rejecting It Conway “Counseled” After Touting Ivanka’s Brand Financial Times: Merkel Toughens Plans To Remove Failed Asylum Seekers Greek Bonds Sell Off Sharply As EU-IMF Rift Deepens Le Pen Debt Plan Threatens Massive Default, Say Agencies Russian Strike Kills 3 Turkish Troops In Syria Washington Times: Appeals Court Maintains Block On Trump Travel Limits From Muslim Countries 77% Of Refugees Allowed Into US Since Travel Reprieve Hail From Seven Suspect Countries Trump Helps Drive Donations To Environmental Groups Reaction To Trump Preferred Refugee Status Reveals “Blind Spot” To Christian Persecution General Sees Russian Meddling In Afghanistan, Need For More Troops To Fight Taliban Estonia Sees Crucial Roles For US, NATO Despite Trump Doubts Story Lineup From Last Night’s Network News: ABC: Immigration Order-Legal Challenge; Supreme Court Nominee; Conway Controversy; Severe Weather-East Coast; AM ICAN VERSIGHT DOI-18-0489-000063 Severe Weather-Traffic; Weather Forecast; Immigrant Deportation; France-Nuclear Plant Explosion; Severe Weather-West Coast; Madison Square Garden Fight; Child Battles Illness. CBS: Immigration Order-Legal Challenge; Conway Controversy; Supreme Court Nominee; Trump-Tweet Comments; Trump-Violent Crime; Immigrant Deportation; Severe Weather-East Coast; Severe Weather-Traffic; Adaption Agency Closed; Severe Weather-West Coast; Charlie Rose Heart Surgery; UAE Female Hockey Player. NBC: Immigration Order-Legal Challenge; Conway Controversy; Supreme Court Nominee; Severe Weather; Weather Forecast; Immigrant Deportation; Ghost Guns; Afghanistan Red Cross Attacked; NBC Olympic Host; Aretha Franklin Retiring; Chicago Youth Program. Network TV At A Glance: Weather – 12 minutes, 40 seconds Immigration Order-Legal Challenge – 8 minutes, 10 seconds Conway Controversy – 7 minutes, 15 seconds Supreme Court Nominee – 6 minutes, 55 seconds Immigrant Deportation – 5 minutes, 25 seconds Story Lineup From This Morning’s Radio News Broadcasts: ABC: Immigration Order-Legal Challenge; Supreme Court Nominee; Louisiana Pipeline Explosion. CBS: Immigration Order-Legal Challenge; Trump-Xi Phone Call; Severe Weather; Louisiana Pipeline Explosion; Wall Street News. FOX: Immigration Order-Legal Challenge; Cabinet Confirmations. NPR: Immigration Order-Legal Challenge; Alabama Senate Appointment; Trump-Xi Phone Call; Conway Controversy; Severe Weather; Wall Street News. Washington Schedule Today’s Events In Washington. White House: PRESIDENT TRUMP — Meets with Senator Mitch McConnell; holds a bilateral meeting with Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe; has dinner with First Lady Melania Trump, Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, and Mrs. Abe. VICE PRESIDENT PENCE — Hosts a bilateral meeting with Japanese Deputy Prime Minister Taro Aso; joins the President for a bilateral meeting with Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe; speaks with Ford CEO Mark Fields by phone. MELANIA TRUMP — Has dinner with the President, Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, and Mrs. Abe. US Senate: 1:45 AM Senate due to vote on Tom Price to be Secretary of Health and Human Services in the early hours of the morning – Senate due to vote on the nomination of Republican Rep. Tom Price to be Secretary of Health and Human Services in the early hours of the morning * Cloture motion on Rep. Price’s AMERICAN pVERSIGHT DOI-18-0489-000064 nomination passed by 51 votes to 48 earlier this week, entirely along party lines. He has said that he will divest himself of stock in over 40 companies and resign a position with the American Medical Association if confirmed by the Senate, to avoid potential conflicts of interest Location: Washington, DC http://www.senate.gov/ 12:30 PM EESI co-hosts ‘2017 Sustainable Energy in America Factbook’ briefing – ‘2017 Sustainable Energy in America Factbook’ briefing hosted by the Environmental and Energy Study Institute (EESI) in coordination with the House and Senate Energy Efficiency & Renewable Energy Caucuses. Bloomberg New Energy Finance Head of Americas Ethan Zindler, Business Council for Sustainable Energy President Lisa Jacobson, Covanta Vice President for Government Relations Paula Soos, Ingersoll Rand Center for Energy Efficiency and Sustainability Global Director of Climate Policy Nanette Lockwood, Johnson Controls Vice President for Government Relations Mark Wagner, and Sempra Energy Director of Federal Government Affairs Allison Hull discuss why they agree that ‘sustainable energy is the new normal’ in the U.S. Location: Rm 2168, Rayburn House Office Bldg, Washington, DC www.eesi.org/ https://twitter.com/eesionline #eesitalk         US House: 12:30 PM EESI co-hosts ‘2017 Sustainable Energy in America Factbook’ briefing – ‘2017 Sustainable Energy in America Factbook’ briefing hosted by the Environmental and Energy Study Institute (EESI) in coordination with the House and Senate Energy Efficiency & Renewable Energy Caucuses. Bloomberg New Energy Finance Head of Americas Ethan Zindler, Business Council for Sustainable Energy President Lisa Jacobson, Covanta Vice President for Government Relations Paula Soos, Ingersoll Rand Center for Energy Efficiency and Sustainability Global Director of Climate Policy Nanette Lockwood, Johnson Controls Vice President for Government Relations Mark Wagner, and Sempra Energy Director of Federal Government Affairs Allison Hull discuss why they agree that ‘sustainable energy is the new normal’ in the U.S. Location: Rm 2168, Rayburn House Office Bldg, Washington, DC www.eesi.org/ https://twitter.com/eesionline #eesitalk         No votes scheduled in the House of Representatives Location: Washington, DC http://www.house.gov/         House Democratic Caucus Issues Conference concludes – 2017 House Democratic Caucus Issues Conference, themed ‘Fighting for All Americans’. Final day includes remarks from comedian Chelsea Handler, while conference agenda is also expected to include discussion of issues including the economy, ‘fake news’, and national security, while Reps. Sean Patrick Maloney and Ben Ray Lujan are expected to give a presentation on why the caucus had a less-successful-than-predicted election Location: Hyatt Regency Baltimore Inner Harbor, 300 Light St, Baltimore, MD Baltimore http://www.dems.gov/ https://twitter.com/HouseDemocrats Other: 9:30 AM Dem Sen. Chris Murphy discusses ‘policy priorities in a GOP-led Congress’ at The Washington Post – The Washington AM ICAN VERSIGHT DOI-18-0489-000065 Post hosts Democratic Sen. Chris Murphy and national political correspondent James Hohmann for a one-on-one conversation about ‘Democrats’ policy priorities in a Republican-led Congress and working with the new administration’ Location: The Washington Post Live Center, 1301 K Street NW, Washington, DC http://www.washingtonpost.com/ https://twitter.com/washingtonpost         9:30 AM Japanese PM Abe lays wreath at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier – Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe lays a wreath at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier at Arlington National Cemetery, as part of his official visit to the U.S., at ceremony hosted by U.S. Army Criminal Investigation Command and U.S. Army Correction Command Commanding General Maj. Gen. Mark Inch * PM Abe meets later today with President Donald Trump at the White House, before they travel to the Mar-a-Lago estate in Palm Beach, FL, for the weekend Location: Arlington National Cemetery, VA http://mdwhome.mdw.army.mil/ https://twitter.com/MDW_USARMY         2:00 PM EU high representative speaks at Atlantic Council – EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Federica Mogherini speaks at the Atlantic Council on how the EU might best build a strong relationship with the new administration of President Donald Trump so that the transatlantic partners can ‘effectively meet today’s foreign policy challenges they face’. Mogherini is introduced by former U.S. Ambassador to the EU Kristen Silverberg Location: Atlantic Council, 1030 15th St NW, Washington, DC http://ec.europa.eu/index_en.htm https://twitter.com/EU_Commission Last Laughs Late Night Political Humor. Jimmy Kimmel: “There’s a massive winter storm...thousands of flights have been canceled. Schools are closed, an ice princess is trapped in a tower, her name is Melania.” Jimmy Kimmel: [Referring to the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals ruling on the Immigration Order] “Tonight the appeals court upheld the judge’s ruling. The decision was unanimous. That’s not counting all the judges who voted illegally.” Jimmy Kimmel: “Donald Trump can’t keep immigrants from entering this country. He can’t even get Melania to leave New York.” Jimmy Kimmel: “Trump attacked the media, a reporter, and two senators all before breakfast today. He’s getting a lot done, you could say that.” AM ICAN VERSIGHT DOI-18-0489-000066 Jimmy Kimmel: “[Kellyanne Conway is] going to have a hell of a post-White House career on QVC or the Home Shopping Newark.” Stephen Colbert: “Donald Trump was out on the White House lawn making a snow man earlier today. Then because it was white, he appointed it to his cabinet.” Stephen Colbert: “Sen. [Richard] Blumenthal did claim he served in Vietnam when, in reality, he was a marine reserve in Washington, DC, where he did things like fixing a campground and organizing a Toys for Tots drive. So he didn’t see combat, but his G.I. Joes did. Okay, they were fighting Cobra.” Trevor Noah: [Referring to Department of Defense’s potential move into Trump Tower] “Yes, the President is now the landlord in chief. Like, ‘Man, you know what I hate about my landlord? He doesn’t fix my pipes and he made me invade Iran!’” Trevor Noah: “Melania is there, the First Lady. The Department of Defense will be moving in, and the Secret Service. Trump will be spending so little time at the White House I wouldn’t be surprised if he listed it on Airbnb.” Jimmy Fallon: “The East Coast was hit with a major snowstorm and it forced New York City public schools to close. When she heard that, the new Education Secretary Betsy DeVos was like, ‘Hey, my plan’s working already.’” Jimmy Fallon: “Nordstrom’s stock went up after President Trump attacked them on Twitter for dropping Ivanka’s clothing line. Then RadioShack said, ‘Would you mind attacking us?’” Seth Meyers: “Controversial nominee Sen. Jeff Sessions was confirmed as Attorney General yesterday, and he got so excited he ran all the way back to the Shire to tell his family.” Seth Meyers: “In an interview today, Trump adviser Kellyanne Conway said she was giving Ivanka Trump’s clothing line a free commercial, and encouraged people to go buy it. Though, I don’t know if I’d take fashion advice from a woman who dresses like she’s in marching band at Napoleon Bonaparte Middle School.” Seth Meyers: “A snowstorm in the Northeast today caused many schools in the area to close. Said Betsy DeVos, ‘What? The school closures weren’t supposed to start yet.’” Seth Meyers: “And incidentally, before you take Conway’s advice, and run out and buy Ivanka Trump’s products, you might want to consider that some of her scarves were recalled last year, because they do not meet the federal flammability standards for clothing AMERICAN pVERSIGHT DOI-18-0489-000067 textiles posing a burn risk. Of course, those were the old federal flammability standards. I’m sure they’ll be looser in a Trump Administration.” Copyright 2017 by Bulletin Intelligence LLC Reproduction or redistribution without permission prohibited. Content is drawn from thousands of newspapers, national magazines, national and local television programs, radio broadcasts, social-media platforms and additional forms of open-source data. Sources for Bulletin Intelligence audience-size estimates include Scarborough, GfK MRI, comScore, Nielsen, and the Audit Bureau of Circulation. Services that include Twitter data are governed by Twitters’ terms of use. Services that include Factiva content are governed by Factiva’s terms of use. The Department of the Interior News Briefing is published five days a week by Bulletin Intelligence, which creates custom briefings for government and corporate leaders. We can be found on the Web at BulletinIntelligence.com, or called at (703) 483-6100. AMERICAN VERSIGHT DOI-18-0489-000068 From: To: Cc: Subject: Date: Thomas Crosson Paul Ross Megan Bloomgren; Heather Swift RE: FW: Voice of America follow up Tuesday, April 4, 2017 9:09:58 AM I’ll get you a tighter run down as we get closer.      From: Ross, Paul [mailto:paul_ross@ios.doi.gov] Sent: Tuesday, April 04, 2017 10:06 AM To: Thomas Crosson Cc: Megan Bloomgren; Swift, Heather Subject: Re: FW: Voice of America follow up   +Megan and Heather   Tom  I'm familiar with VOA. Would be helpful to know what the interview will focus on. If there is enough time, focusing on planned Park Week events seems like the logical choice.    Paul R. Ross Senior Public Affairs Specialist Office of Communications U.S. Department of the Interior Office: (202) 501-4633 Cell: (202) 507-1689   On Tue, Apr 4, 2017 at 10:00 AM, Thomas Crosson wrote: Paul, FYSA…..acting director Reynolds will sit down with VOA on Friday.  We’ve worked with VOA before…and they are pretty safe.  They do mission features for the regions and countries they service.  Tom   ---------- Forwarded message ---------From: Julia V. Taboh Date: Fri, Mar 31, 2017 at 1:21 PM Subject: Voice of America follow up To: "Reynolds, Michael" , "Slayton, April" Cc: "Olson, Jeffrey" Hi Mike, April, I thought this would be a good time to follow up on our initial communication from a few months ago, to give you an update on our VOA coverage of the National Park Service and to also explore the possibility of sitting down with one of you for an on-camera interview. Given that so much has happened in the past few months, it would be great to hear what your plans and hopes are for the National Park Service in the coming months and years. As you may recall, we’ve been producing a series of feature stories on various platforms (TV, Web, and Web-Vids for social media) on the National Park Service for use by our 45 language services. Our th AM ICAN VERSIGHT DOI-18-0489-000069 coverage started in 2015 ahead of the park service’s 100 birthday, and continued with dozens of stories pegged to the milestone anniversary in 2016, and our coverage continues. So far we’ve produced almost 40 reports, the vast majority of which are told through the eyes of one of your most dedicated supporters, Mikah Meyer. Our young partner is planning to visit all 400+ NPS sites over the next several years. He’s visited about 120 of them so far and is providing us with excellent videos and photos that we are weaving into some fascinating stories that touch on the history, culture and natural beauty of the parks and the important role they play in preserving so much of America’s past and present, for future generations. We often supplement our stories with excellent photos (and sometimes videos) provided by the NPS. It’s been a pleasure meeting and talking with NPS representatives in person and over the phone as I’ve worked on these stories. Since I was last in touch, two of our language services, Khmer (Cambodia) and Urdu (Pakistan), have requested our entire series so they can reversion them for broadcast in their programming and make them available to their respective affiliates. And an increasing number of our language services are using individual stories for use in their broadcasts. If we can arrange an interview within the next week or so, I could incorporate highlights of it into a special TV feature ahead of National Park Week and/or Earth Day. Thanks for your consideration. I look forward to hearing from you. Julie.   _________ Julie Taboh Feature Reporter Central News Division Room 1100 Voice Of America 330 Independence Avenue, S.W. Washington, DC 20237 (202) 203-4540           AMERICAN pVERSIGHT DOI-18-0489-000070 From: To: Cc: Subject: Date: Thomas Crosson Heather Swift Paul Ross; Megan Bloomgren RE: FW: Voice of America follow up Thursday, April 6, 2017 12:49:38 PM All an update on this…..we have postponed this interview due to a scheduling conflict.  We’ll let you know when it gets back on the books.   From: Thomas Crosson [mailto:Thomas Crosson@nps.gov] Sent: Tuesday, April 04, 2017 10:18 AM To: Heather Swift Cc: Paul Ross; Megan Bloomgren Subject: RE: FW: Voice of America follow up   We had a VOA reporter based in the Pentagon.  Think DOD and State are the only two folks that  play with them.  J   Our previous work with Julie has been pretty vanilla.  Almost seemed like advertisements to get their target audiences jazzed about National Parks.  Here is some of her work if you care: https://www.voanews.com/author/5407.html   That said…I’ll make sure they stay inbounds.    From: Swift, Heather [mailto:heather_swift@ios.doi.gov] Sent: Tuesday, April 04, 2017 10:13 AM To: Thomas Crosson Cc: Paul Ross; Megan Bloomgren Subject: Re: FW: Voice of America follow up   I think we may be one of the only organizations that actually responds to VOA.  My friend is over there and said maybe 10% actually respond and most of those are thanks but  no thanks.    My suggestion is make sure the topics are tight. They will want to focus on distractions. "Given that so much has happened in the past few months, "   Heather Swift Department of the Interior  @DOIPressSec  Heather_Swift@ios.doi.gov l Interior_Press@ios.doi.gov    On Tue, Apr 4, 2017 at 10:09 AM, Thomas Crosson wrote: I’ll get you a tighter run down as we get closer.      From: Ross, Paul [mailto:paul ross@ios.doi.gov] Sent: Tuesday, April 04, 2017 10:06 AM To: Thomas Crosson Cc: Megan Bloomgren; Swift, Heather Subject: Re: FW: Voice of America follow up AM ICAN VERSIGHT DOI-18-0489-000071   +Megan and Heather   Tom  I'm familiar with VOA. Would be helpful to know what the interview will focus on. If there is enough time, focusing on planned Park Week events seems like the logical choice.    Paul R. Ross Senior Public Affairs Specialist Office of Communications U.S. Department of the Interior Office: (202) 501-4633 Cell: (202) 507-1689   On Tue, Apr 4, 2017 at 10:00 AM, Thomas Crosson wrote: Paul, FYSA…..acting director Reynolds will sit down with VOA on Friday.  We’ve worked with VOA before…and they are pretty safe.  They do mission features for the regions and countries they service.  Tom   ---------- Forwarded message ---------From: Julia V. Taboh Date: Fri, Mar 31, 2017 at 1:21 PM Subject: Voice of America follow up To: "Reynolds, Michael" , "Slayton, April" Cc: "Olson, Jeffrey" Hi Mike, April, I thought this would be a good time to follow up on our initial communication from a few months ago, to give you an update on our VOA coverage of the National Park Service and to also explore the possibility of sitting down with one of you for an on-camera interview. Given that so much has happened in the past few months, it would be great to hear what your plans and hopes are for the National Park Service in the coming months and years. As you may recall, we’ve been producing a series of feature stories on various platforms (TV, Web, and Web-Vids for social media) on the National Park Service for use by our 45 language services. Our coverage started in 2015 ahead of the park service’s 100th birthday, and continued with dozens of stories pegged to the milestone anniversary in 2016, and our coverage continues. So far we’ve produced almost 40 reports, the vast majority of which are told through the eyes of one of your most dedicated supporters, Mikah Meyer. Our young partner is planning to visit all 400+ NPS sites over the next several years. He’s visited about 120 of them so far and is providing us with excellent videos and photos that we are weaving into some fascinating stories that touch on the history, culture and natural beauty of the parks and the important role they play in preserving so much of America’s past and present, for future generations. We often supplement our stories with excellent photos (and sometimes videos) provided by the NPS. It’s been a pleasure meeting and talking with NPS representatives in person and over the phone as I’ve worked on these stories. Since I was last in touch, two of our language services, Khmer (Cambodia) and Urdu (Pakistan), have AM ICAN VERSIGHT DOI-18-0489-000072 requested our entire series so they can reversion them for broadcast in their programming and make them available to their respective affiliates. And an increasing number of our language services are using individual stories for use in their broadcasts. If we can arrange an interview within the next week or so, I could incorporate highlights of it into a special TV feature ahead of National Park Week and/or Earth Day. Thanks for your consideration. I look forward to hearing from you. Julie.   _________ Julie Taboh Feature Reporter Central News Division Room 1100 Voice Of America 330 Independence Avenue, S.W. Washington, DC 20237 (202) 203-4540             AMERICAN pVERSIGHT DOI-18-0489-000073 From: To: Subject: Date: Kathleen Benedetto Simpson, Melissa Re: U.S. Department of the Interior News Briefing for Friday, February 17, 2017 Friday, February 17, 2017 7:30:06 AM Yes Sent from my iPhone On Feb 17, 2017, at 7:31 AM, Simpson, Melissa wrote: Are you receiving these bulletins? ---------- Forwarded message ---------From: Bulletin Intelligence Date: Fri, Feb 17, 2017 at 7:01 AM Subject: U.S. Department of the Interior News Briefing for Friday, February 17, 2017 To: Interior@bulletinintelligence.com Mobile version and searchable archives available here. Please click here to subscribe. AM ICAN VERSIGHT DOI-18-0489-000074 US Department of the Interior News Briefing DATE: FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 17, 2017 7:00 AM EST Holiday Message In observance of the Washington's Birthday holiday, we will not publish on Monday, February 20, 2017. Service will resume on Tuesday, February 21, 2017. We wish our readers a safe and happy holiday. Today's Table Of Contents DOI In The News • Bloomberg News: Trump Signs Measure Ending Stream Protection Rule. • Politico Morning Energy: Zinke Expected To Undertake “Major Reorganization” At Interior. • Missoula (MT) Independent: Zinke Not Participating In Recent House Votes. • Siskiyou (CA) Daily News: Zinke’s Help Sought With Suction Dredge Mining In California. AMERICAN pVERSIGHT DOI-18-0489-000075 • Bristol (VA) Herald Courier: Outdoor Retailer Show Leaving Utah Over Public Lands Stance. • Salt Lake (UT) Tribune: Utah Business Owners Oppose Grand Staircase-Escalante Resolution. • Salem (OR) Statesman Journal: Bill Would Study Moving Oregon Public Land To State Control. • Reuters: Fight Over Public Lands Unite Sportsmen And Environmentalists. • Troy (NY) Daily News: Eldean Bridge To Get Historical Marker. • Salem (OR) Capital Press: Additional Coverage: Oregon Counties Sue Over Cascade-Siskiyou Expansion. • KAJO-AM Grants Pass (OR): Additional Coverage: Hiring Freeze Raises Firefighting Concerns. • Cortez (CO) Journal: Op-Ed: Recreation Economy Depends Upon Protection Of Public Lands. America’s Great Outdoors National Park Service • Washington Post: National Parks Offering Free Admission On Presidents’ Day. • U.S. News & World Report: Sitka National Historical Park Wants To Restore Views Of 1804 Battlefield. • Brookhaven (GA) Post: NPS Approves Back Half Of Brookhaven Park To Be Transferred To City. • Times of Northwest Indiana: New Fire Management Officer Named At Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore. • Bradenton (FL) Herald: Man With Plan To Visit All National Parks To Stop At De Soto National Memorial Saturday. • Washington Times: Skier Falls To Death In Grand Teton National Park. • Colorado Springs (CO) Gazette: Authorities Searching For Missing Man In Great Sand Dunes National Park. • Georgetowner: Additional Coverage: NPS Approves New Boathouses On Georgetown Waterfront. • Fox News: Additional Coverage: “Firefall” Optical Illusion Returns To Yosemite National Park. Fish And Wildlife Service • Washington Post: House Republicans Move To Overturn Obama Limits on Alaska Hunting, Trapping. • Outdoor News: Obama-era Lead Ban Put On Hold. • Washington Times: Havasu National Wildlife Refuge To Close For Two Weeks For Aerial Hunt Of Wild Swine. • Payson (AZ) Roundup: FWS Says Relic Leopard Frogs Don’t Warrant Federal Protection. • Santa Fe New Mexican: FWS Seeks Input On 2017 Mexican Gray Wolf Plan. AMERICAN pVERSIGHT DOI-18-0489-000076 • Law360: FWS Released From Lawsuit Over Permit For Lynx Capture. • Missoulian (MT): Judge Hears Arguments In Lawsuit Filed Over Cabinet-Yaak Bears. • Houston Chronicle: World’s Oldest Seabird Hatches New Chick At Midway Atoll National Wildlife Refuge. Bureau Of Land Management • Horse: BLM Calls Wild Horse Slaughter Story “Fake News”. US Geological Survey • KRGV-TV Harlingen (TX): USGS Says Southeast Texas Ground Has Dropped. Securing America’s Energy Future Offshore Energy Development • Law360: Interior Urges High Court To Refuse Noble’s Well-Plug Row. • Offshore Engineer: BSEE Inspects Hess’ Stampede Tension Leg Platform. • Associated Press: Hilcorp Natural Gas Pipeline Leaking Into Cook Inlet. Onshore Energy Development • E&E Daily: Dakota Access Stakeholders Debate At House Panel Hearing. • Wall Street Journal: Navajo Nation Seeks Trumps Help To Keep Arizona Coal Plant Open. • Bloomberg News: Most BLM Auctions Are Now Held Online Over Activist Concerns. • Reuters: TransCanada Files Keystone XL Pipeline Application For Nebraska Route. • Riverton (WY) Ranger: BLM Posts Oil, Gas Parcels For June Lease. • Riverton (WY) Ranger: February Lease Sale Generated $129.3 Million. • Wall Street Journal: Additional Coverage Of Possible Shutdown Of Navajo Generating Station. Renewable Energy • Law360: Court Reject Anglers’ Request To Halt New York Wind Farm Lease. Empowering Native American Communities • Courthouse News: House Subcommittee Told Oversight Of BIA, BIE Needed. • Sputnik News: NCAI President Says Native American Schools Need $388 Million To Be Modernized. • Char-Koosta News: Additional Coverage: Little Shell Moves Closer To Federal Recognition. Office Of Insular Affairs • Guam Daily Post: Editorial: Trump’s Tough immigration Stance Could Impact Guam. AMERICAN pVERSIGHT DOI-18-0489-000077 Tackling America’s Water Challenges • Sacramento (CA) Bee: BOR Monitoring Arrival Of North California Storms. • San Francisco Chronicle: BOR Expects Lake Berryessa’s Glory Hole To Spill Over. • Redding (CA) Record-Searchlight: BOR Says Sacramento River Flood Maps A Secret. Top National News • NBC: Media Analyses: Trump’s Performance At News Conference Unseemly, Unprecedented. • USA Today: Trump Says He Has Directed Sessions To Investigate Leaks. • Washington Post: Senate Judiciary Committee To Begin Gorsuch Hearings March 20. Editorial Wrap-Up • New York Times.    - “For A Troubled President, The Media Is A Satisfying Target.”    - “Bring On The Special Prosecutor.”    - “Plastic Bag Fees Make Sense, Just Not To Albany.” • Washington Post.    - “Trump Can Help Americans Trust Him By Releasing His Taxes.”    - “What The Country Need To Know About The New Labor Secretary Nominee.”    - “A Power That Lets Police Take Property For Themselves – Even When There’s No Crime.” • Wall Street Journal.    - “The Bully Trumpet.”    - “Trump’s Labor Mulligan.”    - “Supreme Court Disclosure Test.” Big Picture • Headlines From Today’s Front Pages. Washington Schedule • Today’s Events In Washington. Last Laughs • Late Night Political Humor. DOI In The News Trump Signs Measure Ending Stream Protection Rule. Bloomberg News (2/16, Natter) reports President Trump signed legislation repealing the Stream Protection Rule under the Congressional Review Act. “In eliminating this rule I am continuing AM ICAN VERSIGHT DOI-18-0489-000078 to keep my promise to the American people to get rid of wasteful regulations,” Trump said at a White House signing ceremony. The Hill (2/16, Henry) reports the rule “is among the most controversial environment regulations” of the Obama administration and the coal industry “said it would be costly to implement and lead to job losses across the sector.”         The Washington Times (2/16, Wolfgang) reports that “the legislation has at least some bipartisan support.” West Virginia Democrat Sen. Joe Manchin was “present at Thursday’s event and has urged Mr. Trump to roll back Obama-era regulations on the coal industry.”         Meanwhile, a brief report on the CBS Evening News (2/16, story 9, 0:20, Pelley) said that a Congressional Research Service report “said the regulation would have created as many jobs as it eliminated.” CNBC (2/16) reports that the CRS “found the rule would reduce coal-related employment by an average of 260 jobs a year.” CRS also “projected the rule would generate an average of 250 jobs a year,” and “some of the new jobs would be in highskilled areas like engineering and biology.”         Additional coverage was provided by CBS News (2/16), Fox News (2/16), the Wheeling (WV) Intelligencer (2/17), the Clarksburg (WV) Exponent-Telegram (2/16, Ali), the Bluefield (WV) Daily Telegraph (2/16, Jordan), the Cleveland (OH) Plain Dealer (2/16, Koff), the Pittsburgh (PA) Post-Gazette (2/17, Eilperin), the Johnstown (PA) Tribune-Democrat (2/16, Griffith), the Gephardt Daily (2/17), West Virginia MetroNews (2/16, Wiles), West Virginia Public Broadcasting (2/16, Board), the Daily Caller (2/16, Bastasch), the Daily Caller (2/16, Picket), UPI (2/16, Feller), National Geographic (2/16, Profeta), Mining (2/16, McCrae), Western Journalism (2/16, Powe), Libertarian Republic (2/16, Bastasch), Law360 (2/16, Goldberg), RT (2/16), WTOV-TV Steubenville (OH) Steubenville, OH (2/16, Warner), KGWN-TV Cheyenne (WY) Cheyenne, WY (2/16), WCBC-AM Cumberland (MD) Cumberland, MD (2/16), WDTV-TV Bridgeport (WV) Bridgeport, WV (2/16), WAJR-AM Morgantown (WV) Morgantown, WV (2/16, Wiles), and WAJR-AM Morgantown (WV) Morgantown, WV (2/16, Wiles). Zinke Expected To Undertake “Major Reorganization” At Interior. Politico Morning Energy (2/16) reports that House Natural Resources Chairman Rob Bishop “told reporters Wednesday he won’t roll out his legislative agenda until Trump’s administration is in place.” He said, “You need the entire cast in there. I’m not going to wait forever for the administration to get up and running before we start moving, but I want to give them a chance to be in place.” Bishop added that “he’d like to give Interior nominee Ryan Zinke time to complete some ‘major reorganization’ at the department that he said Zinke understands needs to happen.” AM ICAN VERSIGHT DOI-18-0489-000079 Zinke Not Participating In Recent House Votes. The Missoula (MT) Independent (2/16) reports that as Interior nominee Ryan Zinke awaits for his confirmation vote, “Montana’s sole voice in the House of Representatives appears to have gone AWOL.” The article notes that “according to congressional records, Zinke hasn’t cast a single vote since Jan. 5.” Moreover, “his private and official Twitter accounts have gone virtually dormant, though his Facebook page has been sporadically updated with links to news stories and a photo of his wife, Lola, at President Trump’s Jan. 20 inauguration.” The article also points out that the House has “been taking up issues of interest to Montanans.”         KECI-TV Missoula, MT (2/16, Giottonini). reports that one reason could be that “Zinke wants to enter his new role as Secretary of Interior with less of a political footprint.” Political observers don’t expect to “see change until the fate of Zinke’s cabinet post is decided.” Zinke’s Help Sought With Suction Dredge Mining In California. The Siskiyou (CA) Daily News (2/16, Jester) reports that the Mining Act of 1872 was “brought up at the Siskiyou County Board of Supervisors meeting on Tuesday during discussion of a 2009 ban on suction dredge mining, a matter which miners in Siskiyou County see as negatively impacting their livelihood.” The board of supervisors has decided to send a letter to Interior nominee Ryan Zinke “which discusses the issues surrounding the ban on suction dredging.” According to the article, “the letter seeks to familiarize Zinke with suction dredge mining and how it affects the ‘rural, blue collar citizens of Siskiyou County,’ should he ultimately be confirmed for the interior position and thus be able to explore the matter.” Outdoor Retailer Show Leaving Utah Over Public Lands Stance. The AP (2/16, McCombs) reports that “a lucrative outdoor trade show that’s been staged in Salt Lake City for two decades announced Thursday it will be leaving Utah over the latest disagreement with state leaders about their stance on public lands.” The Outdoor Retailer show “made the announcement just hours after a conference call intended to smooth discord between industry leaders and Gov. Gary Herbert ended with both sides disappointed.” The article notes that “industry leaders had previously threatened to leave Utah if Herbert didn’t stand down from his call for President Donald Trump to rescind the new Bears Ears National Monument.” Herbert “refused to grant them their request in the conference call, triggering the decision.”         Coverage by the AP was also picked up by the Minneapolis (MN) Star Tribune (2/16, McCombs), Philly (PA) (2/16, McCombs), the Washington (DC) Post (2/16, McCombs), and the Daily Mail (2/16).         Additional coverage was provided by the Denver (CO) Post AM ICAN VERSIGHT DOI-18-0489-000080 (2/16, Blevins), the Pacific Standard (2/16, Tobias), the Men’s Journal (2/16, Trimble), and KSL-TV Salt Lake City (UT) Salt Lake City (2/16, Williams). Utah Business Owners Oppose Grand Staircase-Escalante Resolution. The Salt Lake (UT) Tribune (2/15, Maffly) reports that Garfield County commissioners have “hit the pause button on a proposed resolution targeting the Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument after dozens of Boulder and Escalante business owners implored them to consider the monument’s economic benefits before voting to drastically shrink it.” Business operators claim that the monument “drives a thriving and diverse economy, contrary to claims by elected leaders that it has sunk the county into a ‘state of emergency.’” Commissioners “agreed to hold a hearing March 13 before voting on whether to ask Congress to contract the Grand Staircase boundaries.” Bill Would Study Moving Oregon Public Land To State Control. The Salem (OR) Statesman Journal (2/16, Urness) reports that “four Republican lawmakers want to study the idea of transferring Oregon’s federal public lands to state control.” House Bill 2365 would “create a task force to analyze the benefit and cost of an idea that has become a political lightning rod both nationally and locally.” The bill’s chief sponsor, Rep. Carl Wilson, “emphasized that his bill was only asking for a study,” and “he also emphasized that neither he nor his bill intend to sell Oregon’s public land into private ownership.”         The Bend (OR) Bulletin (2/16, Hamway) reports that Rep. Gene Whisnant “withdrew his sponsorship” the bill. Whisnant “defended his support for the bill” on Thursday, “but announced that he will no longer be sponsoring it, citing a flurry of emails and calls from concerned citizens and conservation organizations.” Fight Over Public Lands Unite Sportsmen And Environmentalists. Reuters (2/17, Volcovici, Knox) reports that sportsmen and environmentalists are uniting against efforts to transfer federal lands to state control. Both groups “fear” that doing so “could open them up to drilling and coal mining rather than recreation and preservation.” The article notes that “recent funding data from the Foundation Center database, which aggregates information from tax filings, shows groups such as the Backcountry Hunters and Anglers and the Outdoor Alliance have accepted grants from big environmental and liberal foundations, including the Turner Foundation and the William and Flora Hewlett Foundation.” Eldean Bridge To Get Historical Marker. The Troy (NY) Daily News (2/16, Fox) reports that the Miami County Commissioners have decided to accept a historical marker AM ICAN VERSIGHT DOI-18-0489-000081 from the Interior Department for the Eldean covered bridge, which has been recognized as a National Historic Landmark. The Interior Department will “pay for the plaque, but it will be up to the county to have the plaque installed, County Engineer Paul Huelskamp said.” Additional Coverage: Oregon Counties Sue Over CascadeSiskiyou Expansion. Additional coverage that 17 Oregon counties have filed a lawsuit the expansion of the Cascade-Siskiyou national monument was provided by the Salem (OR) Capital Press (2/16, Perkowski), the Klamath Falls (OR) Herald And News (2/16, Owens), and Courthouse News (2/16, Brown). Additional Coverage: Hiring Freeze Raises Firefighting Concerns. Additional coverage that Sen. Ron Wyden has raised “concerns about the impact a 90-day federal employee hiring freeze might have on the seasonal firefighting force” with the Interior Department was provided by KAJO-AM Grants Pass, OR (2/16, Marsh). Op-Ed: Recreation Economy Depends Upon Protection Of Public Lands. In an op-ed for the Cortez (CO) Journal (2/16, Wren), Diane Wren, the owner of Osprey Packs, writes that as Rep. Ryan Zinke is “being considered as our new interior Secretary in Washington, and as the Trump administration begins to review its own public lands policy, there are two things that are important for a new administration to take to heart: The vital role America’s public lands play in the $646 billion national outdoor recreation economy, and the broad public support for the president’s historic ability to use the Antiquities Act to protect sensitive scientific and culturally significant lands in the future.” If confirmed, Wren hopes that Zinke will “listen to an American public that overwhelmingly supports protecting our public lands for the future.” Wren urges “the new administration to stand for what makes America, and Colorado, great — our shared public lands and the ability of the president and the Interior Department to protect them for future generations via the Antiquities Act.” America’s Great Outdoors National Park Service National Parks Offering Free Admission On Presidents’ Day. The Washington Post (2/16, Taylor) reports that the National Park Service is offering Free Entrance Day to celebrate Presidents’ Day.         Additional coverage was provided by the Los Angeles Times (2/16, Forgione), the Arizona Republic (2/16, Jespersen) and KXRM-TV Colorado Springs, CO (2/16, Case). AM ICAN VERSIGHT DOI-18-0489-000082 Sitka National Historical Park Wants To Restore Views Of 1804 Battlefield. The AP (2/17) reports that Sitka National Historical Park is “looking to get the public’s support to move forward with a project to restore an area of the park that was the site of a battlefield more than 200 years ago.” The 1804 Tlingit-Russian battlefield “on a peninsula near the mouth of Indian River has since been overgrown with trees and shrubs.” The park is “now looking to clear out the brush to give visitors a better view of the water from the historic site.” NPS Approves Back Half Of Brookhaven Park To Be Transferred To City. The Brookhaven (GA) Post (2/15, Benton) reports that the National Park Service has “approved the back half of Brookhaven Park to be transferred to the City.” DeKalb County Commissioners “must now approve the changes to the deed.” According to the article, “if the County approves the transfer, Brookhaven expects to pay the same $100 per acre for the back half of the 30-acre park that they paid for the rest of the parks in the City.” New Fire Management Officer Named At Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore. The Times of Northwest Indiana (2/16) reports that the National Park Service has chosen MaryEllen “Mel” Whitenack as the Fire Management Officer at Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore. Chief of Resource Management Daniel Plath said, “Mel has shown great leadership and done an outstanding job across the Midwest Region of the National Park Service to help parks develop fire programs. Mel brings with her years of fire management experience and proven team building skills, including the 2015 National Wildland Fire Leadership Challenge, where Indiana Dunes fire team received the runner-up award for all fire programs across the country.” Man With Plan To Visit All National Parks To Stop At De Soto National Memorial Saturday. The Bradenton (FL) Herald (2/16, Nealeigh) reports that Manatee Mikah Meyer is “on a mission: to see all the National Park Service sites in the country in honor of his father, and to encourage the LGBT community.” Meyer said will visit De Soto National Memorial on Saturday “as the next leg of his trip, stop No. 115.” According to the article, “his plan is to arrive at noon to watch a film about the history of DeSoto’s encounter with the indigenous people, then attend a ‘living history’ ranger demonstration.” Skier Falls To Death In Grand Teton National Park. The AP (2/16) reports that “a 26-year-old man has died after falling about 1,400 feet while skiing in Grand Teton National Park.” The National Park Service says John “Jack” Fields Jr. “fell Wednesday AM ICAN VERSIGHT DOI-18-0489-000083 morning down a narrow, steep gully on the South Teton Mountain.”         Coverage by the AP was also picked up by U.S. News & World Report (2/16) and the Spokane (WA) Spokesman-Review (2/16). Authorities Searching For Missing Man In Great Sand Dunes National Park. The Colorado Springs (CO) Gazette (2/16, Mulder) reports that “authorities are searching for a 40-year-old man who went missing in the Great Sand Dunes National Park and Preserve in southern Colorado.” Park staff began searching for Bryan Skilinski on Wednesday afternoon, “but on Thursday morning, the primary search began,” Acting Superintendent Scott Stonum said. According to the article, “about 30 people will continue the search until Thursday evening, when they will debrief and plan for Friday, when additional resources are expected to join.” Additional Coverage: NPS Approves New Boathouses On Georgetown Waterfront. Additional coverage that the National Park Service has approved “a plan for the Georgetown Nonmotorized Boathouse Zone Development Plan and Environmental Assessment” was provided by the Georgetowner (2/16, Devaney). Additional Coverage: “Firefall” Optical Illusion Returns To Yosemite National Park. Additional coverage of the “firefall” attraction at Yosemite National Park was provided by Fox News (2/16), the Los Angeles (CA) Times (2/16, Rocha), Time Out (2/16, Martin), and KPRC-TV Houston (TX) Houston (2/16, Hidalgo). Fish and Wildlife Service House Republicans Move To Overturn Obama Limits on Alaska Hunting, Trapping. The Washington Post (2/16, Eilperin) reports that House Republicans on Thursday passed a bill that would nullify regulations affecting hunting activities on national wildlife refuges in Alaska. The AP (2/16) reports that the Fish and Wildlife Service “said last year the rule will help maintain sustainable populations of bears, wolves and coyotes on national wildlife refuges across Alaska.” But Rep. Don Young “says the rule undermines Alaska’s ability to manage fish and wildlife on refuge lands – one-fifth of its land mass.” He says the rule “destroys a cooperative relationship between Alaska and the federal government.”         Coverage by the AP was picked up by the Fairbanks (AK) News-Miner (2/16), Philly (PA) (2/16), U.S. News & World Report (2/16), the Washington (DC) Post (2/16), the Washington (DC) Times (2/16), and the Daily Mail (2/16).         Additional coverage was provided by the Alaska Dispatch News (2/16, Martinson), the Daily Caller (2/16, Follett), the AM ICAN VERSIGHT DOI-18-0489-000084 Huffington Post (2/15, Pacelle), BuzzFeed (2/16, Grandoni), and AmmoLand (2/16, Evans). Obama-era Lead Ban Put On Hold. Outdoor News (2/16, Weisberg) reports that “a recently issued federal order banning the use of lead bullets and fishing tackle on federal lands is currently on hold, according to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, which cites the change of administration in Washington for the delay in implementation.” Former President Obama “issued the directive in his final days in the White House, but it now is under review, according to Fish and Wildlife Service spokesman Laury Parramore, who indicated that all national orders have the same status.” She said, “(The lead ban) has not been singled out. The new administration is evaluating the order in all its implications.” Havasu National Wildlife Refuge To Close For Two Weeks For Aerial Hunt Of Wild Swine. The AP (2/16) reports that the Havasu National Wildlife Refuge. will be “closed for two weeks starting Feb. 21 for an aerial hunt to eradicate hundreds of feral swine regarding as troublesome and dangerous.” The U.S. Fish and Wildlife” estimates there are 100 to 1,000 of the non-native pigs at the refuge.” Sen. John McCain “said the government should allow private hunters to shoot the hogs, but Mohave County Supervisor Buster Johnson said that’d delay the project.”         Coverage by the AP was also picked up by the Albuquerque (NM) Journal (2/16) and U.S. News & World Report (2/16).         Additional coverage was provided by the Las Vegas (NV) Review-Journal (2/16, Hawkins). FWS Says Relic Leopard Frogs Don’t Warrant Federal Protection. The Payson (AZ) Roundup (2/16) reports that “a frog species in Arizona and southern Nevada does not need federal protection under the Endangered Species Act, thanks to the multi-partner conservation efforts of the Arizona Game and Fish Department, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, and other federal and state agencies that make up the Relict Leopard Frog Conservation Team.” The FWS has “determined that relict leopard frog populations are stable or increasing.” Jim deVos, assistant director for Game and Fish’s Wildlife Management Division, said, “This shows that collaborative, on-the-ground efforts lead to conservation successes. By taking proactive measures that preclude the need for listing a species under the Endangered Species Act, we have much more flexibility in actively managing the species so it can ultimately thrive.” FWS Seeks Input On 2017 Mexican Gray Wolf Plan. The Santa Fe New Mexican (2/16, Moss) reports that the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, “in the most aggressive recovery plan in AM ICAN VERSIGHT DOI-18-0489-000085 recent years for the Mexican gray wolf, is proposing to release two packs of adult and young wolves in New Mexico this year, as well as place captive-born pups with wild litters.” John Bradley, an agency spokesman, “said the agency intends to apply for a permit with the state in order to move forward with the releases.”         Additional coverage was provided by the AP (2/17, Bryan). FWS Released From Lawsuit Over Permit For Lynx Capture. Law360 (2/16, Lidgett) reports that the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service was “released from a lawsuit Wednesday brought by environmental and animal welfare groups suing it for issuing the state of Maine a permit that allowed the accidental capture of a threatened lynx species, with a federal judge finding that the service had a rational basis to issue the permit.” Judge Hears Arguments In Lawsuit Filed Over Cabinet-Yaak Bears. The Missoulian (MT) (2/16, Chaney) reports that “whether grizzly bear numbers in northwest Montana are stable, shrinking or growing, both sides of a lawsuit over their federal status agree there aren’t enough of them.” However, “lawyers for the Alliance for the Wild Rockies and the U.S. Government could not agree why the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service switched its recommendation from ‘warranted but precluded’ for more protection under the federal Endangered Species Act to a designation indicating the bear population was close to recovery.” U.S. District Judge Dana Christensen heard their arguments in Missoula on Thursday. The two sides argued before U.S. District Judge Dana Christensen in Missoula on Thursday. World’s Oldest Seabird Hatches New Chick At Midway Atoll National Wildlife Refuge. The AP (2/16) reports that the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service said Thursday Wisdom, the “world’s oldest known seabird,” hatched a new chick at Midway Atoll National Wildlife Refuge last week. FWS project leader Bob Peyton “says Wisdom has returned to Midway for over six decades.”         Coverage by the AP was also picked up by the Bristol (VA) Herald Courier (2/16), the Minneapolis (MN) Star Tribune (2/16), Philly (PA) (2/16), the Tacoma (WA) News Tribune (2/16), U.S. News & World Report (2/16), the Washington (DC) Post (2/16), the Washington (DC) Times (2/16), the Daily Mail (2/16), the Japan Times (2/17), the Times of India (2/17), and WBOC-TV Salisbury (MD) Salisbury, MD (2/16). Bureau of Land Management BLM Calls Wild Horse Slaughter Story “Fake News”. The Horse (2/16, Raia) reports that the Bureau of Land Management has “labeled an article claiming the agency plans to AM ICAN VERSIGHT DOI-18-0489-000086 slaughter more than 40,000 wild horses as fake news.” According to the article, “a Jan. 30 article published by the website Native Indigenous American alleges that the Department of the Interior voted Jan. 27 to slaughter 67% of the wild horses remaining in the United States.” In response, Tom Gorey, BLM senior public affairs specialist, said the article was “fake news.” He said, “The agency’s policy is to not sell or send wild horses or burros to slaughter and there has been no congressional direction to the contrary.” US Geological Survey USGS Says Southeast Texas Ground Has Dropped. The AP Harlingen, TX (2/16) reports that the U.S. Geological Survey “says the extensive use of water pumped from underground in recent decades has caused the ground in Southeast Texas to drop in at least one location by nearly 4 feet.” The USGS “says in a report released Thursday that water use by cities and other customers has caused aquifers to drop dramatically in some places.” Securing America’s Energy Future Offshore Energy Development Interior Urges High Court To Refuse Noble’s Well-Plug Row. Law360 (2/16, Powell) reports that the Interior Department has “pressed the U.S. Supreme Court to reject Noble Energy Inc.’s request to review a D.C. Circuit decision upholding the department’s order to plug and abandon an oil well off the coast of California.” BSEE Inspects Hess’ Stampede Tension Leg Platform. Offshore Engineer (2/15) reports that “Hess Corp.’s Stampede tension leg platform moved one step closer to production Wednesday following completion of an initial pre-production inspection of its topsides by the Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement (BSEE) at the Kiewit shipyard in Ingleside, Texas.” Amy Wilson, acting district manager of BSEE’s Houma District, said, “BSEE conducts these inspections because our role is to ensure that energy produced on the Outer Continental Shelf is done safely, responsibly and with the fewest impacts to the environment. Our engineers and inspectors spend three to four days verifying that all safety equipment, design specifications and submitted drawings comply with federal regulations.” Hilcorp Natural Gas Pipeline Leaking Into Cook Inlet. The AP (2/16, Joling) reports natural gas has been leaking for at least 10 days from an underwater natural gas pipeline owned by Hilcorp Alaska LLC into the Cook Inlet. Gas is bubbling from an 8inch pipeline in 80 feet of water about four miles offshore, but AM ICAN VERSIGHT DOI-18-0489-000087 floating ice has prevented divers from reaching the site. The Alaska Department of Environmental Conservation and the federal PHMSA are investigating the leak. DEC spokeswoman Candice Bressler said, “We believe the risk to public health and safety is small. ... Environmental risk is less easy to quantify since a monitoring and assessment program is not yet in place.” While there are few people in the area this time of year, there is the possibility for the leak to negatively affect beluga whales. The Kenai (AK) Peninsula Clarion (2/16) reports the damaged underwater pipeline is leaking between 210,000 and 310,000 cubic feet of natural gas per day into the water. Since spotting the leak, Hilcorp has reduced the pressure in the pipeline and shut down non-essential equipment on nearby platforms. The US Coast Guard said that “due to the current level of ice in lower Cook Inlet, natural gas may be accumulating under the ice and unable to be dissipate (sic) safely into the atmosphere.” Onshore Energy Development Dakota Access Stakeholders Debate At House Panel Hearing. E&E Daily (2/16, Bogardus) reports on “sharp exchanges” between Dakota Access pipeline developer Energy Transfer Partners and the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe during hearing of the House Energy and Commerce Subcommittee on Energy this week. Issues raised at the hearing, including “what constitutes ‘meaningful consultation,’ pipeline safety, effects on drinking water, climate change and eminent domain,” reaching beyond North Dakota and E&E reports “tribes have begun mobilizing to fight the Keystone XL pipeline in South Dakota, and landowners and environmental groups are pitted against gas pipelines up and down the East Coast.” Both sides spoke of the need to “strike a balance” among supporting labor unions, creating jobs, building infrastructure, and protecting the environment, respecting landowners and tribes. Despite the pushback, “Trump’s push to fast-track other critical infrastructure projects has cemented an alliance between unions and the GOP.”         Officials Deny Deadline Extension For Evacuation Order. Reuters (2/16, Sylvester) reports federal officials and North Dakota Governor Doug Burgum refused to extend the February 22 deadline for activists living in camps to protest the Dakota Access pipeline. Activists met with officials from the US Army Corps of Engineers, the governor, and the state Department of Transportation to ask for more time to remove their belongings and waste from the camps. Pipeline opponents fear new conflicts if the Army crews are accompanied by police. Chase Iron Eyes said, “It’s completely impossible to remove everything down there in that short of a time frame. ... The people aren’t opposed to the help of the Army Corps, but it’s got to be without the presence of militarized law enforcement.”         Fuel Fix (TX) (2/16) reports Energy Transfer Partners completed $2 billion in stake sales in the Dakota Access pipeline. AM ICAN VERSIGHT DOI-18-0489-000088 ETP sold a 27.6 percent stake to Enbridge and a 9.2 percent stake to Marathon Petroleum. Phillips 66 maintains its 25 percent stake, while Energy Transfer has a controlling ownership of 38.25 percent. The partial sale had been delayed for months after regulatory setbacks.         House Hearing Gets Heated Over Dakota Access Pipeline. E&E Publishing (2/16) reports that the House hearing on energy infrastructure became heated as the Standing Rock Sioux tribe and Energy Transfer Partners testified on the Dakota Access pipeline. Republican Rep. Markwayne Mullin of Oklahoma pointed to his Cherokee heritage in questions targeted at the Chad Harrison of the tribal council. Mullin said he has an easement in his own backyard that he was happy to grant because it was good for the country. He said, “What’s good for your backyard is what’s good for the country; it’s going to create jobs in your backyard, too.” California Democratic Rep. Raul Ruiz cut short Mullin’s questioning by launching an attack on the idea the tribe had waived its right to oppose the project. He said, “I’m so tired of the federal government not respecting the meaningful consultation. ... Notification is not meaningful consultation.”         Op-ed: Indian Wars Have Not Ended. Chase Iron Eyes writes in the Pundits Blog for The Hill (2/16, Eyes) saying the current conflict over the Dakota Access pipeline is reminiscent of previous fights between the federal government and Native American tribes. The pipeline has escalated into a new battle representing the intersection of protection human, civil and indigenous rights, respecting the Constitution and safeguarding the earth. Iron Eyes goes on to compare the current announcement that the Army will remove everything starting on February 23 to when the US military promised to subdue all Lakota who did not comply with orders to return to their reservation in 1875. He says, “The Indian Wars seem never to have ended.” Navajo Nation Seeks Trumps Help To Keep Arizona Coal Plant Open. The Wall Street Journal (2/16, Harder, Gold, Puko) reports that the decision earlier this week to close the Navajo Generating Station in Arizona could pose a challenge to President Trump’s promise to help the coal industry. Russell Begaye, the president of the Navajo Nation, says his tribe opposes the plant’s closure and the loss of 800 jobs and he is calling on Trump for concessions akin to what Carrier Corp. got for keeping jobs at a factory in Indiana. Begaye said he has been in continual contact with White House officials since the inauguration, including three or four times in the last week. “We are going to seek a solution based on what we feel needs to be done,” Mr. Begaye said. “Tax breaks, subsidies, a real strong verbiage from the White House, from President Trump himself.”         Additional coverage that the Navajo Generating Station may shut down after 2019 was provided by the Arizona Republic (2/16, AM ICAN VERSIGHT DOI-18-0489-000089 Randazzo), the Cortez (CO) Journal (2/14, Thompson), and the Arizona Capitol Times (2/16, Hummel). Most BLM Auctions Are Now Held Online Over Activist Concerns. Bloomberg News (2/16, Frazier) reports that because the Bureau of Land Management had to with climate activists during its in-person auctions for leasing rights for drilling on federal land, it started moving its auctions online. This year, only two of the BLM’s 26 auctions will be held in person. The rest have been contracted to EnergyNet, a private company out of Texas that runs the country’s largest auction site for oil and gas properties. The BLM gave EnergyNet a five-year exclusive to manage online auctions, and the company has since made deals with state agencies for the same purpose. Overall sales on the platform rose to $745 million, and while the site filters out most protesters, CEO William Britain is worried about activists. Registered lessees must be able to prove that they are professionals engaged in oil, gas or mineral extraction. However, critics of the online auctions say it is an effort to take sales out of the public spotlight. TransCanada Files Keystone XL Pipeline Application For Nebraska Route. Reuters (2/16, Williams, Gopinath) reports TransCanada Corp filed an application Thursday with the Nebraska Public Service Commission to route its Keystone XL pipeline through the Midwestern state. The company says it expects the process to conclude this year, allowing the $8 billion project to move forward. BLM Posts Oil, Gas Parcels For June Lease. The Riverton (WY) Ranger (2/16) reports that “the Bureau of Land Management’s Wyoming office has posted its proposed list of parcels for the quarterly competitive oil and gas lease sale scheduled for June 22.” According to the article, “the posted list, which identifies 26 parcels totaling 31,924.77 acres, initiates a 30day public protest period. The protest period ends at 4:00 p.m. on March 3.” February Lease Sale Generated $129.3 Million. The Riverton (WY) Ranger (2/16) reports that the Bureau of Land Management “generated $129.3 million for leasing rights on parcels offered at the BLM’s quarterly federal oil and gas lease auction on Feb. 7 in Cheyenne.” The BLM “sold 99 percent of the 184,792 acres that were offered.” Additional Coverage Of Possible Shutdown Of Navajo Generating Station. Additional coverage that the Navajo Generating Station may shut down after 2019 was provided by the Wall Street Journal (2/16, Harder, Gold, Puko), the Arizona Republic (2/16, Randazzo), the AM ICAN VERSIGHT DOI-18-0489-000090 Cortez (CO) Journal (2/14, Thompson), and the Arizona Capitol Times (2/16, Hummel). Renewable Energy Court Reject Anglers’ Request To Halt New York Wind Farm Lease. Law360 (2/16, Phillis) reports that “a D.C. federal court on Wednesday refused to block a $43 million wind energy lease for an area off the coast of New York, deciding the deal would not cause sufficient harm to a coalition of fishing groups and municipalities that argues the project poses a grave economic threat.” U.S. District Judge Tanya S. Chutkan “declined a request from the Fisheries Survival Fund and other groups to enjoin the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management from executing the lease sale to Statoil Wind US LLC.”         Additional coverage was provided by the Workboat (2/16, Moore). Empowering Native American Communities House Subcommittee Told Oversight Of BIA, BIE Needed. Courthouse News (2/16, Buchman) reports that members of the House Subcommittee on the Interior, Energy and Environment on Wednesday heard testimony “on the woeful state of schools on tribal lands and the disconnect with the federal government many said has exacerbated the problems.” According to the article, “at the heart of the problems, the subcommittee was told, is a woeful lack of communication between tribes and the Bureau of Indian Affairs and the Bureau of Indian Education.” Mary Kendall, deputy inspector general at the Interior department, “said many of the bureaus’ problems stem from an inability to distribute funds to tribes and use resources effectively.” Kendall said, “The Office of the Inspector General has no programmatic authority to make that happen. Additional oversight of BIA and BIE by [Congress] would go a long way. Serious action by new leadership at the Office of Indian Affairs would help.” NCAI President Says Native American Schools Need $388 Million To Be Modernized. Sputnik News (2/17) reports that “schools for Native Americans in the United States require at least $388 million to be effectively modernized,” National Congress of American Indians President Brian Cladoosby said. He said, “President Donald Trump had indicated that he wants a big infrastructure spending bill. If you based it on need, the one’s that need it the most in the United States, the Native Americans by far would be able to show that they have the highest need for infrastructure in their communities.” Additional Coverage: Little Shell Moves Closer To Federal AM ICAN VERSIGHT DOI-18-0489-000091 Recognition. Additional coverage that the Senate Indian Affairs Committee “recently voted unanimously in favor on a recognition bill that also could give the Little Shell 200 acres of land in central Montana if passed by the full U.S. Congress” was provided by the Char-Koosta News (2/16). Office Of Insular Affairs Editorial: Trump’s Tough immigration Stance Could Impact Guam. In an editorial, the Guam Daily Post (2/16) says that President Trump’s tough immigration stance “could help the government of Guam cope with the cost of public services to regional immigrants who aren’t economically able to stand on their own feet.” It notes that “has had a dramatic increase in the number of regional immigrants.” Gov. Eddie Calvo has, “in the past, complained to the U.S. Department of the Interior – including during an inter-agency conference in Washington, D.C. – that many of these immigrants from the FSM come to Guam without the skills to hold jobs, the ability to support themselves economically while they don’t have jobs, and that they end up taxing the island’s already strained public health-care system.” It concludes that “if Trump prevails, Guam could become a very different community a year, or a few years from now, if he sends all the immigrants back who can’t financially sustain themselves.” Tackling America’s Water Challenges BOR Monitoring Arrival Of North California Storms. The Sacramento (CA) Bee (2/15, GARRISON, LINDELOF) reports that “three storm systems are headed for the Sacramento region, starting Thursday and continuing into next week, according to the National Weather Service.” However, U.S. Bureau of Reclamation officials “do not believe these storms will force a similar rush of water into Folsom Lake.” BOR spokesman Todd Plain said, “We are monitoring current conditions as always, but we are expecting a colder storm system with lower snow levels, and inflows into Folsom are not expected to dramatically increase.” BOR Expects Lake Berryessa’s Glory Hole To Spill Over. The San Francisco Chronicle (2/16, Graff) reports that “the last time” Lake Berryessa’s Glory Hole “spilled over was 10 years ago in 2006, and the Bureau of Reclamation thinks it could happen again soon.” Sarah McBride, a public affairs specialist with the BOR, said, “A rough estimate is we expect it might start spilling tomorrow, Friday, or this weekend.”         Additional coverage was provided by the Napa Valley (CA) AM ICAN VERSIGHT DOI-18-0489-000092 Register (2/16) and the Sacramento (CA) Bee (2/16, Opsahl). BOR Says Sacramento River Flood Maps A Secret. The Redding (CA) Record-Searchlight (2/16, Arthur) reports that a homeowner who worried that “his home could be flooded” if the Sacramento River continued to rise asked U.S. Bureau of Reclamation “officials if he could get copies of maps showing the river elevations corresponding with dam releases.” However, bureau officials told Greg Boehle “they don’t make them available to the public.” Don Bader, the bureau’s area manager, “said they aren’t even available through a Freedom of Information Act request.” Top National News Media Analyses: Trump’s Performance At News Conference Unseemly, Unprecedented. Media coverage characterizes President Trump’s Thursday press conference as an “angry,” “defensive,” “rambling” “spectacle” that was unprecedented in modern-day politics. The overwhelmingly negative reporting takes issue with Trump’s criticism of the media, and provides little coverage of Trump’s recap of the early days of his Administration and stated successes. However, analysts also predicted Trump’s return to his campaign-style interaction with the press was likely to play well with his supporters. NBC Nightly News (2/16, lead story, 5:30, Holt), for example, reported in its lead story that the left has written about the press conference as a “meltdown,” while the right has “heralded” it as “the trashing of the media in an epic news conference.” At any rate, NBC added, people from all political viewpoints likely agree that it “was pretty much unlike anything we’ve heard from behind a presidential podium.” Indicative of the overall tenor of much of the coverage, USA Today (2/16, Wolf) refers to “one of the wildest presidential press conferences on record” – one that included “a rambling, defensive and at times angry performance by the leader of the free world.” During the “spectacle for the ages,” USA Today adds, Trump “lashed out at the media, Hillary Clinton, the intelligence community, judges and Democrats – among many others.”         Politico (2/16, Dawsey) says that “after stewing in anger during four rocky weeks” as President, the press conference “appeared to be a cathartic moment” for Trump, who aides say “has found running the government harder than expected.” However, Politico says Trump “seemed to be in his element” on Thursday. Trump, according to the AP (2/16, Lemire), “bullied reporters, dismissed facts and then cracked a few caustic jokes.” The AP says that “combination” made Trump “irresistible cable TV fodder” during the campaign. Bloomberg Politics (2/16, Sink) says Trump “appeared to satisfy his itch to duke it out with a press corps he feels has treated him unfairly since his inauguration.” Bloomberg □ AM ICAN VERSIGHT DOI-18-0489-000093 adds that Trump’s supporters “no doubt ate it up” and possibly saw that the President “seemed to enjoy his banter with reporters, so much so that he could barely pry himself away from the cameras.” Bloomberg quotes Trump as saying that he is “actually having a very good time.” Trump added, “Don’t forget, that’s the way I won. Remember, I used to give you a news conference every time I made a speech? Which was like every day.” Reuters (2/16, Holland) similarly reports the President’s “message” during the press conference “appeared aimed at the same voters who elected him” and “feel Washington has left them behind and who like his image as an outsider trying to shake up the establishment.”         The Washington Times (2/16, Miller, Boyer) reports Trump said the “level of dishonest” in the media “is out of control” as news organizations are siding with special interests rather than average Americans. The media, Trump said, is “trying to attack our administration because they know we are following through on pledges that we made, and they’re not happy about it.” The New York Post (2/16, Halper), with a front page that the Drudge Report shows as having a picture of Trump dressed as a circus ringmaster with the headline “Wildest Show On Earth” – says Trump indicated he was using the press conference to take his message “straight to the people.” The Huffington Post (2/16, Wilkie) reports that Trump said this was necessary because “many of our nation’s reporters and folks will not tell you the truth and will not treat the wonderful people of our country with the respect they deserve.” Trump added that “much of the media” based in the District of Columbia, New York, and Los Angeles “in particular” do not speak for average Americans, “but for the special interests and for those profiting off a very, very obviously broken system.” However, the New York Times (2/16, Baker) reports that despite his criticism of the media, Trump at “one point plaintively pleaded for understanding.” Trump said “the tone” of cable news commentary about him “is such hatred,” adding, “I’m really not a bad person.”         The Wall Street Journal (2/16) editorializes that Trump provided a clear and coherent message that was far from a bad performance. The New York Times (2/16) editorializes that Trump “needed the press to play the punching bag that so delighted his political base,” while Chris Cillizza says in a Washington Post (2/16) analysis that Trump “understands” that the media “represent everything” his supporters “dislike about American society.” Cillizza indicates that Trump’s supporters view the media as made up of “Ivy-League-educated coastal elites who look down their noses at the average person, dismissing them and their views as stupid and ill-informed.” In a Washington Times (2/16) column, Charles Hunt says Trump “is an agent of total disruption, bordering on chaos – everything American voters would like to see set upon Washington.” Hunt adds that Trump – who is not “a politician,” is not “polished by public relations experts,” and “doesn’t always speak with complete precision” – “always gets his point across.” Trump, Hunt continues, “wants to shake things up” and Americans AM ICAN VERSIGHT DOI-18-0489-000094 “stand behind him.” On Fox News’ Hannity (2/16), Sean Hannity called Trump’s press conference “a historic beatdown of the alt-left propaganda media and they had it coming. ... It is very refreshing to see a commander in chief who will fight back against the all the dishonesty, all the smears, and set the record straight with you, the American people.” The hashtag #TrumpPressConference was trending on Twitter throughout the day Thursday and Thursday night. Tweets were largely – but not universally – negative toward Trump.         Meanwhile, a New York Times (2/16, Shear, Haberman, Thrush) analysis says it is “unlikely” that Trump’s press conference “will divert much long-term attention from questions” that his Administration has faced. Chuck Todd said on NBC Nightly News (2/16, story 2, 1:10, Holt) that while the press conference likely played well with Trump’s base, it “did nothing to somehow cause” concerned lawmakers “to be less uneasy.” Howard Kurtz said on Fox News Special Report (2/16) that “the other news he made today was drowned out by his assault on the media which doesn’t help him pass his legislative agenda, the thing that would actually ensure he gets more positive press.” However, Chris Wallace said on Fox News’ O’Reilly Factor (2/16) that “this was a determined effort by this President, who is by far the best spokesman in his administration, for his administration, to seize the narrative.” Wallace added, “This is a President saying, ‘I am in charge, I know what I’m doing. I am not going to bend to Washington. Washington is going to have to get used to me.’”         The Washington Post (2/16, Parker, Wagner) reports that Trump “alternated between claims that he had ‘inherited a mess’ and the assertion that his fledgling administration ‘is running like a fine-tuned machine.’” The Post adds that Trump “seemed to acknowledge the widespread reports of turbulence and upheaval emanating out of his West Wing.” Trump said, according to The Hill (2/16, Fabian), “I turn on the TV, open the newspapers and I see stories of chaos. Chaos. Yet it is the exact opposite.” The CBS Evening News (2/16, lead story, 4:15, Pelley) showed Trump adding, “This administration is running like a fine-tuned machine.” The Los Angeles Times (2/16, Bierman, Memoli, Lauter) reports that Trump “countered that all of his early setbacks were the fault of others, the product of ‘fake news’ reporting or both.” Trump said, “I inherited a mess,” adding, “It’s a mess at home and abroad.”         McClatchy (2/16, Kumar, Ordoñez) reports that Trump “boasted of his successes despite a series of setbacks” – including an appellate court ruling of his immigration executive order, the resignation of former National Security Adviser Flynn, the withdrawal of former Labor Secretary nominee Andrew Puzder, and leaks from the White House and federal agencies. Roll Call (2/16, Bennett) says Trump “hammered Democrats at several points, saying ‘the only thing they can do is delay because they screwed things up royally.’” According to Roll Call, Trump “used the criticism as a way to pivot to a list of first-month actions he said he took to □ □ AM ICAN VERSIGHT DOI-18-0489-000095 reverse Democratic policies” and uphold “a promise I made to the American people.” The Wall Street Journal (2/16, Lee, Paletta) quotes Trump as saying, “There has never been a presidency that’s done so much in such a short period of time” and “we have not even started the big work yet.” Jonathan Karl reported on ABC World News Tonight (2/16, lead story, 4:45, Muir) that Trump “pointed to the soaring stock market, his executive orders cutting regulations and the smooth roll-out of his Supreme Court nominee.”         Media Considers Truthfulness Of Trump’s Statements. A New York Times (2/16, Fandos) analysis says that while Trump accused the media of dishonesty, he “uttered several falsehoods of his own.” The Times highlights “some of the most important,” which include: winning the most electoral college votes since former President Ronald Reagan; the US Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit is “in chaos”; and that he inherited an economy that was a “mess.”         The CBS Evening News (2/16, story 6, 1:35, Pelley) reported that while Trump received 304 electoral votes, former President Obama won 365 and former President George H.W. Bush had 426. The AP (2/16, Boak, Woodward) reports that “economic stats and territorial losses of Islamic State insurgents don’t support [Trump’s] assertions about the problems handed to him on those fronts.” The AP says that “by almost every economic measure,” Obama “inherited a far worse situation” in 2009 than Trump took over. The AP adds that ISIS “began to lose ground before Trump took office.”         The Washington Post (2/16) reports that “there’s a fair amount of truth” to Trump’s statement that “drugs are becoming cheaper than candy bars.” Drugs, the Post says, “are often incredibly inexpensive, particularly per dose.” The Post cites a 2015 Baltimore Sun report that said “peewee” capsules of heroin sold for about six dollars per dose in West Baltimore and opiate painkillers “can sometimes be even cheaper” at “the per-pill level.” Moreover, another Washington Post (2/16) piece says that while “it is true that some drug in some quantity might be less expensive than some candy bar at some size,” the “cheapest drug is going to be more expensive than a relatively pricey candy bar.” The Post provides examples of drug prices that it identified by searching on Quora.         Cummings: Trump Made Up “Story About Me.” The Washington Post (2/16, Portnoy) reports that Rep. Elijah Cummings (D-MD) denied Trump’s claim that the lawmaker would not meet with the President despite repeated requests from the White House. Trump, during the press conference, “speculated that Cummings may have been dissuaded from coming to the White House for political reasons.” Cummings said in a statement, “I have no idea why President Trump would make up a story about me like he did today. Of course, Senator Schumer never told me to skip a meeting with the President.” □ □ AM ICAN VERSIGHT DOI-18-0489-000096         WPost Analysis: Trump’s Comment To Black Reporter “Crystallized The Unusual Nature” Of Presidency. The Washington Post (2/16, Bump) reports “few moments crystallized the unusual nature” of Trump’s Administration as “effectively as an exchange” with April Ryan of American Urban Radio Networks. When Ryan stood up to ask Trump if he would include the Congressional Black Caucus in discussions about urban policy, the Post says, Trump responded by asking the reporter if she “want[s] to set up the meeting.” Trump added, “Are they friends of yours? Set up a meeting.”         ABC World News Tonight (2/16, story 4, 1:50, Muir) reported Trump’s response left “members of the Congressional Black Caucus in shock.” Rep. Emanuel Cleaver (D-MO) said that Trump made an “assumption” that “because there was a black woman in the room,” she “had a unique connection with the Congressional Black Caucus.” Cummings said on CNN’s Situation Room (2/16) that Trump likely “saw an African-American woman connected with the Congressional Black Caucus and said maybe they’re friends.” Cummings said that “every time [Trump] talks...about the inner city, he has negative things to say.” Cummings added, “I wish he could walk into some of the areas that I live in and where people are doing extremely well, taking very good care of their families, and he needs to have a bigger picture of the African-American communities and our cities.”         Durbin Says Press Conference Was “Hard To Follow.” Senate Minority Whip Durbin said on CNN’s The Lead (2/16) that Trump’s press conference was “hard to follow. There were so many different things he said. It clearly was a spur-of-the-moment decision. And what I think frankly we should reflect on is we’re dealing with some extremely serious questions.” Durbin added, “The President would have been well-advised to sit down for five minutes with his legal counsel before that press conference and get a few things straight before he made these statements.”         Media Analyses: Trump-CNN Conflict Reaches New Stage. The New York Post (2/16, Atkinson) reports that both Trump and CNN “took a blowtorch to the blowup” between the two sides during the press conference. The Post says Trump “made it personal” when he told White House correspondent Jim Acosta to “ask [CNN Worldwide President] Jeff Zucker how he got his job, OK?” The Post says “it was not immediately known what Trump meant.” Politico (2/16, Weprin) says Zucker on Thursday said that Trump’s comments about CNN being fake news are a “badge of honor” and the network’s coverage of the Administration has increased employee morale.         Kushner Complained To Time Warner Executive About CNN Coverage. The Wall Street Journal (2/16, Hagey, Paletta) reports senior adviser Jared Kushner met with Time Warner executive Gary Ginsberg in recent weeks and expressed the Administration’s concerns about CNN’s coverage, according to a White House official. Kushner, the Journal says, complained about unfair and □ AM ICAN VERSIGHT DOI-18-0489-000097 slanted coverage against the President.         Fox News’ Smith Blasts Trump’s Performance. USA Today (2/16, Cummings) reports Fox News anchor Shepard Smith “is under fire for criticizing” Trump’s interaction with Acosta and refusing to answer questions about ties to Russia. Smith on Thursday said that Trump “keeps repeating ridiculous, throwaway lines that are not true at all and sort of avoiding this issue of Russia as if we’re some kind of fools for asking the question.” Smith added, “We have a right to know. You call us fake news and put us down like children for asking questions on behalf of the American people.”         O’Reilly: Trump Did Not Understand “How Extensive The Problem Really Is.” In his “Talking Points Memo” segment on Fox News’ O’Reilly Factor (2/16), Bill O’Reilly said, “When President Trump first mentioned draining the swamp in Washington, I don’t believe he understood how extensive the problem really is. For eight years of President Obama, there are many people working in the federal government who like the former President and who despise Mr. Trump. Eliminating all of them and stopping the leaks, pretty much be impossible. Also don’t trying to get fairness out of the antiTrump press is impossible as well. So, the Trump Administration has its hands full.”         Powers: Trump “Probably A Little Frustrated” With Spicer. Kirsten Powers said on CNN’s Anderson Cooper 360 (2/16) that from Trump’s perspective, the press conference “shows he’s probably a little frustrated with Sean Spicer,” and “this is how he would like press conferences to be handled.”         Podesta: Trump Is Trying To “Disorient Public Perceptions” Of News. In a Washington Post (2/16) op-ed, former Hillary Clinton campaign chairman John Podesta says Trump’s “fake-news pivot isn’t subtle” as he “benefited from fake news stories during the campaign” and has President “has constantly used the epithet against mainstream media outlets that dare criticize him.” Trump, according to Podesta, “is deploying a strategy, used by autocrats, designed to completely disorient public perception.” Podesta says that Trump “seeks nothing less than to undermine the public’s belief that any news can be trusted” and that “any news is true.”         NYTimes Criticizes Trump’s Answer To Anti-Semitism Question. A New York Times (2/16) editorial criticizes the President’s answer to a question about the rise of anti-Semitic incidents in the US, saying that “as is so often the case, he began with a focus on himself and skirted the issue.” He then “once again...exploited the Jewish members of his family to bolster his credibility,” before deriding the question as “very insulting.” Trump Says He Has Directed Sessions To Investigate Leaks. AM ICAN USA Today (2/16, Johnson) reports that President Trump said “in the midst of a meandering and combative White House news conference” that he has directed Attorney General Sessions “to investigate alleged leaks of classified information,” which VERSIGHT DOI-18-0489-000098 “immediately revived concerns previously voiced by Democratic lawmakers that Sessions could not assert his independence as the nation’s chief law enforcement officer.” Senate Minority Leader Schumer has called on Sessions to recuse himself, and Senate Judiciary Committee ranking Democrat Dianne Feinstein “asked that Sessions limit contacts between the White House and the Justice Department.” The New York Times (2/16, Savage, Lichtblau) writes that while “no law forbids a president from making a criminal referral to the Justice Department,” it is “unusual for a president to direct the agency to open a criminal investigation into his perceived opponents or to talk publicly about having done so.”         ABC World News Tonight (2/16, story 2, 2:25, Muir) reported that during his news conference, Trump “defend[ed] the national security adviser he just fired.” ABC’s Pierre Thomas: “Justice Department attorneys are intensely reviewing why former National Security Advisor Michael Flynn made misleading statements to the White House about his conversation with Russia’s ambassador to the US and whether he broke any laws in the process. ... Today, President Trump continued to praise the man he fired.” Trump: “Mike Flynn is a fine person, and I asked for his resignation. He respectfully gave it.” On the CBS Evening News (2/16, story 5, 2:25, Pelley), John Dickerson said, “The Michael Flynn episode is about what penalty there is for not telling the truth in the Trump Administration. And today we got about the fourth explanation from the President on what his relationship was with Michael Flynn.”         On the CBS Evening News (2/16, story 2, 2:35, Pelley), Jeff Pegues reported that Trump “was asked by three reporters if any of his campaign staffers were in regular contact with Russian operatives during the election. He denied any connections to the Kremlin and dismissed the investigation.” Trump: “Russia is a ruse. I have nothing to do with Russia. Haven’t made a phone call to Russia in years.”         Shepard Smith said on Fox News’ Shepard Smith Reporting (2/16), “It’s crazy what we’re watching every day. It’s absolutely crazy. [Trump] keeps repeating ridiculous throw-away lines that are not true at all and sort of avoiding this issue of Russia as if we’re some kind of fools for asking the question. Really? Your opposition was hacked, and the Russians were responsible for it, and your people were on the phone with Russia the same day it’s happening, and we’re fools asking questions? No, sir, we’re not fools for asking the question, and we demand to know the answer to this question. You owe this to the American people.”         Congressmen Say Trump “Fumed” About Leaks In Meeting. Politico (2/16, Cheney, Bade) reports that the President “fumed about intelligence community leaks during a meeting at the White House with his earliest supporters in Congress,” according to Reps. Lou Barletta (R-PA) and Mike Kelly (R-PA), who were among the 11 lawmakers at the meeting. Kelly said Trump “vented” that Flynn’s departure “is ‘not the issue’ compared to the leaks that made those □ AM ICAN VERSIGHT DOI-18-0489-000099 revelations public,” and Barletta said Trump “‘talked a lot’ about the leaks.”         Officials Say Flynn Denied Discussing Sanctions With Russian Ambassador In FBI Interview. The Washington Post (2/16, A1, Horwitz, Entous) reports that Flynn denied to FBI agents in a January 24 interview “that he had discussed U.S. sanctions against Russia” with Ambassador Sergey Kislyak before President Trump took office, “contradicting the contents of intercepted communications collected by intelligence agencies,” according to current and former officials. The Post says Flynn may be “in legal jeopardy” since “lying to the FBI is a felony offense.”         Durbin “Skeptical” Whether Senate Intelligence Committee Can Conduct Adequate Investigation. Senate Minority Whip Durbin was asked on CNN’s The Lead (2/16) if he believes the Senate Intelligence Committee can do an adequate investigation of Trump campaign aides’ contacts with Russia. Durbin said, “I’m skeptical. I trust Mark Warner completely, but he has to work with the Republican senator who may not be as enthusiastic about this. ... When there is a report coming out of the Senate Intelligence Committee, trust me, it will be heavily censored and redacted and the only way to get that information declassified is with the permission of the White House.”         Nunes: Leakers “Probably” People From Obama Administration. The Washington Times (2/16, Sherfinski) reports that House Intelligence Chairman Devin Nunes said Wednesday evening that “most of the recent intel leaks are likely originating from people who worked in the Obama administration.” He said on Fox News’ Hannity, “It’s totally unacceptable for anyone within government to be doing this. I think most of this is probably from people who were in the old Administration, but there still could be some people that have burrowed in and are providing classified information to the media.”         Trump May Have Financier Lead Intelligence Agencies. The Washington Post (2/16, Wagner, Merle) reports Trump is considering having Stephen Feinberg, a financier and “longtime friend,” lead “a broad review of US intelligence agencies,” but said that “might not be necessary once his team is fully in place.” Trump said, “It’s something we may take advantage of, but I don’t think we’ll need that at all.” The President said the pending confirmation of ex-Sen. Dan Coats as director of national intelligence might eliminate the need for such a review.         Harward Turns Down Offer To Become NSA. Reuters (2/16, Beech) reports that retired Vice Adm. Robert Harward has turned down Trump’s offer to be named national security adviser. USA Today (2/16, Cummings) reports that Harward told the AP that he turned down the job for personal reasons, but CBS reported that Trump “insisted that Deputy National Security Adviser K.T. McFarland be allowed to stay on, and Harward refused to retain the former Fox News analyst and Flynn hire.”         Jim Sciutto said on CNN’s Anderson Cooper 360 (2/16) that AM ICAN VERSIGHT DOI-18-0489-000100 people close to Harward say “this was a difficult decision between duty to his country, to people he served under before,” but “he sees a White House that is in chaos and that’s not something that he wanted to be associated with.” The New York Times (2/16, Davis, Schmitt) says White House officials “had scrambled to head off the refusal, asserting as late as Thursday evening” that Harward “was still in the running.”         Max Boot of the Council on Foreign Relations tweeted, “It’s not just Harward. I hear other professionals are either fleeing NSC staff or refusing to join. Lots of vacancies. WH a total mess.”         NYTimes Analysis: US Does Not Yet Have A “Deep State,” But Is Heading That Way. The New York Times (2/16, Taub, Fisher) says in an analysis that the leaks are leading some to compare the US to countries “like Egypt, Turkey and Pakistan, where shadowy networks within government bureaucracies, often referred to as ‘deep states,’ undermine and coerce elected governments.” Experts say the US is not yet “seeing the rise of its own deep state...but the echoes are real – and disturbing.”         Time Analysis: White House Returns To “Reality-Show Ways” Amid “Chaos.” Philip Elliott of TIME (2/16) looks “Inside Donald Trump’s White House Chaos,” writing that while Trump “mastered the art of disruption” as a presidential candidate, “disruption in government – the rulemaker breaking the rules – turns out to be more costly.” Facing crises and protests, “the White House has fallen back on its reality-show ways, distracted by the internecine drama of senior aides who spend their days mixing government business with jockeying for position and favor with the boss.”         In her Wall Street Journal (2/16) column, Peggy Noonan pleads with Trump to bring in more conventional staff members to balance out his own unconventional style and that of much of his inner circle. However, in the Washington Post (2/16), contributing columnist Hugh Hewitt warns against hyperbole, writing that every Administration stumbles in its first days, and that “judgments about Trump’s presidency based on his first month in the Oval Office are by definition premature.” Senate Judiciary Committee To Begin Gorsuch Hearings March 20. The Washington Post (2/16, Sullivan) reports that the Senate Judiciary Committee announced Thursday that it will begin hearings on the nomination of Judge Neil Gorsuch to the Supreme Court on March 20. A tweet from the committee read, “Chairman @ChuckGrassley: @SenJudiciary Committee to begin hearing on the nomination of Judge Neil Gorsuch for #SCOTUS on March 20th.” The hearings “are expected to span several days and draw intense public scrutiny.” The New York Times (2/16, Pérez-Peña) says Democrats are “angry that Republicans refused to allow President Barack Obama to fill the seat over the last 11 months of his presidency,” and “have vowed tough questioning” of Gorsuch. While Gorsuch has “strong legal credentials, some Democrats are AM ICAN VERSIGHT DOI-18-0489-000101 likely to oppose him, with many people on the left demanding that they push back against Mr. Trump in any way they can.”         In an op-ed for USA Today (2/16), Senate Judiciary Chairman Charles Grassley criticizes Senate Democrats for “signal[ing] plans to block any nomination made by the newly-elected president even before he announced his nomination” after “criticizing Republicans for taking a principled position about a lame duck president that was advocated by Democrats for decades.” Arguing that there should not be “one set of rules for Republicans and another set of rules for Democrats,” Grassley writes, “We won’t abide by such a double standard.” Editorial Wrap-Up New York Times. “For A Troubled President, The Media Is A Satisfying Target.” The New York Times (2/16) editorializes that in his press conference, President Trump “needed the press to play the punching bag that so delighted his political base.”         “Bring On The Special Prosecutor.” The New York Times (2/17) editorializes that the Administration’s “ties” to Moscow “clearly” should be investigated and only a special prosecutor could conduct an inquiry “fairly and completely.” The Times says that while “it’s never easy to conduct robust, independent investigations of the most powerful people in the world,” the ability to do so “is one of the foundations of a functioning democracy.”         “Plastic Bag Fees Make Sense, Just Not To Albany.” A New York Times (2/17) editorial. Washington Post. “Trump Can Help Americans Trust Him By Releasing His Taxes.” The Washington Post (2/16) editorializes that President Trump’s “rambling news conference” on Thursday was consistent with his previous modus operandi. The public cannot trust the President’s statement that “the whole Russian thing” is a “ruse” because of a lack of transparency, writes the Post. Trump’s failure to release his tax returns despite promising he would do so is a significant impediment to gaining America’s trust because the global nature of the business empire he handed down to his sons increases “the potential scale and scope of his international conflicts of interest.” Without more complete disclosure and evidence to back up claims, the public cannot fully trust its leader.         “What The Country Need To Know About The New Labor Secretary Nominee.” The Washington Post (2/16) says in an editorial that the Trump White House did “a spectacularly bad vetting job” with former Labor Secretary nominee Andrew Puzder, which “raises the question of whether the choice of [new nominee Alexander] Acosta holds more promise. On paper, his credentials are strong,” but his “confirmation hearing needs principally to be AM ICAN VERSIGHT DOI-18-0489-000102 the forum at which we get a better sense of Trump policy toward the healing but still troubled labor market.”         “A Power That Lets Police Take Property For Themselves – Even When There’s No Crime.” The Washington Post (2/16) editorializes that President Trump last week “met with a group of sheriffs, who, as they groused about their critics, seem to have extracted a new policy position from a credulous and apparently ill-informed president.” The sheriffs “spoke about ‘civil asset forfeiture’ – a bizarre police power prone to abuse yet beloved by law enforcement,” and Trump “concluded that only ‘bad people’ would pressure them to change the practice.” The Post points out that “an ideologically diverse, bipartisan movement that includes many Trump supporters opposes civil asset forfeiture, because it allows police to seize property from Americans on shockingly flimsy legal grounds.” The Post notes that “a variety of states have passed or are considering reforms to their civil forfeiture system,” and some “have abolished it, stipulating that assets can be seized only from convicted criminals.” Wall Street Journal. “The Bully Trumpet.” The Wall Street Journal (2/16) editorializes that in his press conference, President Trump provided a clear and coherent message that was far from a bad performance.         “Trump’s Labor Mulligan.” The Wall Street Journal (2/16) says in an editorial that Labor Secretary-designate Alexander Acosta has a solid record that should win the support of even Senate liberals.         “Supreme Court Disclosure Test.” The Wall Street Journal (2/16) writes in an editorial that when the Supreme Court considers the Independence Institute’s appeal Friday it should find the McCain-Feingold Act unconstitutional. The Colorado free-market think tank’s pre-enforcement challenge maintains that the 2002 law’s provision requiring donor disclosure for issue-based advertisements goes against the First Amendment by imposing undue burdens on Americans who advocate for causes. If the court fails to act accordingly, federal campaign finance disclosure rules will affect more political speech. Big Picture Headlines From Today’s Front Pages. Wall Street Journal: Trump Lets Loose Against Critics Trump Administration Backs Off Talk Of Closer Russia Ties With $15 Left In The Bank, A Baby Boomer Makes Peace With Less Fund’s $600 Million Lost Week Captivates Traders New York Times: ‘I Inherited A Mess,’ Trump Says, Defending His Performance AM ICAN VERSIGHT DOI-18-0489-000103 In 77 Chaotic Minutes, Trump Defends ‘Fine-Tuned Machine’ GOP’s Grand Visions For Congress Now Look Like A Mirage EPA Workers Try To Block Pruitt In Show Of Defiance Fake News, Fake Ukrainians: How A Group Of Russians Tilted A Dutch Vote Is 2-State Solution Dead? In Israel, A Debate Over What’s Next Washington Post: Trump Travels Come At High Cost Flynn TOLD FBI He Did Not Discuss Sanctions Trump Defends Month In Office Mistakes By DC Lab Force Retesting For Zika The Trump Effect In Germany: A Resurgent Left Financial Times: US Officials Set Conditions On Russia Thaw French Bond Trading Soars On Fear Of Populist Wave Kim Jong Nam Assassination Hits Beijing Authority Norway Plans Shake-up Of $900bn Oil Fund Washington Times: Trump Blasts ‘Out Of Control’ Media For Ignoring Early Successes Feds Say Border Fence Has Been Cut 9,200 Times Since 2010 President Trump Orders Justice Probe Of Intel Leaks, Says Flynn Was ‘Just Doing His Job’ Islamic Extremism Deadliest Ideology In U.S. For First Time In 30 Years Post-9/11 Veterans Seek New Purpose By Joining Left-Wing Protest Movements DNC Leaders Unhappy With Aggressive Tactics To Elect Ellison As Chairman Story Lineup From Last Night’s Network News: ABC: Trump News Conference; Flynn Investigation; Russian Military Aggression; Trump-Black Caucus; Trump-New Immigration Order; Immigrant Protest; Middle East Bombings; Foiled Synagogue Attack; Teenager Hikers Murdered; Severe Weather; Washington State Explosion; Stroller Recall; Phone Plans Competition; National Zoo Panda Farewell. CBS: Trump News Conference; Trump-Russia Investigation; Trump-New Immigration Order; Presidential Orders; Flynn Controversy-Expert Opinion; Trump-Electoral Victory Comment; Immigrant Protest; Immigrant Taking Sanctuary; Trump-Coal Mine Stream Order; Detroit Philanthropist Billionaire Dies. NBC: Trump News Conference; News Conference-Congress Reaction; US Syria Deployment; Immigrant Protest; Wall Street Surge; Food Expiration Label Change; Kim Jung-Nam Assassination; Stroller Recall; Documentary Planet Earth Sequel. Network TV At A Glance: Trump News Conference – 14 minutes, 30 seconds AM ICAN VERSIGHT DOI-18-0489-000104 Trump-Russia Investigation – 5 minutes Immigrant Protest – 4 minutes, 45 seconds Trump-New Immigration Order – 30 seconds Story Lineup From This Morning’s Radio News Broadcasts: ABC: National Security Advisor Pick Withdraws; Labor Secretary Nominee; Trump News Conference; Foiled Synagogue Attack; Bill Cosby Lawsuit; Airport Incident. CBS: Trump News Conference; Cabinet Confirmation; Severe Weather-West Coast; Orovill Dam Situation; Severe Weather-East Coast; Flu Season; Airport Smugglers. FOX: Trump News Conference; Tillerson-Russia Meeting; Police Violence Protest; Immigrant Protest. NPR: Immigration Order-Legal Challenge; National Security Advisor Pick Withdraws; Defense Secretary-NATO Speech; Wall Street News. Washington Schedule Today’s Events In Washington. White House: PRESIDENT TRUMP — Meets with Dennis Muilenburg, CEO of the Boeing Company; arrives in West Palm Beach, Florida. VICE PRESIDENT PENCE — Arrive in Munich on Air Force Two for the weekend’s Munich Security Conference. US Senate: Congress breaks for Presidents Day recess – Congress breaks for Presidents Day District Work Period (aka State Work Period) * No votes in the House of Representatives today US House: 10:00 AM Ahmadiyya Muslim Community USA annual ‘Day on the Hill’ – Ahmadiyya Muslim Community USA annual ‘Day on the Hill’, focusing on efforts to combat violent extremism, protect vulnerable religious minorities, empower American Muslims, and promote the ‘True Islam’ grassroots campaign to combat ‘the perverse ideology of extremists and better protect national security’. Speakers include Democratic Reps. Jim McGovern and Pete Aguilar Location: Rm 121, Cannon House Office Bldg., Washington, DC www.ahmadiyya.us https://twitter.com/Islam Press #MuslimAlly         Congress breaks for Presidents Day recess – Congress breaks for Presidents Day District Work Period (aka State Work Period) * No votes in the House of Representatives today Other: No scheduled events Last Laughs Late Night Political Humor. Jimmy Kimmel: “The President decided to hold an impromptu press conference, and it was a sight to see. It reminded me of something you’d see before a pay-per-view boxing event.” AM ICAN VERSIGHT DOI-18-0489-000105 Jimmy Kimmel: “The tone of the press conference was like if your dad found a pack of cigarettes under your mattress. He was mad.” Jimmy Kimmel: “You know it’s a bad press conference when assuming all black people know each other wasn’t even the worst part of it.” Stephen Colbert: [Referring to President Trump’s comment ‘I inherited a mess.’] “No, you inherited a fortune. We elected a mess.” Stephen Colbert: “Oh, you’re black, can you talk to the Congressional Black Caucus at your next meeting of the black club? You know what, forget it. I’ll have Ben Carson do it. Sit down.” James Corden: “The big news out of Washington right now is the press conference Donald Trump held this morning. Did everyone see it? No? Lucky you, sir.” James Corden: “But Puzder withdrew his nomination after it became clear he would not get confirmed. When asked what he was going to do next, Puzder said, ‘Please, drive around to the second window and we can talk there.’” James Corden: “‘The least anti-Semitic person.’ The least. But here’s the thing. Here’s the guy [Trump] said it to. This guy. He’s an orthodox Jewish reporter. I’m pretty sure he has met people who are less anti-Semitic than Donald Trump. You know, like at home or at his temple.” Trevor Noah: “I can’t play the entire press conference. We only have 30 minutes and [Trump] spoke for, like, six days.” Trevor Noah: “That’s the information you were given? If you can’t trust your President to get the right information on a googlable fact, then can you really trust him with the harder stuff which, by the way, is everything else the President of the United States has to deal with.” Trevor Noah: “In his farewell address, President Obama urged us to get engaged in politics and not just to seat back and check out of everything. Then he went kite surfing.” Jimmy Fallon: [Fallon Impersonating President Trump] “And yet we’ve made so much progress. In fact, if you ask any American, they’ll say that I’ve managed to make the last four weeks feel like four years.” Jimmy Fallon: [Fallon Impersonating President Trump] “Look, I AMERICAN pVERSIGHT DOI-18-0489-000106 knew that [Flynn] knew that I knew, but he didn’t know that I knew that he knew that I knew that he knew that I knew that he knew. So now you know.” Jimmy Fallon: “President Trump’s press conference lasted for an hour an 15 minutes. Though an hour of that was just scanning the room for a reporter who wouldn’t ask a tough question.” Seth Meyers: “President Trump today tweeted that the ‘failing ‘New York Times’ must apologize for publishing leaks’ from his administration, but at this point if they didn’t publish White House leaks, the whole paper would just be the crosswords.” Seth Meyers: “Being a world leader sitting with Trump right now is like being a woman on a date with a guy and then his wife shows up screaming, ‘Your kids want to know where you are.’” Seth Meyers: [Referring to Trump’s response on Russian aggression during his press conference] “That’s your answer? We’re talking about Russian military aggression, not a turkey sandwich at the deli. Not good. Very dry.” Seth Meyers: [Referring to Trump’s response to an AfricanAmerican reporter about the Congressional Black Caucus] “It’s racist to assume all black people know each other. You don’t know all orange people. Hey, Donald, can you set up a meeting with Snookie and the Lorax.” Copyright 2017 by Bulletin Intelligence LLC Reproduction or redistribution without permission prohibited. Content is drawn from thousands of newspapers, national magazines, national and local television programs, radio broadcasts, social-media platforms and additional forms of open-source data. Sources for Bulletin Intelligence audience-size estimates include Scarborough, GfK MRI, comScore, Nielsen, and the Audit Bureau of Circulation. Services that include Twitter data are governed by Twitters’ terms of use. Services that include Factiva content are governed by Factiva’s terms of use. The Department of the Interior News Briefing is published five days a week by Bulletin Intelligence, which creates custom briefings for government and corporate leaders. We can be found on the Web at BulletinIntelligence.com, or called at (703) 483-6100. -Melissa Simpson Intergovernmental and External Affairs, Room 6211 Department of the Interior 1849 C Street, NW Washington, DC  20240 (202) 706 4983 cell AMERICAN VERSIGHT DOI-18-0489-000107 DOI-1 8-0489-0001 08 Conversation Contents Interior Daily News Briefing - June 4, 2019 "U.S. Department of the Interior" From: Sent: To: Subject: "U.S. Department of the Interior" Tue Jun 04 2019 08:08:59 GMT-0600 (MDT) Interior Daily News Briefing - June 4, 2019 Daily News Briefing: May 30, 2019  DOI News Politico: House at last clears massive disaster aid deal for Trump's signature [Daily Caller] E&E Daily: 2 committees to question fish, wildlife and parks nominee KBZK (TV): Representatives send letter to Bernhardt in support of wold delisting New York Times: 84 Environmental Rules on the Way Out Under Trump High Country News: Interior Department’s coal reboot ignores tribes and curtails public input Greenwire: Former deputy IG touts successes in swan song E&E Daily: Lawmakers to tackle Grand Canyon, Chaco bills E&E Daily: 2nd committee to review study on extinctions Fish and Wildlife Service Bay Journal: Fones Cliffs property to be preserved News & Observer: Red wolves are endangered. But these pups at a Durham museum are having a blast. Politico: Farms, military, day cares: Who waited on disaster aid amid TrumpDOI-18-0489-000109 Congress brawl Washington Post: In the mismanagement of nature, government hunting programs cleared a path for coyotes to surge east. Associated Press : Authorities euthanize grizzly bear in northern Idaho [KHQ (TV)] [Flathead Beacon] KPVI (TV) Great Falls Tribune: Benton Lake NWR is for the birds, but you should go too KUT 90.5 FM (Radio): Environmental Group Sues Federal Government Over Endangered Central Texas Salamanders [E&E News PM] Abilene Reflector Chronicle: Flooding toll tabulation begins University of Hawai i System News: Endangered ʻakikiki bird conservation focus of award Oil City News: Recreationists take note: Boundary change in effect at Pathfinder’s Bishop Point area Daily Nonpareil: DeSoto closes again because of floodwaters St. George News: Ravens caws-ing predation concerns for local desert tortoise population National Park Service National Parks Traveler: National Park Service Announces $500,000 In Underrepresented Community Grants Miami Herald: Federal money clears way for bridge project along Tamiami Trail to help revive Everglades [South Florida Sun Sentinel] [National Parks Traveler] Chicago Tribune: U-505 submarine gets a makeover and new exhibit for 75th anniversary at MSI Denver Post: At Great Sand Dunes, waves are flowing in Medano Creek like an ocean Alaska Public Media: A stretch of the Denali Park Road sits atop a creeping landslide. And it’s picking up speed. Alaska Public Media: Alaska’s Tlikakila and Koyukuk Rivers get own Forever Stamps WTVJ (TV): South Florida roadway gets crucial investment Cody Enterprise: Yellowstone worker injured by cow elk at Mammoth Brooklyn Eagle: Construction blunder spills 700 gallons of raw sewage in Brooklyn park Idaho State Journal: Visiting Yellowstone National Park this summer? KUNC 91.5 FM (Radio): Instagramming Crowds Pack National Parks DOI-18-0489-000110 Washington Post: How Congress nearly ruined a man’s quest to visit all national park sites in one trip KCAW 104.7 FM (Radio): Alaskans weigh in over Carnival Corporation’s deal with federal prosecutors KING (TV): Search team finds missing hikers at Mount Rainier National Park Chattanoogan: Park Service Reversed Course On Historic House In Maine And Should Also Save Historic Home By Cravens House Register-Herald: Historic Oak Hill School being nominated for National Historic Register list Associated Press : Lawsuit claims oil boom imperils national park in New Mexico Covington News: Hice welcomes National Park Service Acting Director to Kettle Creek Battlefield Scottsbluff Star-Herald: Rebecca Winters: Mormon pioneer the center of attention as group plans to move her grave Rappahannock News: Furloughs, mother nature make for tough 2018 in Shenandoah Park, surrounding counties St. George News: Despite trails still covered by snow, Cedar Breaks, SR 148 set to open for summer season Northwest Georgia News: Kennesaw Mountain commemorates Memorial Day with Day of Service Bureau of Land Management KJZZ 91.5 FM (Radio) : BLM Proposes Developing 4 Sites For Recreational Shooting In Phoenix Area Billings Gazette: Cyclists receive national BLM award for Acton trail work The Republic: Burning Man waits for US decision on big changes at festival KRQE: Environmental group suing BLM over drilling near Carlsbad Caverns Reno Gazette Journal: BLM issues public land closure in Stead for Reno Air Races' 'rookie school' this week KTVN (TV): BLM to Spray Insecticide to Kill Mormon Crickets Near Winnemucca [KOLO (TV)] Mendocino Voice: Eel River Recovery Project asks for volunteers for trespass cannabis grow Greenwire: Feds: BLM didn't 'misrepresent' revisions to Obama-era plans Oil City News: Muddy Mountain opens for the summer The Journal: Boating continues below McPhee Dam Bureau of Indian Affairs DOI-18-0489-000111 Tahlequah Daily Press: HOSKIN, WARNER WIN Bureau of Ocean Energy Management ecoRI News: Revolution Wind Offshore Power Contract Approved Bureau of Reclamation Northern California Record: Westland Water District denies violating any state law over potential raising of Shasta Dam Hydro World: 7.5-MW James W. Broderick Hydroelectric Power Facility now operating in Colorado KUTV (TV): Raging rivers in the forecast: Keep kids, pets away from the water Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement WWL (TV): New video shows how America's longest oil spill was capped Office of Insular and International Affairs Guam Daily Post: GovGuam could save $5.6M if Trump signs disaster bill Radio New Zealand: US aims to improve Pacific intelligence gathering The Guam Daily Post: Military officials share information on efforts to preserve Guam's limestone forest Radio New Zealand: American Samoa police officer jailed for corruption Marianas Variety: Regional conference to tackle zero-waste strategy St. Thomas Source: PFA Deals with Hurricane Recovery U.S. Geological Survey Los Angeles Times: Earthquake: 3.7 quake strikes near Cobb, Calif. Los Angeles Times: Earthquake: 3.3 quake strikes near Cabazon, Calif. WCAU (TV): Did You Feel Shaking Down the Jersey Shore? Small Earthquake Recorded Off Coast KTTV: More than 400 earthquakes have struck the Inland Empire since May 25, USGS officials say Big Island Now: Low-Flying Copter to Survey Kīlauea Summit & East Rift Zone [Big Island Video News] Chinook Observer: Despite showers, coastal Washington remains abnormally dry CapeCod.com: Fishermen Have Front Row Seats For Rising Seas Opinion DOI-18-0489-000112 Albuquerque Journal: Editorial: Chaco protection buffer is sign of sense, compromise Hill: Will corporations decide what information the public gets? Top National News Wall Street Journal: House Passes $19.1 Billion Disaster-Aid Package DOI News House at last clears massive disaster aid deal for Trump's signature Politico (Scholtes, Ferris) House Democrats finally managed to pass a $19.1 billion disaster relief bill Monday, sending the measure on to President Donald Trump, who is expected to sign it. The 354-58 vote came after Republican conservatives blocked the bill from advancing on three separate occasions while lawmakers were away on a week-long recess — an appropriately acrimonious legislative finale after months of partisan discord. [Daily Caller] 2 committees to question fish, wildlife and parks nominee E&E Daily (Doyle) Former energy company government affairs honcho and congressional staffer Robert Wallace returns to Capitol Hill this week, this time as the Trump administration's nominee to be assistant Interior secretary for fish, wildlife and parks. Representatives send letter to Bernhardt in support of wold delisting KBZK (TV) Representatives Newhouse and Peterson sent an official letter signed by 34 members of Congress in support of delisting the gray wolf from the Endangered Species Act to Secretary Bernhardt and Principle Deputy Director of the Fish & Wildlife Service Margaret Everson. 84 Environmental Rules on the Way Out Under Trump New York Times (Popovich, Albeck-Ripka and Pierre-Louis) President Trump has made eliminating federal regulations a priority. His administration, with help from Republicans in Congress, has often targeted environmental rules it sees as burdensome to the fossil fuel industry and other big businesses. A New York Times analysis, based on research from Harvard Law School, Columbia Law School and other sources, counts more than 80 environmental rules and regulations on the way out under Mr. Trump. Interior Department’s coal reboot ignores tribes and curtails public input High Country News (Segerstrom) DOI-18-0489-000113 Within miles of the Northern Cheyenne Tribe’s reservation in southeastern Montana, coal mines leave claw marks on the landscape and smokestacks rise above the plains. Most of the coal mined and burned in the area comes from land leased by the federal government, and the Northern Cheyenne Tribe wants a voice in how the land, water, atmosphere and community is affected by federal coal leasing policies. Former deputy IG touts successes in swan song Greenwire (Doyle) The Interior Department's longtime chief watchdog nailed convictions, civil settlements and misspent federal funds during the six months ending March 31, according to her valedictory report to Congress. Lawmakers to tackle Grand Canyon, Chaco bills E&E Daily (Streater) A House Natural Resources subcommittee will debate two bills championed by Democratic leadership that would block mining near Grand Canyon National Park and protect hundreds of thousands of acres in New Mexico's Chaco Canyon area from oil and gas drilling. 2nd committee to review study on extinctions E&E Daily (Athey) House Science, Space and Technology Committee lawmakers will hold a hearing tomorrow on a U.N. report warning that roughly 25% of animal and plant species are at risk of extinction. Fish and Wildlife Service Fones Cliffs property to be preserved Bay Journal (Pipkin) For more than a decade, an empty blue house perched on the edge of an otherwise houseless sweep of cliffs along the Rappahannock River loomed as a symbol of its future — which included plans for two housing developments in an ecologically and historically significant area of Virginia’s Northern Neck. But, when the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service completes its purchase of that Fones Cliffs property this month, dismantling that house will be among the first priorities. Red wolves are endangered. But these pups at a Durham museum are having a blast. News & Observer (Jasper) The red wolf babies at the Museum of Life and Science are clearly having a lot of fun. The six-week-old pups join a family of 10 wolves at the Durham museum. One day in May, they were seen climbing, “wrestling, and playing tug-of-war with mom’s tail,” according to a Facebook post. The newborns have been exploring their habitat at the museum, which has cameras allowing visitors to get a glimpse of the “critically endangered” species, its website says. DOI-18-0489-000114 Farms, military, day cares: Who waited on disaster aid amid TrumpCongress brawl Politico (Scholtes) Survivors of an extraordinary string of disasters throughout the states and territories have hung in limbo for six months as Washington politicians sparred over the specifics of a multibillion-dollar plan to send extra aid their way. The more than 70page bill poised for final passage Monday night, would free up billions of dollars to communities hit by hurricanes, typhoons, earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, severe flooding, snowstorms, wildfires and tornadoes. Once it gets to President Donald Trump, he is expected to sign it straightaway. In the mismanagement of nature, government hunting programs cleared a path for coyotes to surge east. Washington Post (Fears) On a cold, miserable morning in May, Stan Gehrt trod across an open field as wind and rain blew in his face. He was leading a team of wildlife biologists on a mission to find an animal with a gift for not being seen. The team didn’t have to travel far from its headquarters for the search. A female coyote had made a den within sight of Chicago’s skyline. They were only “about five kilometers” from America’s busiest airport, O’Hare International, Gehrt said as he advanced toward the den, wind howling through his cellphone microphone during an interview. Authorities euthanize grizzly bear in northern Idaho Associated Press Idaho officials say they euthanized a 240-pound male grizzly bear in northern Idaho after it killed seven sheep. The Idaho Department of Fish and Game in a news release Monday says the bear was killed Saturday near the town of Copeland in Boundary County. The state agency says the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Wildlife Services and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service took part in the killing of the bear that’s federally protected under the Endangered Species Act. [KHQ (TV)] [Flathead Beacon] Grizzly bear euthanized after sheep slaughter, KPVI (TV) A grizzly bear was euthanized after killing seven sheep. Benton Lake NWR is for the birds, but you should go too Great Falls Tribune (Inbody) As a smoky sunset turned Benton Lake National Wildlife Refuge shades of orange, purple and pink on a recent evening, Great Falls seemed far away, though the water was anything but tranquil. Northern shoveler drakes charged each other in territorial disputes, an owl skimmed the grass for mice, Canada geese honked, mallard splashed and charming little yellow-headed blackbird darted among swarming insects rising from the marshes. Environmental Group Sues Federal Government Over Endangered Central Texas Salamanders DOI-18-0489-000115 KUT 90.5 FM (Radio) (Fogel) An environmental advocacy group has filed a lawsuit against the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, claiming federal officials are failing to protect threatened species of salamanders in Central Texas. The Arizona-based Center for Biological Diversity argues the federal agency has not taken steps to protect the habitats of the Georgetown and Salado salamanders since they were first listed as threatened five years ago. [E&E News PM] Flooding toll tabulation begins Abilene Reflector Chronicle (Hageman) Flooding is taking a toll on the Dickinson County Road and Bridge department, but to what extent remains to be seen. County Administrator Brad Homman said he doesn’t yet know how the department’s budget will be impacted, but flooding has affected crews’ ability to get work done — especially summer roadwork. “Our guys are busy putting out the fires of flooding — flagging, putting barricades in and out and obviously with all the moisture we’ve had, there’s no time to do the chip seal (road work),” Homman said. Endangered akikiki bird conservation focus of award University of Hawai i System News University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa researchers from the Kauaʻi Forest Bird Recovery Project (KFBRP) are part of the Saving ʻAkikiki from Extinction Team that was awarded the 2018 Recovery Champion Award by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service for leadership in conservation of the endangered ʻakikiki. Researchers Lisa “Cali” Crampton and Justin Hite have worked with the ʻakikiki, a small bird also known as the Kauaʻi creeper. Recreationists take note: Boundary change in effect at Pathfinder’s Bishop Point area Oil City News (LaChance) People planning to recreate at Pathfinder Reservoir should be aware that a boundary change has taken effect at the area around Bishop Point. “Previously, the area north and west of the campground and boat docks was not included in the Natrona County Parks management area,” the County said on Monday, June 3. “However, in cooperation with the Bureau of Reclamation, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and NatronaCounty Parks, that area is now located within Park boundaries.” DeSoto closes again because of floodwaters Daily Nonpareil The entire DeSoto National Wildlife Refuge, including the visitor center, has closed again because of Missouri River floodwaters impacting refuge roadways. The refuge will remain closed for safety reasons until conditions improve, according to a note on the refuge website. All previously scheduled programs and events at the refuge have been canceled or postponed until further notice. Ravens caws-ing predation concerns for local desert tortoise DOI-18-0489-000116 population St. George News (Kessler) Red Cliffs Desert Reserve officials say they are worried that a skyrocketing raven population poses a major threat to the recovery of the threatened Mojave desert tortoise. During last week’s meeting of the Habitat Conservation Advisory Committee, the body that oversees the Habitat Conservation Plan, or HCP, that guides management of the reserve, there was discussion about raven predation of the tortoise along with a proposed measure to combat it. National Park Service National Park Service Announces $500,000 In Underrepresented Community Grants National Parks Traveler The National Park Service has announced $500,000 in grants to support 13 projects that will help identify and nominate state, tribal, and local sites for inclusion in the National Register of Historic Places. The National Park Service Underrepresented Community Grant Program helps fund projects such as surveys and inventories of historic properties, and assists communities currently underrepresented in the National Register with developing their nominations. Federal money clears way for bridge project along Tamiami Trail to help revive Everglades Miami Herald (Gross, Brasiliero) After years of work on the part of lawmakers and advocacy groups alike, a project aimed at reviving the natural flow of fresh water into the Everglades received the longsought funding it needs to raise another 6.5 miles of the Tamiami Trail. The United States Department of Transportation announced Friday that $60 million, plus a nearly $40 million state match, would be provided to build a bridge along a new section of the roadway, also known as U.S. 41, that runs west from Miami. [South Florida Sun Sentinel] [National Parks Traveler] U-505 submarine gets a makeover and new exhibit for 75th anniversary at MSI Chicago Tribune (Johnson) Museum exhibitions that hang around long enough to wear the tag “venerable” can be problematic. How do you get people to visit something, say, a third time, to pay fresh attention to the artifact that is reliably sitting there in the metaphorical attic? At Great Sand Dunes, waves are flowing in Medano Creek like an ocean Denver Post (Meyer) Surf’s up in Medano Creek at Colorado’s Great Sand Dunes, sort of, thanks to bountiful snow in the high peaks above the dunes. OK, you can’t really surf there, but kids can ride inflatables and skimboards on waves that form on the creek as it crosses DOI-18-0489-000117 dune fields. Maintaining State Parks in a Warming World Could Cost Billions A stretch of the Denali Park Road sits atop a creeping landslide. And it’s picking up speed. Alaska Public Media (Herz) Officials at Denali National Park and Preserve are studying whether the existing path of the park’s 92-mile road can be spared from a creeping landslide, in what scientists say could be a preview of Denali’s future as its permafrost thaws. Alaska’s Tlikakila and Koyukuk Rivers get own Forever Stamps Alaska Public Media (Mostafa) Two of Alaska’s rivers are now featured on their own postage stamps on sale across the country. United States Postal Service and National Park Service officials gathered last week to celebrate and unveil replicas of the Tlikakila and Koyukuk Rivers stamps. South Florida roadway gets crucial investment WTVJ (TV) The State of Florida received a $60 million grant to improve a roadway to not block the natural flow of water. Yellowstone worker injured by cow elk at Mammoth Cody Enterprise A woman working for a concessionaire in Yellowstone National Park was injured in an elk attack last Wednesday morning. The unidentified woman was hurt by a cow elk at Mammoth Hot Springs about 6:30 a.m. She was taken to a hospital by ambulance, but the National Park Service had no update on her condition. Construction blunder spills 700 gallons of raw sewage in Brooklyn park Brooklyn Eagle (Enman) A contractor working for the National Park Service punctured a sewer main at Floyd Bennett Field last month, causing roughly 700 gallons of raw sewage to leak into the soil, according to NPS and the state’s Department of Environmental Conservation. “He didn’t realize that the pipe was there,” Daphne Yun, public affairs specialist for NPS told the Brooklyn Eagle. Visiting Yellowstone National Park this summer? Idaho State Journal If you plan to travel to Yellowstone National Park this summer, come prepared so you can protect yourself and this wild and awe-inspiring place. Summer is Yellowstone’s most popular season. Expect busy facilities and destinations, as well as delayed travel times due to heavy traffic and wildlife jams. If you want a less crowded DOI-18-0489-000118 experience, arrive early or stay late and avoid main attractions during peak hours (like Old Faithful, Grand Prismatic Spring, the Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone, and Norris Geyser Basin). Instagramming Crowds Pack National Parks KUNC 91.5 FM (Radio) The dark blue, predawn sky was just beginning to brighten over Mesa Arch — a oncehidden gem in Utah's Canyonlands National Park — as Jonathan Zhang frantically set up his camera and tripod. The Los Angeles tourist wanted to get the perfect shot of the sun rising over deep, tan canyons and red rock spires, framed by the glowing, orange arch. But he had to squeeze through throngs of other photographers and smartphone-wielding tourists to do so, nearly 50 people total. How Congress nearly ruined a man’s quest to visit all national park sites in one trip Washington Post (Shane) Mikah Meyer has always been into politics. But inside-the-Beltway proceedings had never woken him up in the middle of the night in a panic — until a few months ago, as he drew close to his goal of becoming the first person to visit every National Park Service site in a single, continuous trip. Alaskans weigh in over Carnival Corporation’s deal with federal prosecutors KCAW 104.7 FM (Radio) (Resneck) As Carnival Corporation executives appeared Monday in a federal courtroom in Miami to answer for felony probation violations, Southeast Alaskans penned letters to the court urging the judge to take tough action. But the Dunleavy administration counseled the judge not to do anything that would threaten Alaska’s tourism sector. Search team finds missing hikers at Mount Rainier National Park KING (TV) (Swaby) A search and rescue operation began Monday after two men failed to return from a day hike on Sunday. Wesley Barnhart of Lakewood and Kenneth Wilson of Olympia hadn't returned from their hike, but were found safe Monday evening. The U.S. Park Service coordinated the search with the Pierce County Sheriff's Department and a number of volunteers. Park Service Reversed Course On Historic House In Maine And Should Also Save Historic Home By Cravens House Chattanoogan There's a huge difference between can't and won't. And the fact that the National Park Service is seeing the light on another historic home in Maine shows that saving Littleholme can be done. But local leadership at the Chickamauga and Chattanooga National Military Park have ignored public and official pleas to create an option to spare the house and site. DOI-18-0489-000119 Historic Oak Hill School being nominated for National Historic Register list Register-Herald (Combs) At the end of May, the Historic Oak Hill School passed the final state hurdle on the road to being added to the National Register of Historic Places. At their May 31 meeting at the Canaan Valley Resort, the West Virginia Archives and History Commission voted to send a nomination for the building to the National Park Service for final approval to appear on the federal list. According to a press release from the Southern Appalachian Labor School (SALS), if approved, the historic school will be the second building in Oak Hill to appear on the list, following the city's railroad depot. Lawsuit claims oil boom imperils national park in New Mexico Associated Press (Bryan) U.S. land managers violated environmental laws and their own regulations when issuing dozens of leases to drill in one of the nation’s busiest oilfields, environmentalists claimed Monday in the latest lawsuit aimed at getting the federal government to consider the cumulative effects of oil and gas development. Hice welcomes National Park Service Acting Director to Kettle Creek Battlefield Covington News On Wednesday, May 29, Congressman Jody Hice (R-GA) hosted National Park Service Acting Director Dan Smith for a tour of the Kettle Creek Battlefield, the site of the only significant patriot victory in Georgia during the Revolutionary War. Joined by members of the Kettle Creek Battlefield Association, the American Battlefield Trust and the Georgia Department of Natural Resources, Hice highlighted this historic battle in Washington, Georgia and its critical role in the Southern Campaign as America fought for its independence. Rebecca Winters: Mormon pioneer the center of attention as group plans to move her grave Scottsbluff Star-Herald (North) An estimated 35,000 people were buried along the emigrant trails from the 1840s to the 1860s. There is a grave every 300 feet along the 2,000 mile journey, making it the largest cemetery in the United States. Many of those people are unknown to history, but some, like Rebecca Burdick Winters, are known and stand as a living testament to the hardships endured for the dream of a better life. In 1995, Mary Jo Van Schuyver, then director of the Scotts Bluff County Convention and Visitors Bureau told the StarHerald, it didn’t matter what tourism officials thought about moving the grave for safety reasons. Furloughs, mother nature make for tough 2018 in Shenandoah Park, surrounding counties Rappahannock News (McCaslin) The fact that Shenandoah National Park endured not one but two U.S. federal government shutdowns last year, not to mention much of Skyline Drive was closed DOI-18-0489-000120 during the latter months of the year by downed trees, all impacted the park’s 2018 visitor spending effects and economic contributions to RappahannockCounty and other bordering communities. Last year, 1.3 million visitors to Shenandoah spent an estimated $86.9 million in local gateways that include Rappahannock County. That compares to 2017 visitor spending in the park’s surrounding communities of $95.8 million. Despite trails still covered by snow, Cedar Breaks, SR 148 set to open for summer season St. George News Officials announced that Cedar Breaks Scenic Drive, known as state Route 148, will soon open for the summer season. According to a press release from the National Park Service, it is estimated the road will be cleared of snow and open to vehicles Tuesday. Visitor services, such as restrooms, the Information Center and ranger programs will be available beginning Friday. Kennesaw Mountain commemorates Memorial Day with Day of Service Northwest Georgia News On May 25, Kennesaw Mountain National Battlefield Park held its first Memorial Day of Service. As part of the Memorial Day of Service, volunteers remembered and honored friends and loved ones who gave their all in service to the U.S. As part of the day, the park had a dozen individuals and families sign up to participate in the event. Bureau of Land Management BLM Proposes Developing 4 Sites For Recreational Shooting In Phoenix Area KJZZ 91.5 FM (Radio) (Jaspers) The Bureau of Land Management is proposing four sites for recreational shooting in the Phoenix metro area. The sites would be on federal public lands: two north of the Carefree Highway/Route 74, roughly in between Phoenix and Peoria; one west of Buckeye south of Interstate 10; and one south of South Mountain. Cyclists receive national BLM award for Acton trail work Billings Gazette A Billings bicycle group has received a national award from the Bureau of Land Management. Pedal United, a local Billings chapter of International Mountain Bicycling Association, has been diligent in developing the BLM Acton Recreation Area for mountain bike trails. Burning Man waits for US decision on big changes at festival The Republic With Burning Man three months away, organizers are still waiting for permits and decisions by U.S. land managers that could reshape the counterculture festival in northern Nevada. The U.S. Bureau of Land Management is reviewing more than DOI-18-0489-000121 2,000 public comments about a document released in April that assessed the risk of terror attack and included proposals to conduct drug searches and add trash bins and concrete barriers at the festival in the vast and remote Black Rock Desert. Environmental group suing BLM over drilling near Carlsbad Caverns KRQE (Washington) An environmental group says U.S. land managers are giving the oil and gas industry a free pass to pollute and to damage our precious sites. Now they're suing the Bureau of Land Management in an effort to stop some of it. WildEarth Guardians filed the lawsuit in federal court Monday against BLM over the drilling near Carlsbad Caverns. That area known as the Permian Basin is now considered the world's second most productive oil field and is pumping billions of dollars into the state's economy. BLM issues public land closure in Stead for Reno Air Races' 'rookie school' this week Reno Gazette Journal (Gross) The Bureau of Land Management has issued a closure of the public land adjacent to and north of the Reno Stead Airport this week and through the weekend for the Reno National Championship Air Races' rookie school, where new pilots are trained in pylon air racing. The order closes two plots of public land to the north and east of the airport, including the Mt. Diablo area, from June 5 to June 9. BLM to Spray Insecticide to Kill Mormon Crickets Near Winnemucca KTVN (TV) The BLM is working to slow the spread of Mormon crickets in eastern Nevada. This week the agency will be spraying 4,000 acres near Winnemucca with insecticide. Officials say the insecticide is not harmful to people, pets, livestock, or wildlife and kills young crickets. The treatment is scheduled for Friday depending on the weather. [KOLO (TV)] Eel River Recovery Project asks for volunteers for trespass cannabis grow Mendocino Voice (Maxwell) The Eel River Recovery Project (ERRP) will be assisting the federal Bureau of Land Management (BLM) with cleaning up a trespass grow found on BLM land near the South Fork Eel River, and is seeking "fit and motivated" individual volunteers to help out. The ERRP has helped coordinate volunteers for more than ten similar trespass clean-ups in 2015 and 2016, in coordination with federal land agencies and local law enforcement, supported by grants to help restore public lands. Feds: BLM didn't 'misrepresent' revisions to Obama-era plans Greenwire (Streater) The Trump administration fully complied with environmental laws in revising Obamaera greater sage grouse conservation plans and should be allowed to continue implementing them, government attorneys assert in new court filings defending the DOI-18-0489-000122 changes. Muddy Mountain opens for the summer Oil City News (LaChance) Muddy Mountain has been opened after a Bureau of Land Management law enforcement ranger determined that road conditions were suitable for summer access. “There may still be some snow on the north face and some timbered spaces,” BLM High Plains District Public Affairs Officer Brady Owens told Oil City on Monday, June 3. Owens said that people can camp if there are spaces available without snow. The campground fees on Muddy Mountain are $7 per night. Boating continues below McPhee Dam The Journal (Mimiaga) Whitewater rafting flows below McPhee Dam are continuing thanks to increasing snowmelt. An 18-day boating release is scheduled from June 6-23, reports the Dolores Water Conservancy District. Bureau of Indian Affairs HOSKIN, WARNER WIN Tahlequah Daily Press (Crawford) The Cherokee Nation Election Commission reviewed the results of the tribe's election Monday, certifying Chuck Hoskin Jr. as the next principal chief and Bryan Warner as the next deputy chief. Hoskin took 57.51 percent of the votes in this election, defeating District 12 Tribal Councilor Dick Lay, who received 27.95 percent. District 3 Tribal Councilor David Walkingstick was disqualified from the race, but still received 12.54 percent of the votes. Bureau of Ocean Energy Management Revolution Wind Offshore Power Contract Approved ecoRI News (Faulkner) The all-important power-purchase deal between National Grid and the owners of the proposed Revolution Wind offshore facility was recently approved, 3-0, by the Rhode Island Public Utilities Commission (PUC). But National Grid didn’t get everything it wanted in the agreement. The state’s primary gas and electric utility requested annual payments equal to $88 million over the life of the 20-year contract, to essentially boost its balance sheet and stave off what it said would be a possible credit downgrade. Bureau of Reclamation Westland Water District denies violating any state law over potential raising of Shasta Dam Northern California Record (Breslin) A California water district is disputing claims made in lawsuit filed by Attorney General DOI-18-0489-000123 Xavier Becerra that it is violating state laws over a dam project. Westland Water District, which covers Fresno and Kings counties, was responding to the lawsuit filed over the Shasta Dam, the potential heightening of which the attorney general strongly opposes. 7.5-MW James W. Broderick Hydroelectric Power Facility now operating in Colorado Hydro World The Southeastern Colorado Water Conservancy District announces that its 7.5-MW James W. Broderick Hydroelectric Power Facility at Pueblo Reservoir began operations the last week of May, after testing and commissioning were completed. The plant will produce electricity by harnessing flows that pass through the north outlet of the dam into the Arkansas River. The district signed a Lease of Power Privilege with the U.S. Department of Interior’s Bureau of Reclamation in August 2017 and began construction shortly afterward. Reclamation approved full operations last week. Raging rivers in the forecast: Keep kids, pets away from the water KUTV (TV) (Locklear) Rivers and creeks across Utah are running fast and high, and they’ll be raging in the days to come. It’s a reminder to keep kids and pets away from the water. Flood control experts say spring has been kind, allowing a gradual snow melt. A stretch of warm temperatures this week will accelerate the runoff. Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement New video shows how America's longest oil spill was capped WWL (TV) (Hammer) A Belle Chasse-based company is sharing new video, photos and diagrams to show how it managed to contain an oil spill that has fouled the Gulf of Mexico, unchecked, for nearly 15 years. The Coast Guard announced May 16 that it had completed successful containment operations at the Taylor Energy oil leak site, about 12 miles southeast of the mouth of the Mississippi River at South Pass. The Coast Guard hired the contractor, Couvillion Group, in November after suddenly reversing its position over most of the last decade, that further efforts to contain the leak would cause more environmental harm than good. Office of Insular and International Affairs GovGuam could save $5.6M if Trump signs disaster bill Guam Daily Post (Kerrigan) Guam Congressman Michael San Nicolas has confirmed that the U.S. House of Representatives has passed a disaster aid bill, which includes language raising the Federal Medical Assistance Percentage program subsidy for Guam from 55% to 100% under the Affordable Care Act. The measure already has passed in the U.S. Senate and it now moves to the White House for final approval. President Donald Trump already has said he supports the legislation. DOI-18-0489-000124 US aims to improve Pacific intelligence gathering Radio New Zealand The United States is expanding a programme to help Pacific nations improve intelligence gathering, according to a top military official. The Bloomberg news agency said the US is concerned China is seeking to win the allegiance of islands typically aligned with the US through coercion. Admiral Philip Davidson, commander of the US Indo-Pacific Command, told a security forum in Singapore at the weekend that America has expanded its maritime security initiative for the South Pacific. Military officials share information on efforts to preserve Guam's limestone forest The Guam Daily Post Local elected and military officials trekked through the jungles of Andersen Air Force Base to Guam’s only mature Serianthes nelsonii tree on June 3, according to a Joint Region Marianas press release. Rear Adm. Shoshana Chatfield, Joint Region Marianas commander, hosted the environmental familiarization tour at Northwest Field for Gov. Lou Leon Guerrero, her staff and members of the 35th Guam Legislature. American Samoa police officer jailed for corruption Radio New Zealand Former American Samoa police officer Faauma Malo has begun serving a 20 month prison sentence for corruption. Malo in a plea deal admitted that between 1 April and 31 May, 2017, he asked for money from one Tony Poe in return for him not issuing a traffic citation. The complainant never paid any money to the defendant who was a marine patrol officer at the time. Regional conference to tackle zero-waste strategy Marianas Variety (Cagurangan) Last year, China implemented a ban on foreign garbage, creating a crisis for the recycling industry worldwide, including the Pacific islands region. About 42,000 tons of recyclables are collected every year on Guam alone, and China’s new policy against taking other countries’ rubbish causes anxiety, not just to recycling businesses but to solid waste managers as well. Regional stakeholders will try to find solutions to this burgeoning mess during the 30th Pacific Islands Environmental Conference or PIEC to be held from June 23 to 28 at the Hyatt Regency Guam. PFA Deals with Hurricane Recovery St. Thomas Source (Ellis) The board members of the V.I. Public Finance Authority dealt with hurricane recovery Friday – arranging for matching dollars for FEMA projects and discussing how to move the road-renovation project forward last week at the St. Croix PFA office. U.S. Geological Survey Earthquake: 3.7 quake strikes near Cobb, Calif. DOI-18-0489-000125 Los Angeles Times A shallow magnitude 3.7 earthquake was reported Monday evening 4 miles from Cobb, Calif., in Lake County, according to the U.S. Geological Survey. The temblor occurred at 6:44 p.m. PDT at a depth of 0.6 miles. According to the USGS, the epicenter was 12 miles from Clearlake, Calif., 15 miles from Healdsburg, Calif., 19 miles from Windsor, Calif. and 72 miles from Sacramento. Earthquake: 3.3 quake strikes near Cabazon, Calif. Los Angeles Times A shallow magnitude 3.3 earthquake was reported Monday evening three miles from Cabazon, Calif., according to the U.S. Geological Survey. The temblor occurred at 9:34 p.m. Pacific time at a depth of 9.3 miles. Did You Feel Shaking Down the Jersey Shore? Small Earthquake Recorded Off Coast WCAU (TV) A small earthquake was recorded off the New Jersey coast and it does not appear anyone noticed. The U.S. Geological Survey says the 2.0 magnitude quake happened about 37 miles east-southeast of Brigantine on Saturday morning. It occurred a little more than 4 miles below the surface. The USGS says it has not received any reports from anyone who may have felt the earthquake. More than 400 earthquakes have struck the Inland Empire since May 25, USGS officials say KTTV (Stringini) More than 400 small earthquakes have struck the Inland Empire since May 25, officials with the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) said during a press conference on Monday. Three of the earthquakes registered a magnitude of above 3, according to the Southern California Earthquake Data Center at the California Institute of Technology. Low-Flying Copter to Survey Kīlauea Summit & East Rift Zone Big Island Now Residents near the Kīlauea Volcano summit and along the East Rift Zone should expect to see and hear a low-flying, yellow helicopter flying back and forth in a NESW direction over preplanned flight lines. These helicopter flights are currently planned June 13 to 30, 2019, weather permitting. [Big Island Video News] Despite showers, coastal Washington remains abnormally dry Chinook Observer Despite a 30 percent chance of rain showers this week, there’s little hope for a break anytime soon from an official drought in Washington’s maritime counties. A prominent meteorologist says there’s little to worry about. Like most of western Washington, Pacific County was classified as being in a moderate drought as of May 28. The only exceptions west of the Cascades were Clark and Skamania counties plus parts DOI-18-0489-000126 of Cowlitz, Lewis and Thurston counties. Even these areas were classified as “abnormally dry.” Fishermen Have Front Row Seats For Rising Seas CapeCod.com Anyone who has worked on Cape Cod’s waterfronts will have plenty of anecdotes about the creeping level of the sea. Fishermen tell tales about storms that caused water to surge up and over piers and parking lots, swamping skiffs and making a mess of dock lines and gear. Scientists have compiled deca This email was sent to susan_combs@ios.doi.gov by: U.S. Department of the Interior · 1849 C Street, N.W. · Washington DC 20240 · 202-208-3100 DOI-18-0489-000127 Conversation Contents Interior Daily News Briefing - May 17, 2019 "U.S. Department of the Interior" From: Sent: To: Subject: "U.S. Department of the Interior" Fri May 17 2019 08:16:46 GMT-0600 (MDT) Interior Daily News Briefing - May 17, 2019 Daily News Briefing: May 17, 2019  DOI News Daily Signal: Trump Administration to ‘Shed Light’ on Secretive Practice That Costs Taxpayers Millions MSP Business Journal: Feds renew copper-mining leases near Boundary Waters E&E Daily: Bernhardt navigates offshore drilling questions E&E Daily: Dozens of Republicans ignore Trump to pass tribal bill Greenwire: Bernhardt taps top agency official as acting BLM director Fish and Wildlife Service Greenwire: Gray wolf ESA comments set record, but do they matter? Greenwire: Panel has bear fight over grizzlies Oregon Public Broadcasting: Gov. Kate Brown Thinks Wolves Need Federal Protection, But Not In Oregon Sun News: Manatees in the Carolinas? Here’s why more may be headed north for the summer Florida Today: Baby tarantulas confiscated by US Fish and Wildlife find new home at Brevard Zoo Mining Journal: Fish dealer sentenced for trafficking DOI-18-0489-000128 Grand Junction Daily Sentinel: Feds mum on convicted bobcat hunter's job Clare County Review: Two Clare County Cedar River sites receive attention Traverse City Record-Eagle: Kirtland's warblers back up north KRGV (TV): Wildlife Officials Recover Bobcat after Welfare Call National Park Service National Parks Traveler: Endangered Species Day In The Parks: Lots To Save Powell Tribune: Yellowstone may boost cell, internet service Jackson Hole Radio: Yellowstone Visitors Increase WTTG (TV): Va. Sen. Mark Warner says he has enough bipartisan support to start on National Park Service repairs WTOP 103.5 FM (Radio): Rescue plan for toppled Washington Monument tree to be chosen next week KESQ (TV): Hiker reported missing in Joshua Tree found WJLA (TV): Water is flowing in the C&O Canal for the first time in about two years North Jersey Record: Ceremony marks opening of $100 million Statue of Liberty museum [WPIX (TV)] Times-News: Making the List: Many of Jerome's historic rock structures are still standing Grand Canyon News: Backcountry users advised of changes to water availability on North Kaibab and Bright Angel Trails WKYU (Radio): Mussel Relocation to Temporary Close Ferry at Mammoth Cave National Park Scientific American: Rescue Drones Need to Learn How Lost Humans Think Baxter Bulletin: Special Olympics athletes visit Buffalo National River for field day Bureau of Land Management Greenwire: Draft BLM land-use plan shifts favor to oil and gas New York Times: The Global Helium Shortage Is Real, but Don’t Blame Party Balloons Deseret News: Utahns urged to take 'SparkChange' pledge to prevent wildfires Post Independent: ‘Lack of response’ from BLM regarding quarry’s alleged violations prompts letter, Glenwood reps’ visit to Washington, D.C. Sierra Sun Times: Mexican National Sentenced for Marijuana Cultivation in Wilderness Area of Sequoia National Forest Journal: BLM launches tip line to report suspicious activity on public lands DOI-18-0489-000129 Journal: Whitewater dam release for Dolores River scheduled for Memorial Day weekend Bureau of Indian Affairs Greenwire: Officials: Tribes were consulted in reorganization plans E&E News PM: Ariz. tribes ask court to halt copper mine KRQE: Schrader, Bonamici at hearing about Chemawa Indian School Oregon Public Broadcasting: Congressional Hearing On Chemawa Lays Out Possible Fixes To 'Total Crisis' North Coast Journal Weekly: 'Incredibly Disappointing' Capitol News Illinois: A race to build a casino in Rockford Bureau of Reclamation Statesman Examiner: 'Puddles' to sniff out invasive species on boats Summit Daily: Green Mountain Reservoir opens Friday with reconstructed Heeney Marina iFIBER One News: Grant PUD looks at expanding transmission system to support growth in Grant County Office of Insular and International Affairs Pacific Daily News: Interior: Closer look at EITC as factor in Guam's costs for hosting regional migrants Marianas Variety: Kilili’s requests honored in Interior appropriation Radio New Zealand: Severe drought to continue through May in CNMI Radio New Zealand: Guterres calls climate change 'the battle of my life' Saipan Tribune: NMI’s 1st agri-tourism, plant export biz opens U.S. Geological Survey Moab Sun News: Moab looks at water assessment, future planning WVLT (TV): Small earthquake hits Loudon County Keep Me Current: It's official: Chandler Mill Pond on the map Opinion Hill: Infrastructure conversation must include America's public lands and waters New York Daily News: What the Lady deserves: A glorious new museum shows off the Statue of Liberty; now, combat the scourge of ticket-hawkers at the Battery DOI-18-0489-000130 Times Free Press: Mims: Think of national parks during Infrastructure Week Top National News Wall Street Journal: Boeing Faces More FAA Requests as It Completes 737 MAX Fix DOI News Trump Administration to ‘Shed Light’ on Secretive Practice That Costs Taxpayers Millions Daily Signal (Bastach) The Interior Department will publicly list attorneys’ fees paid out, often to environmental activist groups, for legal settlements, according to a recent memo from Principal Deputy Solicitor Daniel Jorjani. Jorjani’s memo states the Interior Department will develop a webpage within 30 days to publicly list details of legal settlements and cases, which the agency says is a big step in bringing sunshine to a nontransparent practice that the public is largely unaware is happening. Feds renew copper-mining leases near Boundary Waters Minneapolis/St. Paul Business Journal (Reilly) The Trump administration has renewed mineral leases for a Chilean mining company that is pursuing a copper mine near Minnesota's Boundary Waters, the latest step in a years-long fight over the future of the wilderness area. The Star Tribune reports on the announcement by the U.S. Department of the Interior, which clears the way for Twin Metals Minnesota — a St. Paul-based subsidiary of Chile's Antofagasta — to seek permits for a copper-nickel mine near Ely, the BWCA and Voyageurs National Park. Bernhardt navigates offshore drilling questions E&E Daily (Lunney) Interior Secretary David Bernhardt indicated yesterday he's not inclined to move ahead with the administration's offshore drilling proposal before the matter is hashed out in court. Dozens of Republicans ignore Trump to pass tribal bill E&E Daily (Yachnin) Nearly four dozen GOP lawmakers bucked President Trump's demands to reject legislation reaffirming a Massachusetts-based reservation with ties to a casino deal, allowing the House to easily pass the bill yesterday. Bernhardt taps top agency official as acting BLM director Greenwire (Streater) Interior Secretary David Bernhardt quietly signed an order placing a top Interior DOI-18-0489-000131 Department official in charge of the Bureau of Land Management through at least the end of July. Fish and Wildlife Service Gray wolf ESA comments set record, but do they matter? Greenwire (Doyle) A campaign that has swamped the Fish and Wildlife Service with a record number of public comments opposing removing gray wolves from federal protections raises the age-old question of whether size matters. Panel has bear fight over grizzlies Greenwire (Streater) A House subcommittee hearing on grizzly bears legislation highlighted a divide on the purpose of the Endangered Species Act and protections for the Yellowstone area population of bears. Gov. Kate Brown Thinks Wolves Need Federal Protection, But Not In Oregon Oregon Public Broadcasting (Schick) Oregon Gov. Kate Brown is distancing herself from one of her agency heads’ support for stripping away federal endangered species protections for gray wolves. She said she was not aware of her wildlife chief’s support for the move and that she doesn’t agree with it. At least, not all of it. While Brown made clear in a letter sent to the Trump administration Wednesday that she does not support federally delisting wolves, she also doesn’t think federal protections are still warranted in Oregon for the wolves, whose official population count in the state is at least 137. Manatees in the Carolinas? Here’s why more may be headed north for the summer Sun News (Duncan) Summer is coming, and with warming temperatures along the coast, the Carolinas could see more manatees this year. These usual tourists from Florida have always considered the coast as far north as Virginia to be part of their natural territory, according to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. Once listed as endangered, the manatee population has bounced back since the 1990s, the FWS says. Both types of manatee are now listed as “threatened.” Baby tarantulas confiscated by US Fish and Wildlife find new home at Brevard Zoo Florida Today (Sangalang) Eight young tarantulas aren't homeless anymore. The “spiderlings,” each about the size of a quarter, were brought to Brevard Zoo May 1, months after 250 Brazilian whiteknee and Brazilian salmon pink bird-eating tarantulas, all less than a year old, were confiscated from an importer by U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. DOI-18-0489-000132 Fish dealer sentenced for trafficking Mining Journal John H. Cross III and John Cross Fisheries Inc. were sentenced last month in Kalamazoo for trafficking in illegally transported and sold lake trout, announced Assistant Attorney General Jeffrey Bossert Clark for the U.S. Department of Justice’s Environment and Natural Resources Division and U.S. Attorney Andrew Birge for the Western District of Michigan. Feds mum on convicted bobcat hunter's job Grand Junction Daily Sentinel (Ashby) A day after a local U.S. Fish and Wildlife biologist pleaded guilty to a federal felony charge Wednesday in relation to selling dozens of bobcat pelts to foreign fur traders, the agency won't say what it will do with him. Two Clare County Cedar River sites receive attention Clare County Review Over the past twenty-five years, work has been underway to improve the health of the Cedar River watershed located in Gladwin, Clare and Roscommon counties. Led by volunteers from Leon P. Martuch Chapter of Trout Unlimited (LPMTU), an inventory of road stream crossing sites was completed in the upper portion of the Cedar River Watershed. Kirtland's warblers back up north Traverse City Record-Eagle (McWhirter) A small, fleeting songbird once on the brink of extinction lures birdwatchers from across the world to northern Michigan each spring, and guided tours into the woods can help those interested find the birds with their flashes of yellow. "Kirtland's warbler tours are a fun way to experience Michigan's greatest conservation success story," said Kim Piccolo, biologist with the U.S. Department of Agriculture Forest Service. The Forest Service will offer the earliest round of guided tours to see the elusive Kirtland's warbler in the Huron-Manistee National Forests this spring. Wildlife Officials Recover Bobcat after Welfare Call KRGV (TV) (von Preysing) Officials at the Santa Ana Wildlife Refuge say they recovered a bobcat after another agency called them out of concern. The bobcat is now in custody of their partner agency, the U.S Fish and Wildlife Service. They placed a call to the Santa Ana Wildlife Refuge and reported an exotic cat in a cage. “A bobcat is wildlife. I think the important message for people to remember is that wild animals are wild and not necessarily something that you would want to keep in a cage,” says Gisela Chapa, the refuge manager. National Park Service Endangered Species Day In The Parks: Lots To Save DOI-18-0489-000133 National Parks Traveler (Repanshek) The National Park Service more than a century ago was directed to manage national parks so as to “conserve the scenery and the natural and historic objects and the wild life therein and to provide for the enjoyment of the same in such manner and by such means as will leave them unimpaired for the enjoyment of future generations." Today, the agency in places seems to be losing the battle when it comes to plant and animal species considered either "threatened" or "endangered" under the Endangered Species Act. Yellowstone may boost cell, internet service Powell Tribune (Davis) Improved cell and Wi-Fi service may be coming to Wyoming’s national park properties, according to park leaders. Yellowstone National Park’s new superintendent Cameron Sholly said he personally wishes people would leave their cellphones at the hotel or at home and just enjoy the park, but new generations of visitors and the families of employees — including Sholly’s own son — interact differently from his generation. Yellowstone Visitors Increase Jackson Hole Radio Visits to Yellowstone National Park continue to increase even before the traditional press of the summer season. According to the National Park Service Natural and Cultural Resources Division, April saw a 10.3% increase in the number of people entering the park compared with the same period in 2018, and specifically, a 27½ % increase in recreational visits. Altogether, 109,678 people passed through the gates during the month; 48,150 of whom did so for recreational purposes. Va. Sen. Mark Warner says he has enough bipartisan support to start on National Park Service repairs WTTG (TV) (Fitzgerald) Sinkholes. Potholes. For months, FOX 5 has brought you several reports on how the National Park Service (NPS) says it does not have enough money for repair projects. Now, there may now be a glimmer of hope and a rare outbreak of Congressional bipartisanship. Under the 14th Street Bridge, the seawall and sidewalk collapsed in just the past few days. It has been blocked off, but a fix won’t be cheap: it would cost around $253 million to replace the entire seawall — money the NPS will tell you they just don’t have. Rescue plan for toppled Washington Monument tree to be chosen next week WTOP 103.5 FM (Radio) (Basch) The National Park Service is still deciding how to save a white mulberry tree near the Washington Monument that uprooted last weekend after heavy rains. Park service spokesman Mike Litterst told WTOP they expect to have a plan of action in place by sometime next week. The tree is believed to be more than 100 years old. Hiker reported missing in Joshua Tree found DOI-18-0489-000134 KESQ (TV) (Smith) Deno Ndilula, who was reported missing in Joshua Tree National Park on Wednesday afternoon, has been found safe. According to a news release sent out by Joshua Tree National Park's public information officer, George Land, Ndilula, a 31-year-old Namibian national, came in contact with campers Thursday morning and was brought to a Twentynine Palms restaurant. Water is flowing in the C&O Canal for the first time in about two years WJLA (TV) (Roussey) A huge project to restore the historic C&O Canal in Georgetown recently reached a milestone – water began flowing in certain areas for the first time in about two years. That water has since been cut off to make way for the installation of new dams, but it’s expected the water will flow again in a few weeks. Ceremony marks opening of $100 million Statue of Liberty museum North Jersey Record (Alvarado) Musical performances and speeches kicked off a dedication ceremony Thursday for the new Statue of Liberty Museum, a $100 million project that highlights the history and meaning of Lady Liberty. The museum opened to the public at noon after a onehour outdoor ceremony where members of the Statue of Liberty-Ellis Island Foundation spoke. New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio made an appearance hours after he officially launched his campaign for the Democratic nomination to run for president in 2020. [WPIX (TV)] Making the List: Many of Jerome's historic rock structures are still standing Times-News (Matthews) Marian Posey grew up northeast of Jerome and, even as a child, paid particular attention to the many rock structures that surrounded her home. As an architectural historian, she later took on the enormous task of surveying and inventorying the many rock structures in Lincoln and Jerome counties for the Idaho State Historical Society. Posey’s work eventually resulted in the “Lava Structures in South Central Idaho,” a multi-property thematic group listed in 1983 on the National Register of Historic Places, the official list of the nation’s historic places worthy of preservation. Backcountry users advised of changes to water availability on North Kaibab and Bright Angel Trails Grand Canyon News (Williams) National Park Service maintenance staff are working diligently to bring inner canyon seasonal utilities on line now that the risk of freezing conditions has passed. As part of this annual effort, they must repair winter damage to the water pipeline and test water quality prior to opening facilities to the public. Mussel Relocation to Temporary Close Ferry at Mammoth Cave National Park DOI-18-0489-000135 WKYU (Radio) (Autry) The roughly 250 daily commuters who use the Green River Ferry in Mammoth Cave National Park will notice some service interruptions in the coming days. The ferry will be closed to all vehicular traffic May 20- 22. The closure will be in effect from 8:00 a.m. until 4:00 p.m. to allow the park to complete a freshwater mussel relocation project. Rescue Drones Need to Learn How Lost Humans Think Scientific American (Dzierzak) Frantic parents call 911 to report a child has wandered away from a state forest campsite. An unexpected storm strands hunters deep in a wilderness preserve. The U.S. National Park Service documented almost 3,500 search and rescue missions in 2017 alone. And speed is essential when someone goes missing, so search coordinators tend to throw in every tool at their disposal: volunteers, scent-trained dogs, horses and vehicles of all kinds often pour into the area. Drones may seem like an obvious way to save precious time and resources—but the catch is that these unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) still need to work far more effectively with humans in order to make a real difference. Now, with the summer outdoor season fast approaching, researchers at Virginia Tech (supported by a $1.5 million grant from the National Science Foundation) are developing algorithms and machine learning tools to better utilize these eyes in the sky. Special Olympics athletes visit Buffalo National River for field day Baxter Bulletin More than 100 Special Olympics athletes from northern Arkansas gathered at Tyler Bend on Thursday, May 9, for a biannual field day in partnership with the National Park Service’s “Healthy Parks, Healthy People” program. Athletes, event volunteers and National Park Service personnel enjoyed a nature hike and scavenger hunt, a dance party, disc golf, games and a healthy picnic lunch together at the Tyler Bend Pavilion. Bureau of Land Management Draft BLM land-use plan shifts favor to oil and gas Greenwire (Streater) The Bureau of Land Management wants to remove conservation measures covering tens of thousands of acres of sensitive wildlife habitat in north-central Montana, according to a new proposal. The Global Helium Shortage Is Real, but Don’t Blame Party Balloons New York Times (Murphy) Party City, one of the country’s leading suppliers of colorful balloons, disposable tablecloths and small signs declaring “Oh, Kale Yeah!,” announced recently that it would shutter 45 of its 870 stores in 2019. Across the internet, many said it was because of a shortage of helium. Utahns urged to take 'SparkChange' pledge to prevent wildfires DOI-18-0489-000136 Deseret News (O'Donoghue) Utah Gov. Gary Herbert was suffering Thursday from a bout of laryngitis, but that didn't stop him from making a public plea for people to do their part to prevent wildfires. "I believe we can lessen the risk of wildfires by acting proactively and making small changes to our behavior," the governor said in a prepared statement. "I hope Utahns will join me in pledging to prevent wildfires this year." ‘Lack of response’ from BLM regarding quarry’s alleged violations prompts letter, Glenwood reps’ visit to Washington, D.C. Post Independent (Bennett) A recent letter from the city of Glenwood Springs to officials in the nation’s capital — followed by a personal visit — concerning Rocky Mountain Resources’ operations at the Transfer Trail limestone quarry does not mince words. The two-page letter sent to the Bureau of Land Management (BLM), in addition to Sens. Cory Gardner, Michael Bennet and Rep. Scott Tipton, was a result of “the lack of response by the BLM.” Mexican National Sentenced for Marijuana Cultivation in Wilderness Area of Sequoia National Forest Sierra Sun Times Rodolfo Torres-Galvan, 30, (Torres), of Michoacán, Mexico, was sentenced yesterday to three years and 10 months in prison for conspiring to manufacture, distribute, and possess with intent to distribute marijuana, U.S. Attorney McGregor W. Scott announced. Torres’ sentencing follows his guilty plea entered earlier this year. According to court documents, Torres and his co-defendants, Mauricio Vaca-Bucio (Vaca), 31, and Felipe Angeles Valdez-Colima (Valdez), 35, both Mexican nationals, were apprehended after a two-month investigation in the Kiavah Wilderness, a federally designated wilderness area in the Sequoia National Forest. Law enforcement officers saw Torres and Valdez emerge from the forest and enter a Camaro driven by Vaca. BLM launches tip line to report suspicious activity on public lands Journal (Romeo) The old slogan, “If you see something, say something,” just got a little easier to do for anyone who sees nefarious activities on public lands in Southwest Colorado. The Bureau of Land Management’s Tres Rios Office recently launched a “tip line” for people to more easily report suspicious activity, vandalism or any other possible illegal acts on public lands. Whitewater dam release for Dolores River scheduled for Memorial Day weekend Journal (Mimiaga) A 10-day whitewater boating release is planned for the Dolores River below McPhee dam and reservoir, managers announced this week. The recreational water flows will be let out from Tuesday to May 30 and are scheduled to accommodate boaters over the Memorial Day weekend. Bureau of Indian Affairs DOI-18-0489-000137 Officials: Tribes were consulted in reorganization plans Greenwire (Yachnin) Officials at the Bureau of Indian Affairs yesterday fired back over allegations the Interior Department ignored Native American interests in the agency's reorganization plans, asserting that the Trump administration continues to have an "active dialogue" with tribal leaders as it moves ahead with the overhaul. Ariz. tribes ask court to halt copper mine E&E News PM (Brown) Three Native American tribes today asked a federal judge to block a controversial Arizona copper mine that they say will destroy burial grounds and other sacred sites. Schrader, Bonamici at hearing about Chemawa Indian School KRQE (Limon) Traesa Keith is the mother of a student who died at the Chemawa Indian School, a federally operated Native American boarding school. She said her daughter had one of the biggest hearts. She also said valuable time was lost because the school assumed her daughter's medical emergency was a student fight. "It was some kind of heart failure," she said. Congressional Hearing On Chemawa Lays Out Possible Fixes To 'Total Crisis' Oregon Public Broadcasting (Manning, Schick) “Total crisis” was the phrase Sonya Moody-Jurado used in her Capitol Hill testimony to describe Chemawa Indian School, an off-reservation boarding school managed by the U.S. Bureau of Indian Education (BIE). Moody-Jurado should know the school’s problems; she chaired the school board from 2015 to 2018. 'Incredibly Disappointing' North Coast Journal Weekly (Greenson) Two days and 600 miles apart, a pair of governing bodies held very different conversations about the need for local input into development decisions that will impact Humboldt County for decades to come. It was a bit jarring. First, on May 7, the Humboldt County Board of Supervisors had a testy exchange over a seemingly reasonable request from Fifth District Supervisor Steve Madrone that the board send a letter to the Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA), asking that it request that the California Coastal Commission delay a hearing on a controversial hotel project near Trinidad by two months so local residents can provide input. Two days later, the commission — an agency with a big-government reputation for taking a top-down approach — stressed the importance of making sure larger projects are heard in the communities that will house them. A race to build a casino in Rockford Capitol News Illinois (Morgan) Rockford Mayor Tom McNamara said lawmakers have to move quickly before the DOI-18-0489-000138 city’s chances to build a casino are “virtually eliminated” by a northern rival. Just 15 minutes away in Beloit, Wisconsin, the Ho-Chunk Nation tribe awaits federal approval from the Bureau of Indian Affairs to build a casino there, the Beloit Daily News has reported. Some estimates say that project could employ up to 5,000 people and generate more than $5 million in annual revenue for the local government. Bureau of Reclamation 'Puddles' to sniff out invasive species on boats Statesman Examiner (Harnack) A rescue dog is helping state Department of Fish and Wildlife officers sniff out invasive species on boats and Jet Skis. “Puddles,” a 2-year-old Jack Russel terrier mix, will use a keen sense of smell to help detect quagga and zebra mussel larvae on boats at mandatory watercraft-inspection stations. “Invasive mussels can impact our state’s water quality, power and irrigation systems, wildlife and recreation,” Washington Invasive Species Council Executive Coordinator Justin Bush said. “We all need to work together to prevent invasive mussels from changing our way of life and harming resources we value.” Green Mountain Reservoir opens Friday with reconstructed Heeney Marina Summit Daily (Olivero) Boating at Green Mountain Reservoir at the northern tip of Summit County opens today with a reconstructed Heeney Marina. The marina will also be the only motorized boat entry- and exit-point to the reservoir this summer, U.S. Forest Service spokeswoman Kate Jerman said in a press release on Thursday. Grant PUD looks at expanding transmission system to support growth in Grant County iFIBER One News (Perez) Grant PUD is looking at expanding the transmission system to support the growth of Grant County. During Tuesday's regularly scheduled commission meeting, load growth was discussed during a transmission workshop held during the meeting. Many utilities across the United States deal with flat or reduced load growth, Grant PUD says low-cost power has helped foster economic growth throughout Grant County. Office of Insular and International Affairs Interior: Closer look at EITC as factor in Guam's costs for hosting regional migrants Pacific Daily News (Eugenio) U.S. Department of the Interior Secretary David Bernhardt told a congressional committee that his department will look into whether earned income tax credit liabilities are factored into Guam's costs in hosting regional migrants. Bernhardt said the disparity may have been a federal government error, and committed to work with Del. Mike San Nicolas and U.S. Treasury to get the answers. DOI-18-0489-000139 Kilili’s requests honored in Interior appropriation Marianas Variety U.S. Congressman Gregorio Kilili Camacho Sablan’s request for funding to help lower electricity costs in insular areas was answered today, when appropriators included $12 million to fund energy action plans for the Marianas and other island jurisdictions in a spending bill for fiscal year 2020. The House Subcommittee on Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies also increased the set-aside for insular area water systems from the 0.33 percent required by law and for sewers and water treatment from 0.25 percent. The set-asides for water and sewer will both be 1.5 percent for FY20. Total water and sewer funding went up 8 percent in the bill, further adding to the islands’ increase. Severe drought to continue through May in CNMI Radio New Zealand CNMI residents are being warned that severe to exceptional drought is expected to continue through May and are urged to conserve water. National Weather Service, out of Tiyan, Guam, has advised the likelihood of the post-El Niño-like dry weather pattern in the Marianas continuing through the month of May 2019. Wind flow patterns, however, are expected to slowly change, aiding in the spreading of rainfall over the region. Guterres calls climate change 'the battle of my life' Radio New Zealand The UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres has praised Fiji as a strong committed partner in peacekeeping and for taking a leading role in the battle against climate change. Mr Guterres was speaking after formal talks with the Fijian prime minister Frank Bainimarama this morning. Mr Guterres said it needs to be recognised the battle is not being won for the commitments made in Paris to be respected and there needs to be much stronger political will to rescue the planet. NMI’s 1st agri-tourism, plant export biz opens Saipan Tribune (De La Torre) A blessing and ribbon-cutting signaled the official opening of the first agri-tourism and ornamental plant export business in the CNMI. Rufina Tropicals and Bibang’s Café is located in a sprawling, two-hectare land across the airport field in As Lito. U.S. Geological Survey Moab looks at water assessment, future planning Moab Sun News (Bunton) Can the City of Moab take water out of the Colorado River if its springs and wells become depleted? Is climate change data being factored into water use planning in Moab and in the State of Utah? These were two questions raised on Tuesday, May 14, at the Moab City Council workshop discussing an assessment and recent report detailing surface and groundwater resources in and around Moab. DOI-18-0489-000140 Small earthquake hits Loudon County WVLT (TV) A small earthquake rattled in Loudon County on Thursday morning. According to the USGS, a small 2.6 magnitude earthquake hit just outside of Loudon County around 6 a.m. This seismic event is just one of many to hit the East Tennessee area in the last few months. It's official: Chandler Mill Pond on the map Keep Me Current (Vaughan) The 47-acre body of water formerly known as Lily Pond was legally and officially renamed Chandler Mill Pond by the U.S. Geological Survey on May 9. The New Gloucester Selectboard voted in 2013 to rename the pond, said Alan Stearns, executive director of the Royal River Conservation Trust. But receiving the official designation from the USGS took years and required a “pretty extensive application,” said Steve Chandler. Opinion Infrastructure conversation must include America's public lands and waters Hill (Wahl) When outdoor enthusiast Mikah Meyer arrived in Washington, D.C., this month, it wasn’t just another typical springtime tourist visit. As Meyer climbed the steps of the Lincoln Memorial, he was completing a specific quest — to visit all 419 National Park Service sites three years to the day after he began. Inspired by his late father's love of road trips, Meyer, 30, set a Guinness World Record by becoming the youngest person to visit all National Park Service locations, as well as becoming the first to visit those 419 sites in a single continuous road trip. What the Lady deserves: A glorious new museum shows off the Statue of Liberty; now, combat the scourge of ticket-hawkers at the Battery New York Daily News (Editorial Board) A standing ovation for fashion icon Diane von Furstenberg for leading the effort to create the new $100 million Statue of Liberty Museum, opening Thursday. While Liberty Island can accommodate upwards of 25,000 people on a busy summer day, only 5,000 can enter the monument’s pedestal and just 500 can climb the spiral steps to Liberty’s crown. The goal, beautifully executed, was to enhance the visitor experience for all. The new museum does so perfectly; its built-from-the-ground-up structure has three times the exhibition space as the old museum in the base of the statue. An inspiring 10-minute film, split into three parts, uplifts viewing crowds while moving them along. Mims: Think of national parks during Infrastructure Week Times Free Press (Mims) Our national parks are showing their age. Cracking roads, impassable trails and DOI-18-0489-000141 crumbling visitor centers are affecting the quality of visitor access and enjoyment. This may mean less money for areas like East Tennessee where local economies rely on revenue from national park tourism. Infrastructure Week, organized by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce among other institutions, ends Monday and is the perfect time to remind Congress that action is needed to pay down more than $11 billion in deferred maintenance in our National Park system. Top National News Boeing Faces More FAA Requests as It Completes 737 MAX Fix Wall Street Journal (Tangel, Pasztor) Boeing Co. has completed a software fix for its 737 MAX jets but faces requests for additional information from U.S. regulators, another hurdle in returning the troubled aircraft to passenger service, the company said on Thursday. This email was sent to susan_combs@ios.doi.gov by: U.S. Department of the Interior · 1849 C Street, N.W. · Washington DC 20240 · 202-208-3100 DOI-18-0489-000142 Conversation Contents Interior Daily News Briefing - May 7, 2019 "U.S. Department of the Interior" From: Sent: To: Subject: "U.S. Department of the Interior" Tue May 07 2019 08:44:59 GMT-0600 (MDT) Interior Daily News Briefing - May 7, 2019 Daily News Briefing: May 7, 2019  DOI News E&E News: Bernhardt takes the reins E&E Daily: Bernhardt, Perry to headline budget hearings Bay City Tribune: County to reap rewards from GOMESA Jackson Hole Radio: Feds Give Millions For Wildlife Corridors Fish and Wildlife Service Advocate: The Butterfly Effect: Lafayette doctor takes the monarch under his wing WNYW (TV): Exotic animal amnesty week for illegal pets on Long Island WTTW (TV): Four Critically Endangered Red Wolf Pups Born at Lincoln Park Zoo Capital Press: Arrival of wolves worries SW Oregon ranchers Tallahassee Democrat: Law enforcement volunteers plant imperiled wildflowers at wildlife refuge Garden Island: Preserving plants and animals Daily Journal: Franklin College gets $250k to research Canada geese National Park Service DOI-18-0489-000143 Outside: The National Park Service Is Your New HMO Business Insider: A perilous summit in Yosemite has caused at least 300 accidents in the past 15 years. Here's why people keep slipping and falling. Grand Forks Herald: Old-time Yellowstone: Historic photos show unknown family's trip from a century ago Mercer News: Mercer Study Builds Case for Ocmulgee Mounds as First National Park and Preserve in Eastern U.S. Virginian-Pilot: Tiny, bright Ocracoke lighthouse is second oldest operating in the nation KPUG 1170 AM (Radio): Ross Lake rec areas closed by low water level WJXT (TV): Police: Man who climbed St. Augustine fort injured in fall Island Free Press: Tip of Cape Point Closes Due to Nesting Activity Press of Atlantic City: Army Corps flood gates would hurt Pinelands river, National Park Service warns Nevada Appeal: From the Redwood Forest… SILive.com: National Parks Service wants to hear from the community about Great Kills Park Telegram & Gazette: Worcester plans to improve trails, other amenities at Coes Pond Village Soup: PMM rolls out ‘National Fisherman’ project Bureau of Land Management Standard-Examiner: BLM helps Utahns step into the world of the Transcontinental Railroad Big Horn Radio Network: EAS Completed for Two Reservoir Projects Gillette News Record: Sage grouse find voice for what’s fair for fowl KNXV (TV): BLM: Mill Fire burning near Crown King estimated at 100+ acres Reno Gazette Journal: Man caught en-route to Burning Man with 'smorgasbord' of drugs in 2018 sentenced to 34 months Fairbanks Daily News-Miner: Delta Junction area military fire expected to grow during red flag conditions Bureau of Indian Affairs Elko Daily Free Press: Te-Moak Tribe to vote on descendancy Pasadena Now: Moving Histories Presented at Asian Pacific Islander Day at Pasadena Central Library with Writers Naomi Hirahara and Sharon Yamato Bureau of Ocean Energy Management DOI-18-0489-000144 Offshore Wind: Virginia Pilot Offshore Wind Farm Entering Construction Phase Energywire: Senate ban on large wind projects advances Bureau of Reclamation Tri-City Herald: Tri-Cities could hit 90 for Mother’s Day. The summer water forecast is not so bright Idaho Press: Boise River flows to decrease to 6,500 cfs on Tuesday Yakima Herald-Republic: Forecast calls for 75% supply for junior water rights holders in Yakima Basin Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement N/A Office of Surface Mining Reclamation and Enforcement Lane Report: State seeks proposal to bring jobs to Appalachia Office of Insular and International Affairs Star Tribune: St. Paul man sentenced for illegally exporting turtles to Hong Kong Radio New Zealand: CNMI to trim budget in wake of Yutu damage Radio New Zealand: Pacific Forum wants regional disaster preparedness Saipan Tribune: Aldan: About 90 percent of Tinian now have power and water supply Virgin Islands Consortium: V.I. National Park Announces New Cinnamon Campground Operator And Immediate Cleanup For Redevelopment U.S. Geological Survey SFGate: Magnitude 2.6 earthquake strikes near Alum Rock, CA Opinion Washington Monthly: The Trump Administration is Inviting Another Deepwater Horizon Event Billings Gazette: Guest opinion: Bernhardt fails to protect public lands Washington Post: Stop neglecting our national parks Joplin Globe: Our View: The final question Top National News DOI-18-0489-000145 CNN: US trade officials say Trump's tariff threat is real Wall Street Journal: U.S. Deployment Triggered by Intelligence Warning of Iranian Attack Plans DOI News Bernhardt takes the reins E&E News (Doyle) Interior Secretary David Bernhardt wants to spend some quality time with the lawmakers who can help make or break his agenda. In a sit-down with E&E News last Friday, Bernhardt detailed his aspiration to meet one-on-one with every member of the House authorizing and appropriating panels that have a handle on Interior programs. It's an ambitious goal; the House Natural Resources Committee alone has 44 members. Bernhardt, Perry to headline budget hearings E&E Daily (Cahlink, Koss) Interior Secretary David Bernhardt and Energy Secretary Rick Perry are due on Capitol Hill this week amid a flurry of activity on fiscal 2020 spending. County to reap rewards from GOMESA Bay City Tribune (Galvan) Matagorda County stands to receive $901,868.30 that will be disbursed by the U.S. Department of Interior (DOI) in FY 2018 energy revenues to the four Gulf oil and gas producing states. In all, DOI Secretary David Bernhardt announced that nearly $215 million will be disbursed to Alabama, Louisiana, Mississippi and Texas and their coastal political subdivisions marking an increase of 14.3 percent over the prior year. County to reap rewards from GOMESA Jackson Hole Radio News U.S. Secretary of the Interior David Bernhardt announced the award of $2.1 million in grants to state and local partners in Colorado, Montana, Nevada, Utah, Washington, and Wyoming for habitat conservation activities in migration corridors and winter range for elk, mule deer, and pronghorn. A wide array of plant and other wildlife species will benefit from the grants in addition to the targeted big game species. Fish and Wildlife Service The Butterfly Effect: Lafayette doctor takes the monarch under his wing Advocate (Gannon) For 40 years, Dr. Gene Louviere devoted himself to treating humans. Now retired, he has turned his talents to healing an ailing ecosystem — one monarch caterpillar at a time. “My interest in gardening used to be how quickly can I get this done,” Louviere said. “Then my daughter-in-law, Vanessa, in New Orleans began sending backyard DOI-18-0489-000146 photographs of caterpillars and chrysalises. Exotic animal amnesty week for illegal pets on Long Island WNYW (TV) If you own any illegal exotic pets, you can surrender them to authorities on Long Island at an amnesty event all this week, no questions asked. You won't face fines or charges. The Suffolk County SPCA and the state's Department of Environmental Conservation are hosting the weeklong amnesty event for illegally owned protected, endangered, and threatened animals through Friday, May 10, by appointment only. Four Critically Endangered Red Wolf Pups Born at Lincoln Park Zoo WTTW (TV) (Ruppenthal) Lincoln Park Zoo has welcomed four newborn red wolf pups, whose arrival is a bright spot for one of the world’s most endangered wolf species. Two male and two female cubs were born April 13 at the zoo. The dam, Becca, and sire, Rhett, were recommended as a breeding pair by the Red Wolf Species Survival Plan, a coordinated population management effort to save the species. Arrival of wolves worries SW Oregon ranchers Capital Press (Reed) Livestock owners who attended the recent Douglas County Livestock Association’s Spring Conference were in total agreement that wolves would have an impact on their operations sooner rather than later. Law enforcement volunteers plant imperiled wildflowers at wildlife refuge Tallahassee Democrat Instead of firearms and handcuffs, volunteers from Basic Recruit Class 485/487- Night Law Enforcement at the Pat Thomas Law Enforcement Academy were wielding shovels and unloading rescued plants early Saturday morning at the St. Marks National Wildlife Refuge. Wading in mud and water and keeping an eye out for cottonmouths and pygmy rattlesnakes in the wetlands between the refuge Visitor Center and Education Building, students planted swamp milkweed, few-flower milkweed, and milkweed vine to provide host and food plants for monarch butterflies. Preserving plants and animals Garden Island (Else) Three little plants cling to the edge of a cliff in Kalalau Valley. They’re the only left of their species, thought to be extinct in 2016, and were discovered in January by scientists with the National Tropical Botanical Garden. The plants were found using drone technology. Franklin College gets $250k to research Canada geese Daily Journal (Bell-Baltaci) Canada geese have long been a nuisance when they take up residence in a DOI-18-0489-000147 subdivision or outside a strip mall, but they were once believed to be extinct. Now Franklin College is using a $250,000 research grant, the college’s largest ever, to study their behavior and increasing population. National Park Service The National Park Service Is Your New HMO Outside (Siber) If time outside is good medicine, then the national parks, which see some 330 million visitors each year, might just be the country’s most important health care provider. In 2011, the National Park Service launched a program called Healthy Parks Healthy People, which sought to promote the idea that the parks are a national wellness and fitness resource. A perilous summit in Yosemite has caused at least 300 accidents in the past 15 years. Here's why people keep slipping and falling. Business Insider (Bendix) In the belly of Yosemite National Park lies a granite dome that's more than 8,800 feet high. Near its summit are twisted metal handrails that allow hundreds of hikers daily to ascend to the very top — a spot once considered inaccessible to humans. Though the rock formation, known as Half Dome, has become one of Yosemite's most iconic symbols, it's also one of the most dangerous hikes in the US. From 2005 to 2015, Half Dome's perilous climb has prompted at least 140 search-and-rescue missions, 290 accidents, and 12 deaths. (This excludes data from 2010, when the park issued a new permit system.) Old-time Yellowstone: Historic photos show unknown family's trip from a century ago Grand Forks Herald (Wenzel) Fifteen years ago, a man walked in to a small-town South Dakota weekly newspaper office lugging a heavy box that was literally bulging at the sides. The dusty container had been stashed in the attic of an old house. "I don't know what to do with this," he said, "but maybe you do. You can have it." Mercer Study Builds Case for Ocmulgee Mounds as First National Park and Preserve in Eastern U.S. Mercer News (Sears) A new Mercer University study reveals the unique national significance of an undeveloped Georgia river corridor – just weeks after Congress approved expanding a national historical park at its heart. In March, Congress authorized eventually quadrupling the size of Macon’s Ocmulgee Mounds National Historical Park, formerly a national monument. The 702-acre park beside the Ocmulgee River contains the largest Mississippian mound complex in southeastern North America. Tiny, bright Ocracoke lighthouse is second oldest operating in the nation DOI-18-0489-000148 Virginian-Pilot (Hampton) The bright, white Ocracoke Lighthouse has aided mariners for nearly 200 years, longer than any other in North Carolina and second longest in the nation. The 75-foottall beacon opened for its viewing season last week, but remains second fiddle to the much more famous, taller and brighter Cape Hatteras Lighthouse a few miles to the north that draws thousands of visitors annually. Ross Lake rec areas closed by low water level KPUG 1170 AM (Radio) Low precipitation levels in the Skagit basin this year are impacting fishing and camping opportunities on Ross Lake. The National Parks Service said in a news release that Seattle City Light estimates that Ross Lake will be as much as twenty-five feet below normal levels for the entire summer. The recreation area will be open to visitors, but the agency says the lower level of the reservoir will impact the availability of some visitor facilities, services and recreational opportunities. Police: Man who climbed St. Augustine fort injured in fall WJXT (TV) (Campbell) A man could face federal charges for trespassing at a national park after climbing and falling from the Castillo de San Marcos in St. Augustine early Monday morning, park officials said. The St. Augustine Police Department said the man suffered non-lifethreatening injuries when he fell from the top of the historic fort after climbing on it about 2 a.m. Monday. A police report shows he was transported to Memorial Hospital in Jacksonville to be treated for an injury to his face, an injury to his foot and a possible injury to his lower back. Tip of Cape Point Closes Due to Nesting Activity Island Free Press (Crist) The tip of Cape Point closed on Monday morning, May 6, due to a large colony of least terns that are beginning to nest in the area. ORV ramp 44, which leads to the Point, is open for .64 miles, with the last quarter mile of the shoreline bordering Cape Point currently closed. Army Corps flood gates would hurt Pinelands river, National Park Service warns Press of Atlantic City (Zoppo) Massive flood gates being considered for the mouth of the Great Egg Harbor Inlet likely would impact the ecosystem of a protected river that runs through the Pinelands, the National Park Service has warned. In an April letter to the Army Corps of Engineers, the National Park Service knocked the federal agency’s initial study released in March that looked at possible flood mitigation strategies along 3,400 miles of New Jersey’s back bays. From the Redwood Forest… Nevada Appeal (Klix) Seeing the giant trees of the Redwood National and State Parks should be on an DOI-18-0489-000149 Americana bucket list. It’s a lengthy eight hours from Carson City, but a very scenic route no matter which way you take. The Redwoods area is divided into several state parks, and the national park. A volunteer working at the Kuchel Visitor Center explained the state parks were created first, and most of the old growth (larger redwoods) is located there. The Redwood National Park was created on Oct. 2, 1968. The logging industry cut down many trees before the designation, so the redwoods in the national park are smaller and referred to as “new growth.” National Parks Service wants to hear from the community about Great Kills Park SILive.com (Dalton) The National Parks Service (NPS) and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers want to hear from Staten Islanders about the cleanup of Great Kills Park. Army Corps Project Manager Katheen Cuzzolino and Daphne Yun, NPS public affairs specialist, recently met with the Advance to discuss what’s been done at the site thus far and what still needs to be done before it can be utilized by the public. Worcester plans to improve trails, other amenities at Coes Pond Telegram & Gazette (Kotsopoulos) City officials are looking to invest $2.2 million for the renovation of the East-West trail network in the Columbus Park area, along Coes Reservior. The work will include the construction of fully accessible system of slightly elevated boardwalks and groundlevel pathways along the water’s edge, from Coes Park to Circuit Avenue North, as well as the creation of a fishing pier on the Columbus Park side of the pond. Also, the project will turn the old Hillside Beach into a wetlands area that can be used as a “classroom” to educate people about wetlands. PMM rolls out ‘National Fisherman’ project Village Soup After three years of processing the photo archives of National Fisherman magazine, Penobscot Marine Museum has reached its goal: a comprehensive collection of high quality digital photos, along with the carefully preserved originals. This collection presents a visual timeline of American fisheries, where many contributors managed to capture the drama, grit, expertise, and resourcefulness that characterize the industry. The scope of this resource has few rivals, as there were nearly 25,000 photographs to be digitized and cataloged. Bureau of Land Management BLM helps Utahns step into the world of the Transcontinental Railroad Standard Examiner (Olsen) From one side of the Peplin Cut — a canyon-like pass that railroad workers carved through a raised area west of the northern tip of the Great Salt Lake — you can see the valley below, made up of a former lake bed that reaches out to meet the lake’s current edge. A multi-colored layering of mountain ranges is also visible to the southeast, across the Great Salt Lake — the Promontory Mountains are the first layer, looking smooth and purple in early May. The jagged, snow-covered Wasatch DOI-18-0489-000150 Mountains tower beyond them. EAS Completed for Two Reservoir Projects Big Horn Radio Network (Corr) The Bureau of Land Management last week released final Environmental Impact Statements for two projects in the Bighorn Basin. The Leavitt Reservoir Expansion Project near Shell is intended to provide late season irrigation and reduce flooding in the area of Shell while increasing recreation opportunities for visitors. Leavitt Reservoir currently has a surface area of approximately 45 acres and a capacity of 643 acre-feet of water. The proposed project would expand the reservoir to 203 acres with a capacity of 6,604 acre-feet – that’s approximately 2.15 billion gallons of water. Sage grouse find voice for what’s fair for fowl Gillette News Record (Filbin) On an early April morning, Erika Peckham slowly pulled her pickup off a gravel road onto a two-track path that is mostly hidden by short sagebrush and early spring grass. Most people wouldn’t have seen the two-track. It was well hidden for a reason. Peckham is a wildlife biologist with the Wyoming Game and Fish Department. These are familiar roads because it’s her job to use them as sparingly as possible and, in a way, hide them. BLM: Mill Fire burning near Crown King estimated at 100+ acres KNXV (TV) (Walker) Authorities say aircraft are the the primary resource working to get a handle on a fire that sparked Monday. Called the Mill Fire, Bureau of Land Management officials estimate the fire is 100+ acres in "rough and remote" terrain with little road access. The fire started in an area just south of the Prescott National Forest. Man caught en-route to Burning Man with 'smorgasbord' of drugs in 2018 sentenced to 34 months Reno Gazette Journal (Gross) A New York man was sentenced to 34 months in federal prison Monday after being caught ferrying a "smorgasbord" of drugs to the 2018 edition of Burning Man, according to a release from the U.S. Attorney's Office in Colorado. Alexander Zelyakovsky, 46, was caught on August 25, 2018, the first day of the week-long festival in the Black Rock Desert, as he drove a truck through Colorado en route to Nevada. Delta Junction area military fire expected to grow during red flag conditions Fairbanks Daily News-Miner Fire activity was calm over the weekend on the 6,670-acre Oregon Lakes Fire burning 11 miles south of Delta Junction, but an incident management team is being set up in Delta Junction to take over management of the fire as the weather is forecast to get hotter and windier today, according to a news release from the federal Bureau of Land Management Alaska Fire Service. A red flag warning for dangerous wildfire conditions DOI-18-0489-000151 is in effect 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. in parts of the eastern Interior including Salcha, the south Tanana Flats, Delta Junction, Donnelly and Isabel Pass. The warning does not cover the immediate area around Fairbanks. Bureau of Indian Affairs Te-Moak Tribe to vote on descendancy Elko Daily Free Press (Harding) Te-Moak Tribe of Western Shoshone is facing an election June 28 that could change the tribe’s constitution to expand enrollment, and this upcoming balloting has surprised, angered or confused many in the tribe. The ballot will ask voters whether they want to continue to require that only those with one-quarter Te-Moak Western Shoshone blood be enrolled in the tribe or allow all those in direct lineal descent of enrolled Te-Moak members on the rolls. Moving Histories Presented at Asian Pacific Islander Day at Pasadena Central Library with Writers Naomi Hirahara and Sharon Yamato Pasadena Now Two women writers who hail from Pasadena will join in conversation to present a special program at the Pasadena Central Library’s Asian Pacific Islander Day, Saturday, May 11, at 11:00 a.m. Titled “Moving Histories: Japanese Americans after the Wartime Incarceration,” the program features author Naomi Hirahara and writer/filmmaker Sharon Yamato talking about their most recent works focusing on stories about the effects of the WWII forced detention. They will also talk about their families’ personal postwar experiences growing up in Pasadena. Bureau of Ocean Energy Management Virginia Pilot Offshore Wind Farm Entering Construction Phase Offshore Wind (Durakovic) The Coastal Virginia Offshore Wind project will comprise two offshore wind turbines with a combined capacity of 12MW installed in a federal lease area in the Mid-Atlantic some 27 miles off the coast of Virginia Beach. Dominion Energy is developing the project in cooperation with Ørsted. The project will feature Siemens Gamesa 6MW turbines which are expected to start operating in December 2020. Senate ban on large wind projects advances Energywire Big wind power projects in the future would be blocked permanently across wide swaths of eastern North Carolina in legislation supporters say would protect military flight paths and ultimately the region's installations. Bureau of Reclamation Tri-Cities could hit 90 for Mother’s Day. The summer water forecast DOI-18-0489-000152 is not so bright Tri-City Herald (Cary) Summer is expected to come early to the Tri-Cities. Highs could hit 90 by the weekend, according to the National Weather Service. That’s close to 20 degrees above normal for the second week of May in the Tri-Cities, said the weather service. Boise River flows to decrease to 6,500 cfs on Tuesday Idaho Press Boise River flows will decrease flows to plan for reservoir storage later in spring. Flows on the Boise River are currently running at 6,800 cubic feet per second. It will decrease to 6,500 cfs by Tuesday morning. Flood stage on the Boise River is 7,000 cfs. As of Sunday, the Boise Basin has received 110 percent of normal precipitation to date, according to a Bureau of Reclamation news release.The snowpack in the basin is 112 percent of normal. Forecast calls for 75% supply for junior water rights holders in Yakima Basin Yakima Herald-Republic (Talamo) The latest water supply forecast estimates junior water rights holders in the Yakima Basin will receive 75 percent of their allotment this year. Yakima basin reservoir storage is at 86 percent of average, according to the Bureau of Reclamation’s forecast Monday. The water supply is expected to fully satisfy senior water rights. The May forecast is based on flows, precipitation, snowpack and reservoir storage as of May 1, along with estimates of future precipitation and river flows. Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement N/A Office of Surface Mining Reclamation and Enforcement State seeks proposal to bring jobs to Appalachia Lane Report he Kentucky Division of Abandoned Mine Lands is seeking proposals that will attract new industry and jobs to Kentucky’s Appalachian counties. Up to $25 million in federal grant money, administered by the federal Office of Surface Mining Reclamation and Enforcement, is available to Kentucky’s Division of Abandoned Mine Lands (AML) for pilot projects in Appalachian counties that have the potential to create long-term economic benefits. Office of Insular and International Affairs St. Paul man sentenced for illegally exporting turtles to Hong Kong Star Tribune DOI-18-0489-000153 A St. Paul man who pleaded guilty to illegally exporting turtles to Hong Kong was sentenced on Monday to three years of probation and 300 hours of community service. Rene Patrick Vargas, 32, was charged in federal court last August with three counts of falsely labeling packages with the turtles inside as "toys" and "components." CNMI to trim budget in wake of Yutu damage Radio New Zealand The Northern Marianas continues to reel from the devastating effects of Super Typhoon Yutu and will cut $US30 from its budget this year. The Northern Marianas continues to reel from the devastating effects of Super Typhoon Yutu and will be implementing a $US30 million budget cut this year. Governor Ralph Torres said his administration would follow recommendations made by the Department of Finance and reduce its budget in the coming fiscal year that starts in October. Pacific Forum wants regional disaster preparedness Radio New Zealand A climate advisor with the Pacific Islands Forum Secretariat, Exsley Taloiburi, says regional resilience needs investment in preparedness to mitigate risks from climate change and disasters. Speaking during the Forum Economic Ministers' Meeting in Fiji he says this involves empowering communities to be prepared. The Nuku'alofa Times reported him saying community grants will be available to retrofit community halls, schools, jetties and other critical infrastructure, and lives, livelihoods and valuable community assets will be protected before cyclones or other disasters hit. Aldan: About 90 percent of Tinian now have power and water supply Saipan Tribune (De La Torre) About 90 percent of Tinian households and businesses now have access to electric power and water supply, according to Mayor Edwin Aldan last Friday. “Almost all the people are now getting power and water,” said Aldan. V.I. National Park Announces New Cinnamon Campground Operator And Immediate Cleanup For Redevelopment Virgin Islands Consortium The Virgin Islands National Park on Monday announced that the Cinnamon Bay Campground and the food and beverage concessions at Trunk Bay will now be managed by CinnOpCo, LLC, fully backed by philanthropist and Bloomberg, LP cofounder, Thomas F. Secunda. The previous concessionaire, Redwoods Park Company, LLC and CinnOpCo have been working on an agreement for the past several months, according to the release. U.S. Geological Survey Magnitude 2.6 earthquake strikes near Alum Rock, CA SFGate The United States Geological Survey reports a preliminary magnitude 2.6 earthquake struck near Alum Rock, CA on Monday. The quake hit at 9:18 PM local time at a DOI-18-0489-000154 depth of 7 kilometers. There was no initial word on damage or injury resulting from the quake. Opinion The Trump Administration is Inviting Another Deepwater Horizon Event Washington Monthly (Longman) When I was a boy, afternoon delivery of newspapers was still a thing, which was fortunate because the practice provided me with my first job. In 1979, I began delivering the Trenton Times. When I got home from school, there would be a giant bundle of newspapers on my front lawn. I’d rip open the plastic and put as many of them as I could in my bike rack. I’d make a first pass and then come back and get the rest. Rarely, I had to make a third run when the paper was unusually thick. I had some adventures in that job, like the time a bunch of drunk teenagers fired snowballs at me in an effort to knock me off my bike. They succeeded when I foolishly looked back as I was furiously pedaling away and got hit right in the face. That incident sent me to the emergency room with a scratched cornea. Guest opinion: Bernhardt fails to protect public lands Billings Gazette (Struckman) My friend Garett Repenhagen, a U.S. army sniper who returned to civilian life from a tour in Afghanistan, threw his gear in his car and took two weeks hiking and camping alone in the wilderness. He told me he it was incredibly therapeutic and that he felt like he had healed in important ways. He said it made him feel good to be an American, in fact he said there is little more “quintessentially American than our right to access our nation’s public lands.” Stop neglecting our national parks Washington Post (Kaye) I read the May 1 Metro article “Completing the circuit” with both gratitude and distress. I’m grateful that every American owns a share in a remarkable national park system that inspires young people such as Mikah Meyer, informs citizens and international visitors alike about our history, and provides common ground in these politically divided times. Our View: The final question Joplin Globe (Editorial Board) Business as usual will not work anymore, not if we don't want a biodiversity crash that threatens humanity. That's the conclusion of leading conservation scientists from around the world recently meeting in Paris as part of the U.N.'s Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services. On Monday, the group issued a warning that extinction may be imminent for perhaps 1 million species of plants and animals worldwide. Top National News DOI-18-0489-000155 US trade officials say Trump's tariff threat is real CNN (Borak, Liptak) The top US trade negotiator said Monday that the Trump administration will be moving forward on President Donald Trump's threat to escalate tariffs on $200 billion of Chinese goods effective Friday. Speaking to reporters in Washington, US Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer and Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin said China reneged on previous agreements over the weekend, derailing months of progress toward a detailed trade agreement between the world's two largest economies. U.S. Deployment Triggered by Intelligence Warning of Iranian Attack Plans Wall Street Journal (Lubold, Gordon) U.S. intelligence showed that Iran has made plans to target U.S. forces in Iraq and elsewhere in the Middle East, triggering a decision to reinforce the American military presence in the region in an effort to deter any possible moves by Tehran, U.S. officials said Monday. Update subscription Unsubscribe Help Contact Us This email was sent to susan_combs@ios.doi.gov by: U.S. Department of the Interior · 1849 C Street, N.W. · Washington DC 20240 · 202-208-3100 DOI-18-0489-000156 Conversation Contents Interior Daily News Briefing - April 30, 2019 "U.S. Department of the Interior" From: Sent: To: Subject: "U.S. Department of the Interior" Tue Apr 30 2019 07:28:48 GMT-0600 (MDT) Interior Daily News Briefing - April 30, 2019 Daily News Briefing: April 30, 2019  DOI News E&E News: Lawmakers seek road map, justification for reorganization E&E News: Courts derail Trump's march to 'energy dominance' E&E News: Legislation on ANWR, right whales and coal on markup docket E&E News: Committee tees up Interior nominees KPCW: Golden Spike National Historic Park Expecting Tens Of Thousands On Sesquicentennial Weekend Star Tribune - Idaho, Utah seek to defend Trump drilling plan lawsuit Interior is processing offshore oil permits despite drilling pause Heartland - Opinion: SENATE CONFIRMS BERNHARDT AS INTERIOR SECRETARY Fish and Wildlife Service Ill. governor OKs first steps on blocking Asian carp Gray whales washing up dead on Northwest beaches USFWS Will Hear Public Comment On Bison Range Management This Week Spring livestock carcass disposal begins DOI-18-0489-000157 Lawsuit Challenges California Development’s Threat to Condors, Tribal Religious Practices Concerns for homeless & wildlife during Gene Leahy Mall redevelopment construction State Buying 118 Acres to Expand State Nature Preserve May antler rush is here Tagged, released and recovered Shorebirds migrate through Hoquiam on their way to Alaska National Park Service Panel to review National Heritage Areas bills Interior failed to meet FOIA requirements — plaintiffs Popular river overlook in Ariz. now has parking fee Meet the man who just visited all 419 NPS sites Scorched section of Great Basin National Park to reopen on May 1 For a new Arizona highway: Environmental concerns or economic benefits? Overdue projects at national parks in the spotlight on Capitol Hill National Park Service awards $28,466 to protect 10 acres of a Mississippi battlefield National Park Service Unveils 360 Degree St. Augustine Video Apps Atlantic Coast Pipeline Won’t Be Finished Until 2021 – If At All 1763 changing of the flags to be reenacted at Castillo de San Marcos Quarter horses Nacho and Cinco join Buffalo National River team Mesa Verde National Park denies public access to horse roundup Mammoth Cave National Park Hosts Open House For Concessions Facilities Improvements More Prescribed Burns Planned At Rocky Mountain National Park Bureau of Land Management House committee to target Trump energy policies Conservationists promise fight over Nevada oil, gas leases Judge orders industries to pay royalties for public land extraction 7 tourists rescued from Sandthrax Slot Canyon in Garfield County Bureau of Indian Affairs DOI-18-0489-000158 North Dakota man has been named director of BIA Latest pitch for Rockford casino involves getting support from Chicago, legislators House moves closer to affirming Mashpee Wampanoag reservation Walworth County Commission deals with multiple resignations in last few months Bureau of Ocean Energy Management N.Y. Bans Offshore Drilling in Effort to Prevent Trump Expansion U.S. still processing Atlantic seismic permits despite drilling plan delay State AGs critique coastal management changes A growing number of states are aiming for clean energy Bureau of Reclamation Vote set on Columbia River legislation State legislators fund 'stakeholder forum' for orca recovery, dam removal Dairy processing facility proposed for Madison Food Park property Despite abundant snowpack, water still limited for some farmers Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement Securing BSEE real-time monitoring for offshore oil & gas operations Office of Surface Mining Reclamation and Enforcement Belt Creek's comeback depends on treatment plant Office of Insular and International Affairs Second insurance payment due in American Samoa for cyclone damage Senators Introduce Bill to Expand Healthcare for Veterans in Pacific Region CHCC now owes CUC $27.7M Conservation officers seize frozen rays With Snakes Often Spotted In U.S.V.I., And Caimans Roaming The Wild, Barnes Seeks Eradication Plan From D.P.N.R. Economic Development Initiative Hopes to Create ‘Silicon Island’ U.S. Geological Survey DOI-18-0489-000159 Earthquake: 3.0 quake strikes near Las Flores, Calif. Earthquake: 3.2 quake strikes near Black Oaks, Calif. Opinion Editorial: Keep public informed regarding possible drone regulations Top National News Harness-wearing whale was 'trained by Russian military,' researchers say Sri Lanka Bomber Trained in Syria With Islamic State DOI News Lawmakers seek road map, justification for reorganization E&E Daily (Lunney) One of former Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke's top priorities was a massive management overhaul at the department that aimed to give regional offices and frontline employees more decisionmaking power. Courts derail Trump's march to 'energy dominance' E&E News (King) Bit by bit, federal judges across the country have begun to chip away at the foundation of the Trump administration's energy agenda. A crop of recent district court rulings rebuffed President Trump's efforts to amp up energy development on public lands and waters: the end of a coal leasing ban, the repeal of a key royalties regulation, the reversal of an offshore moratorium and the leasing of large Western tracts for oil and gas development. Legislation on ANWR, right whales and coal on markup docket E&E Daily (Brown) The House Natural Resources Committee will vote this week on a series of bills, including a Democrat's attempt to stop energy development in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. Committee tees up Interior nominees E&E Daily (Doyle) Nominees to fill two crucial, long-standing Interior Department vacancies will get a chance to show their mettle this week when the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee convenes for a joint confirmation hearing. DOI-18-0489-000160 Golden Spike National Historic Park Expecting Tens Of Thousands On Sesquicentennial Weekend KPCW (Radio) (Boyle) As part of the 150th anniversary of the completion of the transcontinental railroad a lot of attention has been turned to the Golden Spike National Historical Park. Park employees has been plenty busy preparing for three days of celebration at the park. Idaho, Utah seek to defend Trump drilling plan lawsuit Star Tribune (Ridler) Two states are seeking to intervene on the side of the federal government after four conservation groups asked a judge to immediately halt drilling, mining and other activities to protect habitat for a ground-dwelling bird in seven Western states. Idaho and Utah filed documents in U.S. District Court late last week seeking to defend a plan put forward by President Donald Trump in mid-March. Interior is processing offshore oil permits despite drilling pause Hill (Beitsch) The Interior Department is reviewing permits from companies interested in exploring the coast for potential sources of oil, despite the agency announcing a pause in its offshore drilling plans, Reuters reported Monday. Interior is reportedly in the process of reviewing permits for seismic testing, a process that blasts air below the water to create sound waves that can be used to map out natural resources. The method is strongly opposed by environmental groups as it serves as a precursor to drilling and also alarms marine life, particularly the endangered North Atlantic right whale. SENATE CONFIRMS BERNHARDT AS INTERIOR SECRETARY Heartland (Sterling Burnett) Bernhardt’s actions as deputy and then as acting DOI secretary indicate he will continue to carry out the agency’s responsibilities to balance the protection of federal lands and resources with their productive use and to devolve authority for natural resource management to states where appropriate. Fish and Wildlife Service Ill. governor OKs first steps on blocking Asian carp Greenwire The governor of Illinois is authorizing steps toward the installation of technologies in a Chicago-area waterway to prevent Asian carp from reaching Lake Michigan. Gray whales washing up dead on Northwest beaches Greenwire An unusually large number of gray whales are washing up dead on their northbound migration past the Oregon and Washington coasts this year. The peak stranding time DOI-18-0489-000161 for gray whales in the Pacific Northwest is normally April, May and June. But the federal agency NOAA Fisheries has already logged nine dead whales washed ashore in Washington and one in Oregon. That's on top of 21 strandings on California beaches since the beginning of the year. USFWS Will Hear Public Comment On Bison Range Management This Week Montana Public Radio (Mott) New possibilities for management of the National Bison Range north of Missoula are out, and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is taking public comment on them at three meetings this week. In 2016 the Obama administration proposed transferring ownership of the Bison Range from the Fish and Wildlife Service to federal trust ownership for the Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes. Spring livestock carcass disposal begins KWYB (TV) (Laster) Bears and livestock go together about as well as mentos and coke; in other words they don't. FWP is trying to keep the bears away by implementing a carcass recovery and disposal program. "It's an important step that we need to take to make sure that cattle herds are safer and the bears are safer as well," said Communication and Information Manager of Montana Fish Wildlife and Parks, Bob Gibson. Lawsuit Challenges California Development’s Threat to Condors, Tribal Religious Practices YubaNet Conservation and tribal groups sued the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service for authorizing a Tejon Ranch Company plan to build luxury housing, golf courses and resort hotels on thousands of acres of critical habitat for California condors in Kern County. Today’s lawsuit, brought by the Center for Biological Diversity, Wishtoyo Foundation and Delia Dominguez, a Kitanemuk and Yowlumne Tejon tribal chairwoman, was filed in U.S. District Court. It challenges the Service’s failure to adequately consult native people on the threats posed to condors by Tejon Mountain Village. Concerns for homeless & wildlife during Gene Leahy Mall redevelopment construction KETV (TV) (Doan) Spring is a time for change. For Downtown Omaha, it's a major facelift. It'll be at least two years before Gene Leahy Mall reopens. The mall already looks different with hundreds of trees cut down, the lagoon drained and fencing around the entire area. State Buying 118 Acres to Expand State Nature Preserve Associated Press DOI-18-0489-000162 Ohio's Department of Natural Resources says land that it's purchasing to expand a nature preserve near Lake Erie will help protect more than 700,000 plants of the endangered Lakeside daisy species. The department says the purchase of 118 acres for $1,075,860 will increase Lakeside Daisy State Nature Preserve on the Marblehead Peninsula in Ottawa County to 137 acres. State officials say the preserve is home to the only natural population of the plant left in Ohio. May antler rush is here Jackson Hole Daily (Koshmrl) Federal agencies are geared up to police and manage the droves of antler-seeking hikers and horsemen who will flood the hillsides surrounding Jackson Hole starting at midnight Tuesday. The event is the annual May 1 onset of antler hunting season, which coincides with the lifting of area closures on huge expanses of the BridgerTeton National Forest. The opening of those lands last year attracted 280 vehicles that caravaned down Refuge Road behind a pilot car in the darkness, and National Elk Refuge Manager Brian Glaspell anticipates another good showing. Tagged, released and recovered Herald and News (Dillemuth) Three-hundred and fifty miles. That’s how far Valentine the monarch butterfly traveled after being one of 31 butterflies tagged with a light-weight tracking tag and released in Tulelake in late September last year. Shorebirds migrate through Hoquiam on their way to Alaska KING (TV) (Torre) The wonders of nature never cease to amaze. Take for example, the journey that some breeds of Shorebirds make each year. They migrate from Argentina all the way up to Alaska. At Grays Harbor National Wildlife Refuge in Hoquiam, hundreds of thousands of Shorebirds fly through on their migration. Wildlife biologist Marian Bailey keeps track of the amount of birds stopping by. National Park Service Panel to review National Heritage Areas bills E&E Daily (Athey) The House Natural Resources Committee will hold a hearing tomorrow looking at a series of bills concerning National Heritage Areas. Interior failed to meet FOIA requirements — plaintiffs Greenwire (Yachnin) Opponents of President Trump's 2017 cuts to the Grand Staircase-Escalante National DOI-18-0489-000163 Monument accused the Interior Department of failing to meet court-ordered requirements for releasing public documents and asserted that the agency is inflating the number of pages it makes public by repeating some documents. Popular river overlook in Ariz. now has parking fee Greenwire Parking at a spot near the edge of an Arizona canyon where the Colorado River makes a sharp U-turn now comes at a cost. You can blame that mostly on social media. Meet the man who just visited all 419 NPS sites E&E News PM (Hotakainen) On the 14th anniversary of his father's death, Mikah Meyer celebrated today on the National Mall after becoming the first person to visit all 419 National Park Service sites in one continuous trip. Scorched section of Great Basin National Park to reopen on May 1 Las Vegas Review-Journal (Brean) The National Park Service is set to reopen a portion of Great Basin National Park closed by fire almost three years ago. Starting Wednesday , visitors will be allowed back into Strawberry Creek for the first time since summer 2016, when a wildfire scorched more than 4,700 acres and left one firefighter dead. For a new Arizona highway: Environmental concerns or economic benefits? Associated Press A proposed highway that would start at the border with Mexico and serve as the southern leg of Arizona's Interstate 11 is being called both an economic benefit and an environmental threat. Federal, state, and local agencies have reservations about the environmental impact for mostly undisturbed sections of the Sonoran Desert, The Arizona Daily Star reported Friday. Overdue projects at national parks in the spotlight on Capitol Hill WVLT (TV) (Austin) This National Park Week, there's a renewed focus on maintaining the country's precious lands. Bipartisan lawmakers are pushing for a bill that would begin confronting $12 billions in overdue maintenance projects. Washington Correspondent Alana Austin reports on the debate over the best way to handle these urgent needs. National parks need billions of dollars across the nation to confront delayed maintenance project. The Shenandoah Valley of Virginia attracts many tourists and visitors from around the world. (Source: WHSV) "This is one of those areas where it should be a no-brainer," said Senator Mark Warner (D-VA). DOI-18-0489-000164 National Park Service awards $28,466 to protect 10 acres of a Mississippi battlefield WLBT (TV) (McCarthy) The National Park Service today announced $28,466 in grants from the American Battlefield Protection Program to help protect 10 acres of America’s battlefields in Mississippi threatened with damage or destruction by urban and suburban development. These grants will be used to acquire a portion of the Champion Hill Battlefield, a significant Civil War Battlefield. “Battlefield Land Acquisition Grants allow for the permanent protection of lands associated with historic battles in our country’s history,” National Park Service Deputy Director P. Daniel Smith said. National Park Service Unveils 360 Degree St. Augustine Video Apps WJCT (TV) (Hoskinson) Visitors to St. Augustine’s historic forts can now download a couple of new smartphone apps designed to enhance their experience. Castillo de San Marcos and Fort Matanzas are the oldest masonry fortifications in the country. WJCT producer Rich Conner worked with the National Park Service to tell their stories through video. Atlantic Coast Pipeline Won’t Be Finished Until 2021 – If At All WMRA (Radio) (Jenner) The headlines can get confusing quickly: Court A stays Permit B; Party C appeals Ruling D; Agency X reissues Permit Y. In this feature, WMRA’s Andrew Jenner brings us up to speed on the complicated landscape of environmental challenges to the Atlantic Coast Pipeline. 1763 changing of the flags to be reenacted at Castillo de San Marcos WJXT (TV) The National Park Service will reenact the changing of flags between the Spanish and the British in 1763 on Saturday at the Castillo de San Marcos. The reenactment will take place from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday, May 4, at the National Monument in St. Augustine. Quarter horses Nacho and Cinco join Buffalo National River team Newton County Times As of mid-April, visitors to the Steel Creek Area of Buffalo National River in Newton County may be greeted at the fence line by a couple of new faces. The National Park Service recently purchased two quarter horses from the Arkansas Department of Correction (ADC) to revitalize Buffalo National River’s mounted patrol program. DOI-18-0489-000165 Mesa Verde National Park denies public access to horse roundup Durango Herald (Mimiaga) Planning has begun on a roundup of “trespass” horses at Mesa Verde National Park, and a public adoption process will follow. But the park has denied a request by The Journal to report on and document the roundup process. Other horse roundups on federal land have included public and media viewing areas, and courts have ruled that media have a First Amendment right to witness federal government activities. Mammoth Cave National Park Hosts Open House For Concessions Facilities Improvements National Parks Traveler Mammoth Cave National Park will hold an open house style public meeting at The Lodge at Mammoth Cave's Rotunda Room on Tuesday, May 14th from 4-6 p.m. to provide information on several upcoming projects to improve the park’s concessions facilities. Park staff will be on hand during the open house to explain the details of the various projects and collect public comments. More Prescribed Burns Planned At Rocky Mountain National Park National Parks Traveler Fire managers from Rocky Mountain National Park are preparing to conduct prescribed burns in the Beaver Meadows entrance area. Burning will only occur if favorable weather and fuel conditions permit. A 36-acre section of this area was burned this past October. One of the primary reasons park managers conduct prescribed burns is to help protect life and property from wildland fire. Fire managers conduct burns in areas that may increase the likelihood that firefighters could hold a fire inside the park, near roads, and in strategic locations. Prescribed fires reduce the amount of fuels available in the project area. Bureau of Land Management House committee to target Trump energy policies E&E Daily (Streater) Democrats are expected to push for more renewable energy development on federal lands during a House Natural Resources oversight hearing tomorrow where the Trump administration's energy policies are expected to take center stage. Conservationists promise fight over Nevada oil, gas leases Associated Press (Ritter) Conservationists say they will fight a federal government proposal to allow oil and gas drilling in remote northeast Nevada, including open range that's home to a dwindling DOI-18-0489-000166 species of ground-dwelling bird. A Center for Biological Diversity official threatened lawsuits after the U.S. Bureau of Land Management opened a one-month comment period on Thursday about plans to lease eight parcels totaling about 25 square miles (65 square kilometers) west of Ely in White Pine County. Judge orders industries to pay royalties for public land extraction High Country News (Bowlin) When energy corporations produce oil, gas or coal on public lands, they make royalty payments to the federal government and the states where production takes place. In 2016, the Obama administration closed a loophole that allowed companies to dodge those fees. The valuation rule was set to provide tens of millions of dollars to taxpayers, until then-Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke repealed it shortly into his tenure in 2017. Now, a federal judge has deemed that move illegal, putting the valuation rule into effect immediately. In a case brought by the states of California and New Mexico, U.S. District Court Judge Saundra Brown Armstrong found that Trump’s Interior Department failed to justify the repeal, which she called “arbitrary and capricious.” 7 tourists rescued from Sandthrax Slot Canyon in Garfield County KUTV (TV) (Weaver) Seven tourists were rescued Sunday night after being trapped in a narrow Sandthrax Slot Canyon in Garfield County. Bureau of Indian Affairs North Dakota man has been named director of BIA Bismarck Tribune Darryl LaCounte has been appointed to the position of director of the Bureau of Indian Affairs in the U.S. Department of the Interior, according to an announcement made Monday by the Assistant Secretary of Indian Affairs Tara Mac Lean Sweeney. LaCounte, a member of the Turtle Mountain Band of Chippewa Indians in North Dakota, has served as acting director since 2018. Latest pitch for Rockford casino involves getting support from Chicago, legislators Rockford Register Star (Braun) The latest pitch to bring a casino here came Monday with city and business leaders taking out newspaper ads asking Chicago’s mayor-elect to support a casino in the Forest City. The timing for legislators to expand the number of casinos in Illinois is “urgent,” said state Sen. Dave Syverson, R-Rockford, as lawmakers will be on summer break after the end of May and approval for a casino right across the stateline in Beloit, Wisconsin, is looming. House moves closer to affirming Mashpee Wampanoag reservation DOI-18-0489-000167 Cape Cod Times (Stening) Federal legislation that seeks to clarify the status of the Mashpee Wampanoag Tribe’s reservation will be marked up and considered Wednesday by the House Committee on Natural Resources. The Mashpee Wampanoag Tribe Reservation Reaffirmation Act, introduced by Rep. William Keating, D-Mass., earlier this year, is scheduled for a full committee markup to potentially advance the bill to the floor for a vote. Lawmakers use the markup to consider changes to legislation, proposing and ultimately voting on amendments to it. Walworth County Commission deals with multiple resignations in last few months Aberdeen News (Marvel) After less than three months on the job, Walworth County Highway Superintendent Blake Friend submitted his resignation to county commissioners. Commissioners reluctantly approved Friend's resignation date during their April 16 meeting, according to a video recording of the meeting. His last day was Friday. Bureau of Ocean Energy Management N.Y. Bans Offshore Drilling in Effort to Prevent Trump Expansion Bloomberg (Clukey) New York State has banned offshore oil and natural gas drilling along its Atlantic coastal waters in an effort to block a Trump administration proposal. Gov. Andrew Cuomo (D) signed legislation (A.2572/S.2316) on April 29 that bars state agencies from granting permits for drilling or oil or gas exploration on state-owned underwater coastal lands, his office announced. The law, effective immediately, also prohibits the leasing of land that would lead to an the increase of oil or natural gas production from federal waters, according to the measure. U.S. still processing Atlantic seismic permits despite drilling plan delay Reuters (Volcovici, Groom) The U.S. Interior Department is still processing permit applications for companies to conduct seismic testing in the Atlantic - a precursor to drilling - despite shelving its plan to vastly expand offshore drilling, a spokeswoman said on Monday. Atlantic coastal state lawmakers, businesses and conservation groups are adamant that Interior should not allow seismic testing - a process that often uses powerful air guns to map resources below the ocean floor - arguing the surveys hurt marine life, such as the endangered North Atlantic right whale. State AGs critique coastal management changes Energywire (King) Changes to federal coastal management procedures could impede states' efforts to DOI-18-0489-000168 protect their shores against expanded energy development, nine Democratic state attorneys wrote last week. A growing number of states are aiming for clean energy Inhabitat (Bergen) While President Donald Trump tries to ease environmental regulations and shirk responsibility for climate change, at the state level, the wind is blowing a different way toward clean energy and the elimination of greenhouse gases from electricity production. A growing number of states are pushing — and passing — renewable energy bills. Instead of generating power from finite sources like fossil fuel, they’re embracing solar, wind, geothermal and other renewable energy sources. Bureau of Reclamation Vote set on Columbia River legislation E&E Daily (Quiñones) The House will vote on legislation this week to address long-standing concerns related to tribes along the Columbia River. State legislators fund 'stakeholder forum' for orca recovery, dam removal Longview Daily News (Gruben) Conservationists, industry officials and other Snake River “stakeholders” will bring dam breaching to the center of the orca recovery conversation with a $750,000 forum, which received funding in the state Legislature’s budget proposal last weekend. Proposals to remove the Ice Harbor, Lower Monumental, Lower Granite and Little Goose dams on the Lower Snake River are well-backed by conservationists, who say the move would help restore dwindling salmon and orca populations. Dairy processing facility proposed for Madison Food Park property KRTV (TV) A proposal for the development of a dairy processing facility on property owned by Madison Food Park (MFP) was submitted to the Cascade County Planning Board last Thursday. The principal owners of MFP intend to develop Big Sky Cheese, which will principally process fresh milk supplied by local and regional dairy producers into a variety of cheese products, according to a special use permit application submitted on April 25. Despite abundant snowpack, water still limited for some farmers YOURCENTRALVALLEY (Sacher) It’s an exceptional year for Sierra snowpack -- 150 to 200% in some places. Mountain DOI-18-0489-000169 snow is the main water source for agriculture on the Valley’s west side. But those farmers are getting just 65% of their allocation, raising the question, ‘what else has to happen for it to reach 100%?’ Fresno County Farm Bureau CEO Ryan Jacobsen says, “65% -- that’s ridiculous in a year like this year.” Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement Securing BSEE real-time monitoring for offshore oil & gas operations World Oil (Nix) In the wake of the Deepwater Horizon disaster in 2010, the U.S. Department of the Interior launched a series of aggressive reforms to improve safety in offshore well operations. Among them, the Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement (BSEE) final Well Control Rule, which goes live on April 29, 2019, introduced RealTime Monitoring (RTM) requirements for well operations, including subsea BOPs, surface BOPs on floating platforms, and high-pressure and high-temperature (>15,000 psi, 350oF) environments. Office of Surface Mining Reclamation and Enforcement Belt Creek's comeback depends on treatment plant Great Falls Tribune (Puckett) Coal killed Belt Creek where if flows through the community of Belt. For decades, discharges from the abandoned Belt Anaconda Coal Mine flowed into the creek, making it so acidic few fish can survive in it, says Bill Snoddy, a project manager for the Montana Department of Environmental Quality’s Abandoned Mine Lands Program. “Right now, just for a comparison, the pH is about 2.7, and that’s the same as battery acid,” Snoddy says. Office of Insular and International Affairs Second insurance payment due in American Samoa for cyclone damage Radio New Zealand The second insurance payment for the American Samoa Government for damages from Tropical Storm Gita should be released within weeks, according to Insurance Commissioner Peter Fuimaono. The government's total claim to insurer, Lloyds of London, for damages to government facilities is $US15 million. The first $US5 million payment was received last year. Senators Introduce Bill to Expand Healthcare for Veterans in Pacific Region DOI-18-0489-000170 Big Island Now Sens. Brian Schatz and Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska) introduced the Compacts of Free Association Veterans Review Act on Monday, April 29, 2019. This legislation would create a three-year pilot program to provide hospital care and medical services to veterans living in the Republic of Palau, the Republic of the Marshall Islands, and the Federated States of Micronesia—all countries that have entered into the Compact of Free Association with the United States. The program would be part of a broader study conducted by the Department of Veterans Affairs on whether a permanent VA facility should be established in these countries. CHCC now owes CUC $27.7M Saipan Tribune (De La Torre) The Commonwealth Health Care Corp.’s monthly utility bill totals $400,000, but it can only afford to pay the Commonwealth Utilities Corp. just $71,000 a month, resulting in a debt that has now ballooned to $27.7 million. At a CUC board meeting last week, CUC executive director Gary P. Camacho disclosed that, according to CHCC, it can only afford to pay CUC $71,000 a month at this time because of other obligations they must meet. Conservation officers seize frozen rays Guam Daily Post (Walker) Guam conservation officers confiscated several pieces of a product labeled "ray skate wing" from California Mart's frozen foods section on Monday afternoon. Guam's fish conservation law states: "It shall be unlawful for any person to possess, sale, offer for sale, take, purchase, barter, transport, export, import, trade or distribute ray parts in Guam." California Mart owner Tae Min said he had no idea that selling the product was illegal. With Snakes Often Spotted In U.S.V.I., And Caimans Roaming The Wild, Barnes Seeks Eradication Plan From D.P.N.R. Virgin Islands Consortium It wasn’t too long ago that seeing a snake in the U.S. Virgin Islands was a phenomenon that would shock the entire territory. Nowadays, such sightings are no longer startling news. And while the Caimans sightings in territory have been infrequent, the crocodilians are out in the wild, and the Department of Planning and Natural Resources have issued a warning asking residents to report immediately upon sight, as they are very dangerous. Economic Development Initiative Hopes to Create ‘Silicon Island’ St. Thomas Source (Ellis) Plans to fund economic development, along with the announcement of a relationship with Taiwan’s business community and government, were unveiled last week at the V.I. Economic Development office to private and public stakeholders by Anthony Weeks of the St. Croix Economic Development Initiative. DOI-18-0489-000171 U.S. Geological Survey Earthquake: 3.0 quake strikes near Las Flores, Calif. Los Angeles Times A shallow magnitude 3.0 earthquake was reported Monday afternoon 21 miles from Las Flores, Calif., according to the U.S. Geological Survey. The temblor occurred at 3:54 p.m. Pacific time at a depth of 5.6 miles. Earthquake: 3.2 quake strikes near Black Oaks, Calif. Los Angeles Times A shallow magnitude 3.2 earthquake was reported Monday afternoon one mile from Black Oaks, Calif., according to the U.S. Geological Survey. The temblor occurred at 12:52 p.m. Pacific time at a depth of 1.9 miles. Opinion Editorial: Keep public informed regarding possible drone regulations Marin Independent Journal (Editorial Board) The Reed Union School District has asked the town of Tiburon to establish a local ban on drones after school officials spotted one of the airborne devices flying over Reed Elementary School. Superintendent Nancy Lynch called it “unnerving,” because the intent is unclear, especially these days. Tiburon Peninsula officials have dealt with local policies regarding drones before. Top National News Harness-wearing whale was 'trained by Russian military,' researchers say CNN (Dixon) Fishermen off Norway's northern coast were astonished last week when they spotted a beluga whale wearing a harness, complete with mounts for a camera. And according to marine experts, the mammal's backstory may be even stranger: They believe it was trained by the Russian military. Sri Lanka Bomber Trained in Syria With Islamic State Wall Street Journal (Mandhana, Taylor, Shah) At least one suicide bomber in the Easter attacks in Sri Lanka trained with Islamic DOI-18-0489-000172 State in Syria, people with knowledge of the investigations said, reflecting the extremist group’s continued reach after the collapse of its self-declared caliphate. ### Update subscription Unsubscribe Help Contact Us This email was sent to susan_combs@ios.doi.gov by: U.S. Department of the Interior · 1849 C Street, N.W. · Washington DC 20240 · 202-208-3100 DOI-18-0489-000173 Conversation Contents [EXTERNAL] Department of the Interior Daily News Briefing Wednesday, February 27, 2019 DOI Media Analysis Team From: Sent: To: Subject: DOI Media Analysis Team Wed Feb 27 2019 03:46:55 GMT-0700 (MST) Susan Combs [EXTERNAL] Department of the Interior Daily News Briefing Wednesday, February 27, 2019 Email not looking right? View the web version. Daily News Briefing: 27 February 2019 DOI News In Show of Bipartisanship, House Approves a Sweeping Land Conservation Bill House Passes Public Lands Funding Package Congress voted to protect millions of acres of public lands: Why it’s a huge win for conservationists House Passes Public Lands Package, Sends Measure To President For Signature Congress Passed The Biggest Lands Package In A Decade. Is There A Way To Pay For It? President Donald J. Trump Announces Intent to Nominate Individuals to Key Administration Posts Long dispute over Sardis Lake water rights settled Appalachian Trail case could head to Supreme Court Everglades advocates issue call to arms ACP court fight headed to Supreme Court Bureau of Indian Affairs DOI-18-0489-000174 Another reversal in ongoing 'Camp 4' battle in Santa Ynez Valley Legislators, officials spar over whether tribes have exclusive right to sports betting Cleanup underway for Prince of Wales landslide Federal judge: Non-tribal police have authority over Yakamas in some cases on reservation Office of Insular and International Affairs Trump amends NMI disaster declaration for Super Typhoon Yutu NMI, Guam governors to attend congressional hearing on Kilili bill More Yutu federal aid WAPA Contractors Get Authorization To Spend Up To $10 Million In Ongoing Electric Grid Hardening Material Purchases STEP Program Update: 50 Percent Of Debris Removed From St. Croix; 30 Percent From St. John And 20 Percent From St. Thomas DPHSS issues mosquito warning after Wutip Bureau of Land Management Environmental groups to challenge Trump administration approval of Utah pipelines Conservation groups plan to sue U.S. government over Utah shale project South Lake Tahoe man headed to prison for destruction of archaeological sites Bill to form Idaho council on federal lands passes House La Plata County commissioners want water study before King II coal expansion New field manager named for area BLM office in Silt Bureau of Ocean Energy Management Report Argues For Offshore Wind Farm on Central Coast First federal project, California, lease sales and grid issues on business network’s radar Assemblyman Cunningham urges offshore wind energy development off the Central Coast $2B offshore wind farm gets R.I. approval Bureau of Reclamation Ariz. tribe back in favor of drought plan Flooding Concerns on the Rise as Rain Continues to Fall on the Valley DOI-18-0489-000175 Arizona's 19-year drought and climate change California district stalls West drought plan over lake money Tourism agency revises application process Will there be enough water? Plan to fight drought in West hinges on $200 million Salton Sea restoration Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement House Democrats demand Interior docs on offshore drilling waivers Fish and Wildlife Service This fish's modified protections win favor; others won't Appalachian Trail case could head to Supreme Court Four WI hunters sentenced for illegal hunt in Montana Bill to Allow Wolf Hunts at Night Proposed Vermont Senator Announces $20 Million For Lakes’ Cleanup Initiatives Conservationists Demand Half-Billion for Endangered Species Chronicling the piping plovers' plight Back To The Past For Management Of Large Carnivores In Alaska Plum Island: Sens. Gillibrand and Schumer reintroduce legislation to prevent sale National Park Service Mapping the Heart of the Grand Canyon National Park Service delays opening of USS Arizona memorial after damage Judge rules William Floyd Estate deer cull may proceed CHERRY BLOSSOM WATCH: 3 things to know about DC's most beloved sign of spring Shutdown won't stop it: Grand Canyon celebrates 100 years Native style The Decades-Long Political Fight to Save the Grand Canyon Grand Canyon kicks off year-long centennial celebration The raptors are coming: Rocky Mountain National Park closes some areas for the bird’s nesting season Man visits over 400 national parks in the U.S. Anonymous Twitter account blasts employee housing at NPS site DOI-18-0489-000176 Work crews shore up site around Sausalito mudslide Congress approves major public lands, conservation bill Congress sends Trump lands bill that would protect more than 2 million acres National Parks 101: Who Runs The Lodges And Dining Establishments? U.S. Geological Survey Volcanoes pose widespread threats, USGS finds VOLCANO WATCH: How C02 Provides Clues on Depth of Magma Reports of an Earthquake west of Shippensburg University Updated: 3.8 earthquake shakes NW OK Tuesday evening Study details California's volcanic hazards, including Lassen Peak, Mt. Shasta Two Small Quakes Strike Near Lake Henshaw, Light Shaking Felt In North County 2.0-magnitude earthquake recorded in Rutledge Monday night Opinion Wheeler and Bernhardt are double trouble for national parks A tale of two subsidies Grace Notes: Under Scott Angelle, waivers to drilling safety rules flow freely Top National News Seeking North Korea Deal, Trump Seems Willing to Ease U.S. Demands Three Killed When Long Island Rail Road Trains Crash Into Vehicle DOI News In Show of Bipartisanship, House Approves a Sweeping Land Conservation Bill New York Times (Davenport) The House of Representatives on Tuesday passed its first significant public lands conservation bill in years, designating more than one million acres of wilderness for environmental protection and permanently reauthorizing a federal program to pay for conservation measures. The House passage of the bill, on a vote of 363-62, sends the measure, which was passed by the Senate this month, to the desk of President Trump. The vote Tuesday offered a rare moment of bipartisanship in a divided chamber and a rare victory for environmentalists at a time when the Trump administration is working aggressively to strip away protections on public lands and open them to mining and drilling. DOI-18-0489-000177 House Passes Public Lands Funding Package Wall Street Journal (Duehren) The House of Representatives passed a broad-based lands package Tuesday, designating more than one million acres in the U.S. as wilderness and permanently reauthorizing a lapsed funding source for public parks across the country. The a bundle of more than 100 separate bills cleared the chamber with wide bipartisan support and will go to the White House for President Trump’s signature. Congress voted to protect millions of acres of public lands: Why it’s a huge win for conservationists National Geographic (Borunda) On Tuesday, the U.S. House of Representatives voted to authorize a sweeping land protection package that would protect over two million acres of land across the country. The nearly 700-page package includes legislation that touches nearly every state, expanding wilderness areas from New Hampshire to Alaska, carving out new protections for rivers and state forests, and permanently protecting several vast tracts of land from future mining. House Passes Public Lands Package, Sends Measure To President For Signature National Parks Traveler (Repanshek) A massive public lands bill that protects Yellowstone and North Cascades national parks from mining on their doorsteps, designates some 1.3 million acres of wilderness, and permanently authorizes the Land and Water Conservation Fund passed the U.S. House of Representatives on Tuesday evening and now heads to President Trump for his signature. Congress Passed The Biggest Lands Package In A Decade. Is There A Way To Pay For It? Daily Caller (Pearce) A lengthy lands package passed the House on Tuesday and just needs President Donald Trump’s signature before becoming law. The package, roughly 660 pages and composed of 118 different bills, passed the House in a bipartisan vote of 363-62. The Senate version passed overwhelmingly Feb. 12 in a 92-8 vote. The entire package is the most comprehensive land package passed in Congress in a decade. President Donald J. Trump Announces Intent to Nominate Individuals to Key Administration Posts Imperial Valley News Today, President Donald J. Trump announced his intent to nominate the following DOI-18-0489-000178 individuals to key positions in his Administration: Daniel Habib Jorjani of Kentucky, to be Solicitor of the Department of the Interior. Daniel Habib Jorjani held several position within the Department of the Interior from 2001 to 2009, including Chief of Staff and Counselor to the Assistant Secretary for Policy, Management and Budget and Counselor to the Deputy Secretary. Since May 2017, Mr. Jorjani has served as principal deputy solicitor at the Interior and has managed more than 330 attorneys in the Department. Long dispute over Sardis Lake water rights settled Journal Record (Brus) The city has signed off on an agreement with the Choctaw Nation, Chickasaw Nation and state government to settle water rights over Sardis Lake, officials announced Tuesday. After years of legal fights and private discussion in executive session, City Council members unanimously approved the agreement without discussion during their weekly meeting. Assistant City Attorney Craig Keith said the Oklahoma Water Resources Board permit issued to the city in 2009 will continue to be defended in court, but that will soon be resolved and related lawsuits dismissed so that environmental studies can be performed and a new pipeline built to the city. Appalachian Trail case could head to Supreme Court E&E News (King) A federal appellate court will not reconsider its conclusion that the Forest Service lacked the power to authorize a major natural gas pipeline to cross the Appalachian National Scenic Trail. Three 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals judges in December pulled the agency's permits for the 600-mile Atlantic Coast pipeline to cross two national forests and the Appalachian Trail. Atlantic Coast — later followed by the Forest Service — asked the full court to revisit its finding that trail-crossing authority falls to the Interior Department's National Park Service. Everglades advocates issue call to arms Keys News (Wadlow) Florida Bay advocates meeting in Islamorada praised wholesale changes in the state’s management of Everglades restoration but cautioned that the massive ecosystem remains in peril. “We’ve got to get the federal government to fork over its share,” Shannon Estenoz, chief operating officer of the Everglades Foundation, said. “Keep the conversation going. Talk about what is happening in Florida Bay because there is no Plan B.” ACP court fight headed to Supreme Court Kallanish Energy A federal appeals court has refused to reconsider a ruling that voided a permit for the Atlantic Coast Pipeline to cross two national forests and the Appalachian Trail, Kallanish Energy reports. Dominion Energy said an appeal to the U.S. Supreme Court will be filed in the next 90 days. DOI-18-0489-000179 Bureau of Indian Affairs Another reversal in ongoing 'Camp 4' battle in Santa Ynez Valley KEYT (TV) (Schlepp) Another reversal has been made in the ongoing battle between the Chumash Tribe and opponents to the development of the tribe-owned land known as Camp 4. On Monday, Assistant Secretary of Indian Affairs Tara Sweeney reaffirmed the 2017 decision to place Camp 4 into the federal trust, making the land part of the Chumash Reservation. Legislators, officials spar over whether tribes have exclusive right to sports betting Hartford Courant (Putterman) Testimony from several dozen sports-betting stakeholders in front of the legislative public safety committee Tuesday exposed a stark divide between lawmakers and officials who believe the Mashantucket Pequot and Mohegan tribes have exclusive rights to take bets in Connecticut and those who wish to spread the potential new industry among a wider group of operators. Cleanup underway for Prince of Wales landslide KFSK (Radio) (Viechnicki ) Clean up work is underway this week, nearly two months after a landslide closed a road near Thorne Bay on Prince of Wales Island in Southeast Alaska. A three-person crew from the Organized Village of Kasaan started Monday, February 25 to clear the road. They’re using two dump trucks and an excavator to remove the slide material and truck it to the Thorne Bay Landfill, about three miles away. The tribal government applied for and received 400,000 dollars in emergency relief money through the Bureau of Indian Affairs to remove the boulders, trees and other debris blocking the road. Sara Yockey is the incident commander with the OVK. Federal judge: Non-tribal police have authority over Yakamas in some cases on reservation Yakima Herald-Republic (Ferolito) City, county and state law enforcement officers have authority over Yakama Nations members on the reservation in crimes that involve non-native suspects and victims, a federal judge recently ruled. U.S. District Court Judge Thomas Rice denied the Nation an injunction Friday, Feb. 22, that would have barred state authorities from assuming jurisdiction over Yakama members in certain cases on the reservation. Office of Insular and International Affairs Trump amends NMI disaster declaration for Super Typhoon Yutu DOI-18-0489-000180 Marianas Variety Gov. Ralph DLG Torres and Lt. Gov. Arnold I. Palacios announced on Tuesday that President Donald J. Trump has approved their request for additional disaster assistance funding for relief and recovery assistance for the CNMI as a result of the impacts of Super Typhoon Yutu. “I am pleased to announce that President Trump has approved our request for additional disaster assistance, which includes a higher federal cost share for Public Assistance, Hazard Mitigation, and the Other Needs Assistance at 90 percent and funds for debris removal and emergency protective measures at 100 percent for 180 days from the start of the incident,” said Governor Torres, who met with FEMA Deputy Administrator Peter T. Gaynor last week while in Washington, DC for the National Governors Association Winter Meeting, Section 902 Consultations, and committee hearings with the U.S. Senate and House of Representatives. NMI, Guam governors to attend congressional hearing on Kilili bill Marianas Variety (Erediano) Governor Ralph DLG Torres and his Guam counterpart, Lou Leon Guerrero, are on the list of witnesses in the U.S. House of Natural Resources Committee hearing that will be conducted at 10 a.m. Wednesday, EST or 1 a.m. Thursday local time. The hearing will discuss U.S. Congressman Gregorio Kilili Camacho Sablan’s bill, H.R. 560, which proposes to clarify the legal status for certain CNMI residents. According to the committee’s website, the witnesses “will speak to the need to provide continued legal resident status for a group of people born in the Northern Mariana Islands after the local government voted to become a U.S. territory but before the CNMI was legally accepted as a commonwealth.” More Yutu federal aid Saipan Tribune (Perez) The CNMI will be getting additional federal money that will be used for the islands’ recovery efforts in the wake of the destruction of Super Typhoon Yutu. Gov. Ralph DLG Torres, who is currently in Washington, D.C., announced yesterday the infusion of more federal dollars to the Commonwealth after being informed about it by the White House. WAPA Contractors Get Authorization To Spend Up To $10 Million In Ongoing Electric Grid Hardening Material Purchases Virgin Islands Consortium The governing board of the Virgin Islands Water and Power Authority on Tuesday approved modifications to three items it had previously approved at a meeting on February 21, WAPA made known via release Tuesday. The board approved changes to a credit facility reimbursement note, and to the terms of two lines of credit with Banco Popular for working capital for the water system, and capital projects for the electric system. STEP Program Update: 50 Percent Of Debris Removed From St. Croix; 30 Percent From St. John And 20 Percent From St. Thomas DOI-18-0489-000181 Virgin Islands Consortium Debris removal is underway for those enrolled in the Sheltering and Temporary Essential Power (STEP) program, the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) announced today. According to the release, FEMA and the USVI have extended the STEP program until March 31, 2019, and an extension for debris pickup/removal has been requested and is currently under review. The Department of Public Works (DPW), which manages the STEP debris removal process, has removed approximately 50 percent of debris from St. Croix, approximately 30 percent from St. John and approximately 20 percent from St. Thomas, according to the release. DPHSS issues mosquito warning after Wutip Guam Daily Post (Losinio) Following the recent storm, the Department of Public Health and Social Services is warning the public to inspect premises around their homes and businesses for standing water where mosquitoes may breed. DPHSS stated the passing of Supertyphoon Wutip and its accompanying rainfall have created conditions around the island that may encourage the proliferation of mosquitoes, particularly the species that breed in containers, such as the Aedes. Bureau of Land Management Environmental groups to challenge Trump administration approval of Utah pipelines Hill (Green) Conservationists are planning a legal challenge to the Trump administration’s decision to allow a company to build transmission lines and pipelines on federal lands in Utah. The Center for Biological Diversity, Natural Resources Defense Council, Sierra Club and five other environmental groups on Tuesday filed an intent to sue, challenging the Bureau of Land Management’s September decision to allow an Estonia based company to start construction of the pipelines in Utah’s Uintah Basin. Conservation groups plan to sue U.S. government over Utah shale project Reuters (Aubin) Several conservation groups have said they plan to sue the U.S. government over its approval of pipelines and power lines for a shale mining project in Eastern Utah. The Center for Biological Diversity, the Grand Canyon Trust and five other groups on Tuesday notified the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) and the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) that they intend to sue over approval of the utility lines, which would serve a shale mining project of Enefit American Oil, a unit of Estonia’s Enefit. South Lake Tahoe man headed to prison for destruction of archaeological sites South Tahoe Now DOI-18-0489-000182 After illegally digging at prehistoric Native American archaeological sites on federal lands in Alpine and El Dorado counties, 50-year-old Timothy Brian Harrison of South Lake Tahoe was sentenced today to one year and one day in prison and ordered to pay $113,000 in restitution. He was found guilty on two counts of excavation and removal of archaeological resources from public lands and one misdemeanor count of unlawful possession of methamphetamine, U.S. Attorney McGregor W. Scott announced. Bill to form Idaho council on federal lands passes House Associated Press (Ridler) Legislation to create a panel of Idaho lawmakers to assist residents and state agencies on federal lands issues passed the state House Tuesday and is headed to the Senate. The House voted 55-15 to approve the plan to create the Council on Federal Lands put forward by Republican Rep. Judy Boyle. The federal government manages about 62 percent, or 51,000 square miles, within Idaho. The Bureau of Land Management and the Forest Service approve grazing permits, logging contracts and mining operations. La Plata County commissioners want water study before King II coal expansion Durango Herald (Romeo) With GCC Energy seeking a massive expansion for its coal mine in Hesperus, La Plata County commissioners said Tuesday they want a complete study of potential impacts to surrounding water before any such project is approved. The Bureau of Land Management earlier this month announced it was taking public comment about the proposed expansion, which could extend the life of the mine at least 20 years. New field manager named for area BLM office in Silt Post Independent The Colorado River Valley office of the Bureau of Land Management has a new field manager, after two years of interim leadership. The BLM announced Tuesday that Larry Sandoval will lead the Silt-based BLM office, taking over for acting field manager Gloria Tibbetts. For Sandoval, the job means coming back to Garfield County. He worked for the White River National Forest in Glenwood Springs from 2001 to 2006, first as a soil scientist and later as the assistant district ranger for the Rifle Ranger District, according to a news release. Bureau of Ocean Energy Management Report Argues For Offshore Wind Farm on Central Coast Good Times Santa Cruz (Gogola) Now that ambitious goal-setter Gov. Jerry Brown has left office, it’ll be up to new Gov. Gavin Newsom’s administration to start implementing Brown’s goal to wean California off fossil fuels and shift to an all-renewables energy matrix by 2045. In this space, it’s DOI-18-0489-000183 Newsom’s job to declare whether the state should get onboard with a new offshorewind plan released by the Berkeley-based American Jobs Project (AJP) in February. “We hope that state policy leaders take a look at this,” says Mary Collins, managing director and co-founder of the AJP. First federal project, California, lease sales and grid issues on business network’s radar Offshore Wind Journal (Foxwell) Not long ago, the only offshore windfarm in the US was Block Island, off the coast of Rhode Island, a small project dwarfed by the size of projects in Europe. Fast-forward to early 2019, and the US is on the verge of replicating European-scale offshore wind, potentially one day exceeding it. There is already a pipeline of offshore wind capacity of 5-8 GW on the east coast due to be installed by 2025, and a pipeline of in excess of 19 GW by 2030. Assemblyman Cunningham urges offshore wind energy development off the Central Coast San Luis Obispo Tribune (Fountain) Citing the imminent closure of the Diablo Canyon nuclear power plant, Assemblyman Jordan Cunningham is urging the federal government to consider leasing locations off the Central Coast for development of offshore wind energy production. Cunningham, a Republican representing San Luis Obispo and northern Santa Barbara counties in the 35th Assembly District, sent a letter Feb. 20 to U.S. Department of the Interior Acting Secretary David Berhardt advocating for the approval of leases for two wind farms, one about 30 miles west of the power plant, and another west of Morro Bay. $2B offshore wind farm gets R.I. approval Providence Journal (Kuffner) Vineyard Wind cleared a major hurdle on Tuesday when Rhode Island coastal regulators determined the $2-billion wind farm proposed in offshore waters to be consistent with state policies. Although the 84-turbine project is planned in Atlantic Ocean waters south of Martha’s Vineyard where the federal Bureau of Ocean Energy Management holds lead permitting authority, it needs consistency certifications from the Rhode Island Coastal Resources Management Council and its counterpart in Massachusetts primarily because it would affect the states’ fishing industries. Bureau of Reclamation Ariz. tribe back in favor of drought plan Greenwire An Arizona tribe says it is back in favor of a drought plan for the Colorado River after receiving assurances that legislation it opposes will not become law. DOI-18-0489-000184 Flooding Concerns on the Rise as Rain Continues to Fall on the Valley KTXL (TV) (Mensch, Shanahan) The Bureau of Reclamation has nearly tripled releases from Monday and by Tuesday water was rushing out of Nimbus Dam. Living on the streets is never easy but when rain drenches Sacramento being homeless gets even harder. "Just like you would anywhere else, just try to stay out of it as much as possible," said Jon Phelan, who is homeless. Arizona's 19-year drought and climate change KYMA (TV) (Villalobos) The desert southwest is known for its hot triple-digit summers, which may be tough to live through. Between 2006 to 2016, about 1,193 people died from excessive heat in Arizona, this is according to the Arizona Department of Health Services. Arizona is also experiencing a 19-year drought that isn’t improving. Unlike wildfires and monsoon season, the drought may not be immediately visible. California district stalls West drought plan over lake money Associated Press Work on a multistate plan to preserve a river that serves 40 million people in the U.S. West won't meet a federal deadline. The U.S. Bureau of Reclamation gave seven Western states until Monday to complete a drought plan or it will step in to find a solution for the declining Colorado River. The plan has hinged at various points on Arizona and California. Tourism agency revises application process McCook Gazette (Discoe) The McCook/Red Willow County Visitors Committee has completed writing and revising the process and forms required of businesses and organizations applying for grants to promote events and offset facility rental costs. Visitors committee director Carol Schlegel told county commissioners at their weekly meeting Monday morning that the written guidelines will make grant awards less subjective than they have been in the past and indicate to grant applicants and recipients what is expected throughout the process and at the conclusion of an event. Will there be enough water? Powell Tribune (Bonner) It’s snowpack forecast season, and trained eyes find the published reports in the Tribune to gauge the estimated runoff potential in area drainages. Agricultural fortunes are, of course, a primary focus. The first box that farmers want to check is the projection for healthy water availability for the irrigation season ahead. Recreationists also pay heed to the water flow predictions. The Shoshone River drainage, the Bighorn River drainage and the Clark’s Fork River drainage get the DOI-18-0489-000185 closest scrutiny in these parts. Plan to fight drought in West hinges on $200 million Salton Sea restoration Associated Press (Fonseca) A Southern California irrigation district with the highest-priority rights to water from a major Western river is using its power to demand federal funds to restore the state’s largest lake, hoping to capitalize on one of its best opportunities yet to tackle a longstanding environmental and human health hazard. The Imperial Irrigation District wants $200 million for the Salton Sea, a massive, briny lake that straddles Riverside and Imperial counties created when the Colorado River breached a dike in 1905 and flooded a dry lake bed. The money would help create habitat for migratory birds and suppress dust in communities with high rates of asthma and respiratory illnesses. Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement House Democrats demand Interior docs on offshore drilling waivers Politico (Lefebvre) House Democrats are demanding an explanation from the Trump administration for the hundreds of times the Interior Department has allowed energy companies to deviate from a key offshore drilling safety rule. Natural Resources Committee leaders cited POLITICO's report that Interior’s Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement granted nearly 1,700 waivers over 20 months to provisions of the Well Control Rule, a set of safety standards the Obama administration devised after the 2010 explosion of BP’s Deepwater Horizon rig in the Gulf of Mexico. Fish and Wildlife Service This fish's modified protections win favor; others won't E&E News (Doyle) A Fish and Wildlife Service plan to protect the tiny trispot darter foreshadows larger and louder fights over the agency's moves on other threatened species. During a subdued public comment period that ends today, the Fish and Wildlife Service has floated its plan that protects the fish, but not with the same inevitable severity as if it were listed as endangered instead of threatened under the ESA. Instead, through what's called a 4(d) rule, the agency has carved out exemptions that will allow certain silvicultural, streambank management and other measures to continue even if they result in a "take" of the fish that maxes out at about 1.6 inches. Appalachian Trail case could head to Supreme Court Energywire (King) A federal appellate court will not reconsider its conclusion that the Forest Service lacked the power to authorize a major natural gas pipeline to cross the Appalachian DOI-18-0489-000186 National Scenic Trail. Four WI hunters sentenced for illegal hunt in Montana WEAU (TV) Four men -- Robert Peters, 53, Turtle Lake, Wisconsin; Steven Reindahl, 55, Turtle Lake; David Johnson, 31, Barnes, Wisconsin; and Darren Johnson, 52, Deer Park, Wisconsin -- were sentenced Tuesday, Feb. 25 in federal court in Madison. The defendants were convicted of crimes related to an illegal 2017 mountain lion hunt in Montana, in violation of the Lacey Act, and conspiring to obstruct a 2018 federal grand jury investigation. Bill to Allow Wolf Hunts at Night Proposed Flathead Beacon (Scott) A Thompson Falls legislator has introduced a pair of bills that would allow hunters to kill wolves at night and permit trapping the animals along seasonally closed roads. Republican Rep. Bob Brown said he introduced the measures because his constituents in Northwest Montana have been advocating for nighttime wolf hunting and expanded trapping opportunities due to the impact they say wolves have had on deer, elk and moose populations in Sanders County hunting districts. Vermont Senator Announces $20 Million For Lakes’ Cleanup Initiatives WAMC (Radio) (Bradley) Vermont’s senior U.S. senator was at the ECHO-Leahy Center for Lake Champlain in Burlington recently to announce renewed and increased funding to cleanup Lake Champlain. Democratic Senator Patrick Leahy announced that more than $20 million in federal funding has been allocated in the 2019 appropriation bill, more than double previous funding for work on Lake Champlain and Lake Memphremagog. Conservationists Demand Half-Billion for Endangered Species Courthouse News Service (Jones) Lambasting government backlogs and shoestring protection budgets, more than 215 organizations submitted a letter Tuesday asking Congress to support endangeredspecies conservation with a budget of $486 million. Addressed to the heads of the Committee on Appropriations at the U.S. House of Representatives, Tuesday’s letter begins with a reference to the recent extinction of a species of Hawaiian tree snail. Chronicling the piping plovers' plight Star Tribune (Williams) It was the piping plover that interested me, this bird's precarious hold in Minnesota, and the where and why, the who and how of efforts to keep this species on our landscape. The story is told in "Wild and Rare, " a book about the optimism that can DOI-18-0489-000187 be created when concern promotes hard work. The book is an exploration of Minnesota and adjoining states, places near and far that are home to 10-plus endangered species of animals, plants and insects. Back To The Past For Management Of Large Carnivores In Alaska Science Trends (Miller) In the 19th and early 20th centuries, North American bears, wolves, and mountain lions were viewed as threats to human welfare and economies, and governments at all levels attempted to cleanse the landscape of them. These efforts were successful to the point that by the mid-20th century south of Canada, brown/grizzly bears (Ursus arctos) and wolves (Canis lupus) were nearly exterminated, and mountain lions (Pumaconcolor) and American black bears (Ursus americanus) greatly reduced in numbers and distribution. In his youth, even the founder of the wildlife management discipline, Aldo Leopold, participated in predator reduction efforts until he famously wrote that he watched the “fierce green fire dying” in the eyes of a wolf he’d just shot and came to realize the critical role wolves and other predator species play in ecosystem function (Ripple et al. 2017). Plum Island: Sens. Gillibrand and Schumer reintroduce legislation to prevent sale Global Dispatch New York Senators, Kirsten Gillibrand, Charles E. Schumer and Connecticut Sens. Richard Blumenthal and Chris Murphy announced the reintroduction of the Plum Island Conservation Act, legislation that would permanently repeal a law that requires the federal General Service Administration (GSA) to sell the Plum Island to the highest bidder. National Park Service Mapping the Heart of the Grand Canyon Outside (Mason) On February 26, 1919, President Woodrow Wilson signed the Grand Canyon National Park Act, preserving more than 1.2 million acres of the country’s most spectacularly scenic land “as a public park for the benefit and enjoyment of the people.” And the people have taken advantage: today the Grand Canyon attracts more than six million visitors a year, exerting an almost magnetic pull on hikers, rafters, explorers, and tourists from all over the world. Artists and writers are also drawn to the canyon, hoping to capture its legendary beauty and breadth. But according to the scientist and explorer John Wesley Powell, who in 1869 led the first-recorded expedition of white men through the canyon, this may be a bootless errand. “The wonders of the Grand Canyon cannot be adequately represented in symbols of speech, nor by speech itself,” Powell wrote. “The resources of the graphic art are taxed beyond their powers in attempting to portray its features. Language and illustration combined must fail.” National Park Service delays opening of USS Arizona memorial after damage DOI-18-0489-000188 KNXV (TV) (Walker) Officials say months of work to repair the floating dock at an iconic World War II memorial won't be finished on schedule. In a statement Tuesday, the National Park Service said the visitor loading ramp at the USS Arizona memorial, which has been closed for 10 months, wouldn't be opening in March as planned. Judge rules William Floyd Estate deer cull may proceed News 12 A new court ruling has cleared the way for a deer cull at the William Floyd Estate in Mastic Beach. A federal judge rejected a legal challenge from activists who tried to stop federal efforts to control the exploding deer population. Employees with the National Park Service and other agencies were supposed to start thinning the deer population at the estate last week. But three "out-of-state" animal rights groups were granted a temporary restraining order to suspend the deer hunt. CHERRY BLOSSOM WATCH: 3 things to know about DC's most beloved sign of spring WUSA (TV) (Nord) About 1.5 million people visit the Tidal Basin each spring to view one of D.C.'s most beloved signs of spring, the cherry blossoms. On Wednesday, March 6th, the National Park Service will be issuing their first "peak bloom forecast" range of dates. Shutdown won't stop it: Grand Canyon celebrates 100 years Native style Indian Country Today (Allen) This is the year to GO GRAND as the National Park Service celebrates the Grand Canyon National Park’s centennial, acknowledging the canyon’s significant cultural history and relationships with the park’s 11 traditionally-associated tribes. The celebration will be very Native-inclusive as the region's Tribal Nations have all been invited to participate. But some folks might be wondering if the recent government shutdown might affect the Grand Canyon since it is a National Park. The Decades-Long Political Fight to Save the Grand Canyon Smithsonian (Uenuma) Grand Canyon National Park celebrates its centennial this year– but if had been up to then-Senator Benjamin Harrison, America would have marked that milestone in 1982. One hundred years earlier, the ahead-of-its-time proposal from the future President to designate the park as a national landmark faltered in Congress, the first of many defeats in the Grand Canyon’s surprisingly controversial path to becoming a protected treasure. The battle to preserve it for future generations, as Theodore Roosevelt famously exhorted during a visit there in 1903, would play out for decades, marked by acrimonious legal battles, bitter business rivalries and political maneuvering. DOI-18-0489-000189 Grand Canyon kicks off year-long centennial celebration Arizona Business Magazine Grand Canyon Conservancy, the official nonprofit partner of Grand Canyon National Park, kicked off a yearlong calendar of free events and learning opportunities on Founder’s Day, to commemorate a century of National Park status. The raptors are coming: Rocky Mountain National Park closes some areas for the bird’s nesting season The Know (Hindi) It’s that time of the year again: the start of raptor nesting season. And that means some areas will be closed to humans at Rocky Mountain National Park. The temporary closures in the Lumpy Ridge area will begin March 1 and are expected to continue through July 31 as needed, according to a news release from Rocky Mountain National Park. Man visits over 400 national parks in the U.S. WDVM (TV) (Grimshaw) A man who visited every single national park in the U.S. spoke at the Montgomery Parks Speaker Series event Tuesday. Mikah Meyer visited 418 national park service sites in just 3 years. Officials named Mikah the World Record Adventurer. Anonymous Twitter account blasts employee housing at NPS site Wildfire Today (Gabbert) A Twitter account that has been verified by Snopes as having a legitimate connection to the National Park Service has described the substandard living conditions of employee housing at one NPS site. Firefighters and other land management agency employees that work in remote areas sometimes find that government housing is their only option. The agencies are required to charge them rent at the going rate in the area — they don’t get a bargain just because it is far from civilization. Work crews shore up site around Sausalito mudslide KGO (TV) Crews were busy shoring up the road above a landslide that destroyed two homes in Sausalito earlier this month, as residents prepared for a City Council meeting and answers about what comes next. Rain trickled off the uphill side of the road as workers using heavy equipment placed concrete barriers on the edge of Sausalito Boulevard. Below the area, experts from the National Park Service have been surveying the slide area, which gave way during a storm on Feb. 14. Congress approves major public lands, conservation bill DOI-18-0489-000190 Associated Press (Daly) A wide-ranging bill that revives a popular conservation program, adds 1.3 million acres of new wilderness, expands several national parks and creates five new national monuments has won congressional approval. The measure is the largest public lands bill approved by Congress in more than a decade. The House passed the bill Tuesday, 363-62, sending it to the White House for the president’s signature. Congress sends Trump lands bill that would protect more than 2 million acres USA Today (King) A mammoth lands bill that would protect more than 2 million acres and permanently reauthorize a key land and water conservation program heads to President Donald Trump following the House's overwhelming approval Tuesday. The 363-62 vote to pass the Natural Resources Management Act came two weeks after the Senate approved the bill 92-8. National Parks 101: Who Runs The Lodges And Dining Establishments? National Parks Traveler (Scott) Many travelers (readers of the Traveler excepted) mistakenly believe commercial facilities in the national parks – lodging, dining, and retail - are operated by the federal government. While national park officials have ultimate oversight on things such as pricing, these facilities are operated by private companies that bid for the right to rent rooms, operate dining facilities, sell T-shirts, and offer specified activities such as trail rides and guided tours. NPS rangers continue to staff visitor centers and offer interpretive activities, but nearly all commercial activities are handled by the private sector. U.S. Geological Survey Volcanoes pose widespread threats, USGS finds Greenwire Nearly 200,000 people live, work or pass through California's volcanic hazard zones on a daily basis, researchers said yesterday in a report broadly assessing what could be at risk from an eruption. VOLCANO WATCH: How C02 Provides Clues on Depth of Magma Big Island Now The latest edition of HVO’s Volcano Watch discusses carbon dioxide (CO2) and how it provides clues about the depth of magma. To explain, we’ll use something familiar to everyone—a bottle of soda, which has only one gas (CO2) dissolved in it. This CO2 stays dissolved as long as the bottle is sealed, because the bottle creates enough pressure to keep the CO2 in the liquid. As soon as the bottle is opened, pressure on DOI-18-0489-000191 the liquid decreases and the CO2 creates bubbles that escape to the atmosphere. Reports of an Earthquake west of Shippensburg University WHP (TV) (Russell) A 1.5 Magnitude Earthquake has been reported west of Shippensburg University Tuesday night, according to USGS. There have been no reports of damage or injuries. Updated: 3.8 earthquake shakes NW OK Tuesday evening Enid News & Eagle (Miller) Northwest Oklahoma was rattled by a sizable earthquake Tuesday evening. A magnitude 3.8 quake was recorded 5:50 p.m. Tuesday1.4 miles southwest of Wakita and 32.8 miles north of Enid at a depth of about .62 of a mile, according to U.S. Geological Survey. The quake originally was reported as magnitude 4.1 but was downgraded, according to USGS. Study details California's volcanic hazards, including Lassen Peak, Mt. Shasta Associated Press (Antczak) Nearly 200,000 people live, work or pass through California's volcanic hazard zones on a daily basis, researchers said Monday in a report broadly assessing what could be at risk from an eruption. The impacts of an eruption — estimated to have a probability of 16 percent in the next 30 years — would likely extend well beyond local areas due to effects on lifeline utilities spanning power, telecommunications, water and transportation systems, the researchers said. Two Small Quakes Strike Near Lake Henshaw, Light Shaking Felt In North County City News Service Two small earthquakes struck a rural corner of San Diego County Tuesday morning. The first temblor, which had a depth around six miles and a preliminary magnitude of 3.0, was recorded near Palomar Mountain at 6 a.m., according to the United States Geological Survey. The second, with a preliminary magnitude of 3.4 and a depth around four miles, struck immediately after the first. The epicenters were located about 14 miles northeast of Ramona in an area near Lake Henshaw. 2.0-magnitude earthquake recorded in Rutledge Monday night WBIR (TV) (Hoar) A 2.0-magnitude earthquake was recorded in Rutledge, Tennessee Monday night, according to USGS. The USGS recorded the quake at 9:18 p.m. It happened along Cherokee Lake off Lakeshore Drive and Mallard Baye in the Wa-Ni Village DOI-18-0489-000192 community. According to USGS, anything under a 2.5 magnitude is usually not felt though seismographs can pick them up. Opinion Wheeler and Bernhardt are double trouble for national parks Hill (Pierno) America’s national parks have a unique power to transcend political party lines and bring people together. More than a century ago, our leaders saw the importance of protecting these places for the enjoyment of future generations. But even though national parks enjoy overwhelming public support, they are now under attack by the individuals with duties to protect them. A tale of two subsidies East Oregonian (Editorial Board) Subsidies make an economy work. After all, very little could be accomplished without collaboration. Residents of Eastern Oregon know this as well as anyone. We are no strangers to government subsidies. Ranchers benefit from subsidized grazing fees — in fact, the U.S. Department of the Interior just lowered grazing fees on public lands to the tune of roughly $1.35 per animal, down from $1.87 in 2017. Between 1995 and 2017 Wallowa County agriculture received more than $550 million in subsidies, including almost $250 million for commodities, according to federal data. Grace Notes: Under Scott Angelle, waivers to drilling safety rules flow freely Advocate (Grace) Give Scott Angelle, the former public service commissioner and failed candidate for governor, this much: He’s never made a secret of his ties to big oil and gas. Angelle has served as a board member for a pipeline company, and the Super PAC that backed his 2015 gubernatorial race raised tons of money from industry execs, including one stunning $1.25 million donation from the CEO of Freeport McMoRan Oil and Gas. Top National News Seeking North Korea Deal, Trump Seems Willing to Ease U.S. Demands New York Times (Sanger, Sang-Hun) When he vowed to “solve” the North Korea problem just before his inauguration two years ago, President Trump made clear he meant eliminating its nuclear arsenal. But on the eve of a second meeting with the North Korean leader, Kim Jong-un, the president sounds prepared to accept much less, at least for the foreseeable future. “I don’t want to rush anybody,” he said this past weekend. “As long as there is no DOI-18-0489-000193 testing, we’re happy,” he added, pointing to the North’s suspension of nuclear and missile tests. Three Killed When Long Island Rail Road Trains Crash Into Vehicle Wall Street Journal (Berger) Three people were killed Tuesday evening after two Long Island Rail Road trains traveling in opposite directions crashed into a car at a railroad crossing in Westbury, N.Y., according to transit and police officials. A Nassau County police spokesman said that the three people who died were in the vehicle when it was struck shortly before 7:21 p.m. Police and transit officials said that, according to witnesses, the car went around the railroad crossing gate, which was down at the time of the crash with warning lights flashing. Date 3/13 3/13-14 3/20 3/29 Host Title Coastal States Organization & CSO & ASBPA Coastal American Shore & Beach Celebration Reception Preservation Association Meeting the Information Animal Welfare Information Requirements of the Animal Center Welfare Act, March 2019 Renewable Energy Policy ACORE Forum Southeast and Mid-Atlantic Georgetown College Office of Marine Mammal Policy Symposium (SEAMAMMS) the Dean 2019 4/23-26 NatureServe 6/28- 7/2 American Society of Mammalogists Core Methodology Training 2019 99th Annual Meeting of the American Association of Mammalogists Wish to Subscribe? Visit the link below if you wish to subscribe to this distribution: Subscribe Don't want to receive our infrequent newsletters anymore? You can unsubscribe. DOI-18-0489-000194 Conversation Contents [EXTERNAL] Department of the Interior Daily News Briefing Monday, February 11, 2019 DOI Media Analysis Team From: Sent: To: Subject: DOI Media Analysis Team Mon Feb 11 2019 03:47:08 GMT-0700 (MST) Scott Cameron [EXTERNAL] Department of the Interior Daily News Briefing Monday, February 11, 2019 Email not looking right? View the web version. Daily News Briefing: 11 February 2019 DOI News Democrats seek Bernhardt's calendar Top Dem demands schedule details from Interior nominee What's in the Natural Resources Management Act Bureau of Indian Affairs How the Government Shutdown Shredded Indian Health Services IAIA receives grant to plan for research center Trump’s border wall construction threatens sacred lands of Carrizo/Camecrudo Murkowski Language Preservation Bill Advances Propst: All workers in CNMI must be protected Kuskokwim Tribes Fight Donlin Mine Permits Former Pine Ridge doctor, child abuser subject of Frontline documentary State acknowledges Ho-Chunk Compact OK's Another Casino DOI-18-0489-000195 Office of Insular and International Affairs $7.2M shortfall in CUC revenue ‘Saipan back to 100-pct., 24-hour water’ ‘Broken immigration system hurting NMI’ American Samoa drops case against Luatua Thousand Steps trail trashed – again Fencing and Water are Top V.I. Farmer Needs Bureau of Land Management BLM removes Chaco parcels from upcoming lease sale Company forsakes former Grand Staircase mine Members introduce energy, resource bills Murkowski manages to keep lands bill 'clean' — so far BLM makes record-breaking $1 billion from O&G lease sales BLM to issue oil leases on land near sacred site BLM takes next step in analyzing American Prairie Reserve's bison grazing requests Community Leaders Gather for Wildfire Prevention Stakeholder Meeting Measure protects landowners embroiled in Red River boundary clash Bureau of Ocean Energy Management Offshore wind for US territories act reintroduced after Congresswomen loses nomination Bureau of Reclamation Anticipating a critical water shortage next year, feds on the brink of overriding states to cap Colorado River water use Late push for Salton Sea improvements complicates Colorado River drought plan Prize money being offered to help thin South Fork rainbow trout population Atmospheric river possible next week for California, raising flood concerns Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement The Competition To Export Permian Crude Is Fierce And Controversial Fish and Wildlife Service DOI-18-0489-000196 Golden-cheeked warbler sings ESA victory song Texas butterfly sanctuary plans to file emergency restraining order over border wall Feds release statement on transmission line set in Sandhills Could we be wrong about what causes dreaded chronic wasting disease in deer? Zombie deer steadily approaching Texas U.S. Fish and Wildlife looking at request related to endangered beetle National Park Service Legislation Introduced Would Protect Carrizo Plain, Other National Monuments Grand Canyon superintendent cleared in federal probe Lawmakers stunned by national park shutdown funding reversal Lincoln native aims to set world record by visiting all National Parks in one trip Sen. Schumer: ‘Seawall is going to get built’ FOUND: Missing Charlotte hiker rescued from rugged terrain off Blowing Rock trail Dead trees to be cut at Acadia National Park this winter and spring Prescribed fire planned for island wilderness off Georgia starting Tuesday Legislation calls for plan for new Civil War memorial National Park Service Awards Over $1.5 Million To Protect Battlefield Sites National Park Service Accepting Proposals For Historic Revitalization Subgrants In Rural Communities U.S. Geological Survey Elegy for a vent in a Hawaiian volcano: It blew for 35 years. It just ceased. Earthquake: 2.7 quake strikes near Naylor Place, Calif. Preliminary Magnitude 3.6 Earthquake Strikes Near Hemet: USGS Bringing the wonder of old-school survey maps into three dimensions Opinion Trump turns to swamp for Interior boss Editorial: Trump continues a pattern of putting appointees in exactly the wrong jobs Don’t let drilling put the NC coast at risk Editorial: Protecting our shores DOI-18-0489-000197 Is the Green New Deal even feasible? Forests must stand tall in any Green New Deal Go after those who write bad checks to GovGuam Drought Contingency Plan isn't an example of Arizona doing water right State needs sensible methane rules Top National News U.S. Campaign Against Huawei Faces Challenge in Eastern Europe California Homeowners Face Higher Prices for a Scarce Commodity: Wildfire Insurance DOI News Democrats seek Bernhardt's calendar Greenwire (Doyle) House Democrats are stepping up their scrutiny of the Interior Department and the man nominated to head it, acting Interior Secretary David Bernhardt, with a new demand for the documents detailing how Bernhardt spends his time. Top Dem demands schedule details from Interior nominee Hill (Green) The chairman of the House Natural Resources Committee is requesting that the acting secretary of the Interior Department provide more details from his public schedule, while suggesting the omissions may indicate possible conflicts of interest. Rep. Raúl Grijalva (D-Ariz.), whose committee oversees the Interior Department, sent a letter to David Bernhardt, President Trump's nominee for Interior secretary, asking him to provide more information about the people he has met with during his time as deputy secretary and later as acting secretary. What's in the Natural Resources Management Act Outside (Siler) The Senate will vote on the bi-partisan Natural Resources Management Act next week. It looks like it actually stands a chance of passing, in which case it will go to the House of Representatives, which in turn will likely pass it on to the President. If it’s signed into law, NRMA will be the most wide-reaching and important public lands legislation passed since the 1970s. This is an extraordinary achievement in today’s political environment, but what exactly does the NRMA do? Here’s your cheat sheet to the law’s 170 separate provisions. DOI-18-0489-000198 Bureau of Indian Affairs How the Government Shutdown Shredded Indian Health Services Union of Concerned Scientists (Jackson) The end of the partial government shutdown last month could not have come soon enough for Native Americans. For them, shutdown equaled full insult. In President Trump’s attempt to wall off brown immigrants, the shutdown walled in America’s first peoples. That became clear with every report coming out of Native American lands as the president held federal services hostage to his fantasy of a border wall against Latin America. IAIA receives grant to plan for research center Albuquerque Journal (Bennett) When the Institute of American Indian Arts received its charter from Congress in 1986 making it an institution of higher education and separating it from the Bureau of Indian Affairs, the charter called for IAIA to be a leader in research, and the study of native arts and culture. Trump’s border wall construction threatens sacred lands of Carrizo/Camecrudo Indian Country Today (Hopper) President Donald J. Trump’s border wall will do more than just keep out asylum seekers. Its construction will also damage the ecosystem, destroy ancient Native village and burial sites, and tear out fields where sacred Native medicine is grown, according to Juan Mancias, chairman of the Carrizo/Comecrudo Tribe of Texas. In the town of Mission, Texas, bulldozers and construction workers are preparing to tear up potentially sacred sights in the quest to build portions of Trump’s border wall. Approximately 50 Native people have rushed to protect the area, fearing construction will destroy artifacts, graves and sacred peyote fields. Murkowski Language Preservation Bill Advances Alaska Native News The Senate Indian Affairs Committee last week unanimously advanced legislation to support Native American language revitalization programs for consideration by the full Senate. On January 29, 2019, U.S. Senator Lisa Murkowski, (R-AK) joined Senator Tom Udall (D-NM) in introducing the Esther Martinez Native American Languages Programs Reauthorization Act, to improve the grant program that funds a variety of language learning activities such as Native language immersion and language teacher training. Propst: All workers in CNMI must be protected Saipan Tribune (Perez) DOI-18-0489-000199 When he listens to workers’ concerns, be they local or foreign hires, House minority leader Rep. Edwin K. Propst (Ind-Saipan) believes he is doing his job as an elected public servant in making sure all workers in the CNMI are accorded their rights. The two-term lawmaker from Precinct 1 made the statement after being criticized for hearing the concerns of more than 100 construction workers terminated by Imperial Pacific International (CNMI) LLC following the removal of the Philippines from the H2B visa program. Kuskokwim Tribes Fight Donlin Mine Permits Alaska Native News (Matthias) Thursday a consortium of tribal governments from the Kuskokwim region led by Orutsararmiut Native Council (ONC) has filed an appeal of two permits recently issued by the State of Alaska to Donlin Gold, a mining project owned by Canadian based mining giants NovaGold and Barrick Gold. If it is constructed, the proposed Donlin Gold mine will be one of the world’s largest open-pit mines. The project will dramatically change the Yukon Kuskokwim region, threatening the health and wellbeing of residents, communities, and wildlife for generations. Former Pine Ridge doctor, child abuser subject of Frontline documentary Rapid City Journal (Zionts) A former doctor with the Indian Health Service in Pine Ridge and convicted child sexual abuser is the subject of an upcoming Frontline documentary. "Predator on the Reservation" is the result of a two-year investigation into Stanley Patrick Weber, a 70year-old white man who was recently found guilty by a federal jury in Montana and sentenced to 18 years for sexually abusing two Native American boys on the Blackfeet Indian Reservation in Montana. Weber is appealing that decision and awaiting a September 2019 trial at the Rapid City federal courthouse. He faces 12 charges for allegedly committing similar sex crimes against Native boys on the Pine Ridge Reservation. State acknowledges Ho-Chunk Compact OK's Another Casino Beloit Daily News (AUSTIN MONTGOMERY Staff writer) MADISON - A state report authored by the Walker administration during the transition to Gov. Tony Evers acknowledges the Ho-Chunk Nation is entitled to one more casino property, but says a Beloit project may move slower than some have anticipated. Office of Insular and International Affairs $7.2M shortfall in CUC revenue Saipan Tribune (De La Torre) The devastation caused by Super Typhoon Yutu last October greatly affected the Commonwealth Utilities Corp.’s revenues, resulting in a shortfall of $7.2 million - a 26percent drop in revenue for the first quarter of fiscal year 2019. During Thursday’s DOI-18-0489-000200 CUC board meeting, the utilities agency’s acting chief financial officer, Corina Magofna, gave a PowerPoint presentation on the financial impact of Yutu that struck Saipan and Tinian last Oct. 24 and 25. ‘Saipan back to 100-pct., 24-hour water’ Saipan Tribune (De La Torre) Saipan customers of the Commonwealth Utilities Corp. are now back to 100-percent, 24-hour water supply islandwide, according to CUC deputy director William Gilmore. “We are very happy with the way things are. We know there are a few isolated areas that are still affected and those are being worked on. But it’s very few,” said Gilmore Friday. ‘Broken immigration system hurting NMI’ Saipan Tribune (Perez) Delegate Gregorio Kilili C. Sablan (Ind-MP) hopes the 116th Congress could reach a compromise on a bipartisan legislation that would fix the immigration system, saying it is adversely affecting the CNMI. In a speech delivered on the U.S. House of Representatives floor last week, Sablan said a comprehensive immigration reform is needed since the broken system is hurting the CNMI and its people. American Samoa drops case against Luatua Radio New Zealand The High Court in Pago Pago has dismissed without prejudice the case against the former Director of the American Samoa Government Employees Retirement Fund Luatua Filisouaina Taafua. The dismissal was based on a motion filed by the Assistant Attorney General Robert Morris to continue the case which was set to go to trial next Monday or in the alternative dismiss it without prejudice. The charges stemmed from an audit and an investigation showing evidence that Luatua allegedly misappropriated about $US112,000 that belonged to the Fund for his personal use. Thousand Steps trail trashed – again Guam Daily Post (Ngirairikl) About a week ago, Linda Tatreau was heading to a popular hiking and community recreational spot when she found piles of trash – bags piled on top of each other or on top of household furniture, appliances and tires, as well as broken glass and tile. Unfortunately, this isn’t the first time she’s seen the road leading to Thousand Steps in Mangilao trashed like this. Nor is it the second, or third time. Fencing and Water are Top V.I. Farmer Needs St. Thomas Source (Kossler) Fencing and water are the top needs of V.I. farmers, officials told senators at an DOI-18-0489-000201 oversight hearing Wednesday. “We are still struggling to bring water to our farmers here in the Virgin Islands,” Sen. Allison Degazon, chairwoman of the Economic Development and Agriculture Committee said as the oversight hearing opened. “Water preservation, storage and distribution,” are major parts of the Agriculture Department’s mission, acting Commissioner Positive Nelson told the committee a little later. He said he would like to see several projects to collect, store and distribute rainwater, through dams and other methods, during his tenure as commissioner. Bureau of Land Management BLM removes Chaco parcels from upcoming lease sale E&ENews PM (Streater) The Bureau of Land Management has deferred nine parcels it was considering offering in an upcoming March oil and natural gas lease sale that are within 10 miles of the Chaco Culture National Historical Park in New Mexico. Company forsakes former Grand Staircase mine Greenwire (Brown) A Canadian mining firm has abandoned a controversial plan to mine in what was formerly part of the Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument in southern Utah. Members introduce energy, resource bills E&E Daily (Columbus, Brown) House and Senate lawmakers this week introduced more than a dozen bills related to energy and the environment. Murkowski manages to keep lands bill 'clean' — so far E&E Daily (Kellie Lunney) A plurality of senators yesterday voted to kill two amendments to a broad public lands package that would have threatened the overall legislation's survival. BLM makes record-breaking $1 billion from O&G lease sales World Oil The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) has announced that 2018 was a record year for oil and natural gas lease sales – generating more than $1 billion – an amount that was nearly equal to the BLM’s budget for Fiscal Year 2018. “Expanded access for oil and natural gas production through increased lease sales brings tangible benefits – like newly paved roads, upgraded school buildings, and better funded land and water conservation projects – to communities across the nation,” said API’s V.P. of Upstream and Industry Operations Erik Milito. “The shale revolution continues to support the shared goals of leading the world not just in energy production but also in DOI-18-0489-000202 driving economic growth, increasing U.S. energy security and helping to advance climate goals through responsible, innovative production and practices. BLM to issue oil leases on land near sacred site Mother Nature Network (Kirkpatrick) he sale of oil and gas leases for land parcels near a UNESCO World Heritage Site in New Mexico and other places sacred to Native American tribes is moving ahead. Democratic lawmakers, tribal leaders and conservationists have criticized the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) for going forward with the plan at Chaco Culture National Historical Park as well as sites in Oklahoma despite the recent government shutdown. "It's a mistake that while critical public services were shuttered for 35 days during the government shutdown, BLM still moved forward with this opaque process," U.S. Sen. Tom Udall (D-New Mexico) told the Associated Press in an email. BLM takes next step in analyzing American Prairie Reserve's bison grazing requests Billings Gazette Changes to grazing allotments on Bureau of Land Management property in northcentral Montana that have been requested by the nonprofit American Prairie Reserve for its bison herd have taken another step forward. On Friday the BLM released a list of 24 topics identified through the public comment process that will help focus the agency's environmental analysis. Community Leaders Gather for Wildfire Prevention Stakeholder Meeting YubaNet Thursday, February 7th, the County hosted the second Wildfire Prevention Stakeholder Meeting, gathering nearly 70 community leaders from local, state and federal agencies and organizations. This meeting offered an opportunity to work across jurisdictional boundaries to increase community wildfire resilience. Measure protects landowners embroiled in Red River boundary clash Times Record News (Choate) Local landowners tangled up in the Red River boundary dispute will reap protection against what some have called a federal land grab if Congress approves legislation next week. A provision in the Natural Resources Management Act lays down rules for a $1 million survey of a hotly disputed stretch of the Red River boundary between Oklahoma and Wichita, Clay and Wilbarger counties in North Texas. If approved, the rules will be a check on the U.S. Bureau of Land Management while hoisting more power over to the states and Native American tribes involved, officials said. They will also protect landowners already stung by faulty BLM mapping that threatened private acres. DOI-18-0489-000203 Bureau of Ocean Energy Management Offshore wind for US territories act reintroduced after Congresswomen loses nomination Offshore Wind Journal (Foxwell) Legislation that would amend the Outer Continental Shelf Lands Act to enable US territories to build offshore windfarms to meet their need for energy has been reintroduced. The proposed legislation was reintroduced by Puerto Rico Resident Commissioner Jenniffer González Colón after originally being introduced by Congresswoman Madeleine Bordallo, who represented Guam. In August 2018 Mrs Bordallo lost her bid for re-nomination for another term as delegate in the Democratic primary. Bureau of Reclamation Anticipating a critical water shortage next year, feds on the brink of overriding states to cap Colorado River water use Summit Daily (Dutta) Amid the worst drought in the recorded history of the Colorado River Basin, the federal government is giving Colorado and six other states just one more month to finalize drought contingency plans to rein in water use. If all seven basin states do not comply by March 4, the feds will intervene and create its own scheme to adjust water usage across the West. Jan. 31 was the original deadline for the Upper and Lower Basin states to submit their completed drought contingency plans before the Department of the Interior uses its authority to draw up plans at the federal level. Late push for Salton Sea improvements complicates Colorado River drought plan Tucson Sentinel (Cazares) Arizona and California aren’t done finishing a plan that would establish how states in the Colorado River Basin will ensure water for millions of people in the Southwest, said the head of the agency running the negotiations. Despite Arizona lawmakers meeting the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation deadline to sign off on a plan to keep Lake Mead’s water levels from hitting critically low levels, agreements with Native American tribes and other water users still need to be signed. Prize money being offered to help thin South Fork rainbow trout population Idaho State Journal (O’Connell) On the first Friday of each month, Brett High and his colleagues search through piles of frozen fish heads to see if any have coded wire tags affixed inside their snouts. High, a regional fisheries manager with the Idaho Department of Fish and Game, explained anglers are essentially taking home a lottery ticket whenever they keep a DOI-18-0489-000204 rainbow trout caught from the South Fork of the Snake River. Never before has the South Fork been as loaded with trout as it is now, according to Fish and Game population surveys. Unfortunately, it’s the invasive rainbows whose populations are booming, at the expense of the blue-ribbon fishery’s native Yellowstone cutthroats. Atmospheric river possible next week for California, raising flood concerns San Jose Mercury News (Rogers) Computer models are showing a growing likelihood of an atmospheric river storm hitting California late next week, raising concerns that if a warm “Pineapple Express” barrels in with enough force, it could melt parts of the state’s big Sierra Nevada snow pack and increase flood risk. Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement The Competition To Export Permian Crude Is Fierce And Controversial Forbes (Blackmon) The booming Permian Basin has been one of the most amazing creators of competition the oil industry has seen in modern times. Every oil boom inevitably creates conflict, as individuals and businesses race to be the first to get in the various "games" that surround oilfield development. But the Permian is so vast, its available resource so gigantic, that it often seems to have created more races than NASCAR . Fish and Wildlife Service Golden-cheeked warbler sings ESA victory song Greenwire (Doyle) A federal judge in Texas has upheld Endangered Species Act protections for the golden-cheeked warbler in a decision that could stir mixed emotions for one top Interior Department political appointee. Texas butterfly sanctuary plans to file emergency restraining order over border wall Hill (Daugherty) A butterfly sanctuary in Texas along the southern border with Mexico plans to file an emergency restraining order against the Trump administration to halt construction of the border wall through its property. The Corpus Christi Caller Times reports the National Butterfly Center was set file the restraining order in an effort to stop the excavator already near its property from beginning construction of the wall while it waits for its lawsuits to work their way through the court system. DOI-18-0489-000205 Feds release statement on transmission line set in Sandhills Associated Press The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has released its final environmental impact statement on what a 345,000-volt transmission line through the Nebraska Sandhills could mean to habitat for the endangered American burying beetle. The release Thursday began a 30-day period for public inspection . The service said it will then decide whether to issue a permit that would allow incidental violations of the Endangered Species Act. Documents are available by appointment at the service’s Nebraska field office in Wood River. The habitat lies along the 225-mile (362kilometer) path of Nebraska Public Power District’s R-Project line. The line would start near the Gerald Gentleman Station near Sutherland and extend to a new substation near Thedford. Could we be wrong about what causes dreaded chronic wasting disease in deer? LancasterOnline (Crable) As the scourge of chronic wasting disease spreads among deer in Pennsylvania, most recently in Lancaster County, a medical researcher claims the very source of the disease has been misdiagnosed all along. The disease threatens the $1.8-billion deer-hunting industry in Pennsylvania, as well as the state’s popular elk herd. There’s also a popular cottage industry in Lancaster County, where there are more than 70 deer farms. The disease was first discovered in wild deer in the United States in 1981. The first infected deer found in Pennsylvania — at a deer farm — was in Adams County in 2012. Wild deer were discovered later the same year in Blair and Bedford counties. Zombie deer steadily approaching Texas WLOS (TV) (Sharma) Our worst fears have come true. Zombie Deer are real and they're coming for us (well, kind of). According to a recent post in the Daily Mail, a disease known as Chronic Waste Disease (CWD) commonly known as "Zombie Deer disease" has been reported in 24 US states and two Canadian provinces. The illness attacks the brain, spinal cord,and other tissues in deer, elk and moose. Ultimately before CWD kills the animal, they first start to lose weight rapidly. Additionally, their coordination becomes unbalanced, and they may become aggressive. U.S. Fish and Wildlife looking at request related to endangered beetle Beatrice Daily Sun (Lee) The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has released its final environmental impact statement for the Nebraska Public Power District's R-Project transmission line, related to the endangered American burying beetle habitat that lies within the project's path. With the release, the agency opens a 30-day public inspection period before making a final decision on whether to issue an incidental take permit for NPPD on the beetle. DOI-18-0489-000206 National Park Service Legislation Introduced Would Protect Carrizo Plain, Other National Monuments Noozhawk (August) More than 100 members of Congress have united to introduce legislation protecting America’s national monuments from further attack by the Trump administration or future presidents. The bill is in response to recent attempts to shrink or eliminate protections for more than two dozen national monuments throughout the country, including the Carrizo Plain National Monument in San Luis Obispo and western Kern counties. “We’re thrilled that this new Congress is taking its obligation seriously to protect and preserve our nation’s rich legacy of public lands,” said Rebecca August, Los Padres ForestWatch Public Lands advocate. Grand Canyon superintendent cleared in federal probe E&ENews PM (Hotakainen) A federal investigation has cleared Chris Lehnertz of any wrongdoing, and she will soon return to her post as superintendent of Grand Canyon National Park. Lawmakers stunned by national park shutdown funding reversal Hill (Green) Lawmakers and conservationists are dealing with whiplash after a stunning decision by the Trump administration this week to reverse course and retroactively use congressionally appropriated funds for maintenance costs incurred during the government shutdown. Experts and politicians say they have grave concerns and even more questions about the new decision. The shift overwrites the controversial decision made in early January for the National Park Service (NPS) to pull from park entrance fee revenue to cover shutdown costs. Lincoln native aims to set world record by visiting all National Parks in one trip KMTV (TV) (Meadows) Lincoln native Mikah Meyer will soon become the first to visit all 418 locations of the National Parks System during a consecutive road trip. He's snorkeled in the Virgin Islands, trekked through the Everglades and posed by Mount Rushmore, documenting it all for his 70,000 Instagram followers. By the time the 3-year project is done, he will have traveled approximately 200,000 total miles. Sen. Schumer: ‘Seawall is going to get built’ silive.com (Knudson) Sen. Charles Schumer (D-New York) announced Sunday that construction of the East DOI-18-0489-000207 Shore seawall will move forward, pending a vote on a bill. “The seawall is going to get built and we’re going to be a lot safer God forbid another storm like [Hurricane] Sandy occurs,” Schumer said. Schumer made the announcement on the Franklin D. Roosevelt Boardwalk in South Beach, joined by Borough President James Oddo, Rep. Max Rose (D-Staten Island) and Assemblyman Michael Cusick (D-Mid-Island). FOUND: Missing Charlotte hiker rescued from rugged terrain off Blowing Rock trail WLOS (TV) Did you feel it? A small quake happened Friday evening around 6:21 p.m. according to USGS information available online. The 2.3-magnitude earthquake was recorded in Western North Carolina, not far from Sylva. Dead trees to be cut at Acadia National Park this winter and spring Associated Press National park officials say hazardous trees will be cut down at Acadia National Park over the next three months. The National Park Service says many of the trees slated to be removed are dead red pines that succumbed to red pine scale, an invasive insect that harms the trees. The service says cutting of trees will occur from the middle of this month until May 15. Prescribed fire planned for island wilderness off Georgia starting Tuesday WJXT (TV) The federal government is planning prescribed fires to help maintain one of coastal Georgia's most pristine barrier islands. The National Park Service says controlled burning on federally protected Cumberland Island could begin as soon as Tuesday. Fires are planned in a grassy area as well as a stand of pine trees in order to reduce brush that can fuel wildfires. The fires also will push back the encroachment of unwanted plants and promote the growth of grass. Legislation calls for plan for new Civil War memorial Albuquerque Journal (Oswald) There’s finally a historical marker commemorating the key role that New Mexico Civil War volunteers played in the Union’s victory at the crucial Battle of Glorieta Pass in 1862. The bronze plaque was posted several months ago on a vertical stone slab off N.M. 50, a few miles northwest of the visitors’ center at Pecos National Historical Park, which includes a large section of the battlefield. National Park Service Awards Over $1.5 Million To Protect Battlefield Sites DOI-18-0489-000208 nationalparkstraveler.org The National Park Service announced $1,528,588 in grants from the American Battlefield Protection Program (ABPP) to help protect 280 acres of America’s battlefields in West Virginia, 72 acres of Civil War battlefields in Virginia, as well as 51 acres of Civil War battlefields in North Carolina threatened with damage or destruction by urban and suburban development. National Park Service Accepting Proposals For Historic Revitalization Subgrants In Rural Communities National Parks Traveler The National Park Service is accepting applications for $5 million in grants to support the preservation of historic buildings in rural communities across the country that are listed in or eligible for inclusion in the National Register of Historic Places through the Historic Revitalization Subgrant Program (HRSP). "Historic preservation projects have consistently proven to spur economic growth,” National Park Service Deputy Director P. Daniel Smith said. “The goal of this new competitive subgrant program is to support the rehabilitation of historic properties in our nation’s rural communities, shine a light on their unique local history, and foster economic development.” U.S. Geological Survey Elegy for a vent in a Hawaiian volcano: It blew for 35 years. It just ceased. Washington Post (Downes) Scientists who study Kilauea volcano in Hawaii are saying goodbye to an old friend, an eruption that many of them have known for all or most of their professional lives. The eruption was at Pu‘u ‘O‘o, a vent on the volcano’s eastern flank, which had been spewing lava, thrilling tourists, now and then burying forests and subdivisions, and slowly making the island bigger since 1983. Earthquake: 2.7 quake strikes near Naylor Place, Calif. Los Angeles Times A shallow magnitude 2.7 earthquake was reported Sunday morning one mile from Naylor Place, Calif., according to the U.S. Geological Survey. The temblor occurred at 9:45 a.m. Pacific time at a depth of 4.3 miles. Preliminary Magnitude 3.6 Earthquake Strikes Near Hemet: USGS KTLA (TV) (Bravo) A preliminary magnitude 3.6 earthquake struck in Riverside County early Sunday, according to the U.S. Geological Survey. The temblor hit at 9:12 a.m. about 5 miles southeast of Valle Vista, 6.8 miles west southwest of Idyllwild, 8.7 miles east southeast of Hemet and 19.3 miles west southwest of Moreno Valley. The preliminary DOI-18-0489-000209 depth of the earthquake was 10.3 miles, according to USGS. Bringing the wonder of old-school survey maps into three dimensions Engadget (Dent) Mapping technology is infinitely better than it used to be, but satellites and LiDAR can never recapture the craft that went into making old-school US Geological Survey Maps. Instead, graphic designer Scott Reinhard is trying to bring a modern touch to the old designs using 3D technology. He used elevation data from the United States Geological Survey to create 3D elevations of the topography, then merged the data with the vintage designs of the old maps. Opinion Trump turns to swamp for Interior boss Seattle Times (Editorial Board) Washingtonians should pay attention to David Bernhardt, a former energy-industry lobbyist that President Donald Trump just nominated to lead the Interior Department. The department manages much of what’s sacred and essential to the Northwest, including federal lands, national parks, wildlife refuges and the Columbia Basin water system that provides 75 percent of the region’s power and irrigates much of Eastern Washington farmland. It’s also responsible for fish and wildlife, Indian affairs, mineral resources and geological risks such as volcanoes and earthquakes. Altogether it manages a fifth of the land in the U.S., mostly in the West. Editorial: Trump continues a pattern of putting appointees in exactly the wrong jobs St. Louis Post-Dispatch (Editorial Board) Which would be more shocking: appointing a former coal lobbyist to head the Environmental Protection Agency, or appointing a former oil lobbyist to the Department of the Interior? It’s a trick question. President Donald Trump last week did both. This continues a long history of top Trump picks with fox/henhouse problems. The Senate should start pushing back on appointees who appear likely to undermine the very missions of the departments they would run. Don’t let drilling put the NC coast at risk News & Observer (Duvall) When The News & Observer hosted last month’s Community Voices forum, the big question on everyone’s mind was how will the new composition of the North Carolina General Assembly affect this year’s session? The issues facing our legislature range from gerrymandering to Medicaid expansion and teacher pay. But one issue looming on the horizon did not receive any attention: offshore drilling. While there was discussion of environmental issues, such as the effects of climate change on sea level DOI-18-0489-000210 rise and the destruction caused by extreme weather such as Hurricanes Florence and Michael (not to mention Hurricane Matthew), no one brought up questions about the legislature’s plans to address the U.S. Department of the Interior’s draft proposal that would open North Carolina’s waters to offshore gas and oil exploration. Editorial: Protecting our shores Times Union (Editorial Board) New York cannot control what happens in federal waters. But with a measure that passed both houses of the Legislature last week, one worry about those waters could be diminished: the threat of pollution from drilling for oil. The legislation, which Gov. Andrew Cuomo is expected to sign, bars state agencies from issuing any permits for petroleum drilling or exploration in state-controlled coastal waters, typically about three miles from shore. It also blocks any state permits that would support drilling in the federal waters beyond — such as adding pipelines or building onshore support facilities. It's a good move that protects New York's shorelines and throws up a roadblock to a federal plan that raises grave environmental concerns. Is the Green New Deal even feasible? Hill (Matthews) Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) and Sen. Ed Markey (D-Mass.) have just released their Green New Deal resolution, which they hope will “move America to 100 [percent] clean and renewable energy” by 2030. Given current U.S. energy requirements and the state of renewable energy technology, let’s just say it’s an ambitious goal — actually, an impossible goal. Forests must stand tall in any Green New Deal Hill (Daley) A “Green New Deal” is a breath of fresh air for the climate change conversation. Scaling up climate action that creates jobs for people in need offers something for everyone, from struggling rural communities to disadvantaged urban areas. Just one problem: many of its champions are overlooking the huge potential of forests to contribute to climate action and related green jobs. The Green New Deal cannot meet its goals for climate action nor diversity, equity and inclusion without a major role for forests and other natural climate solutions. Go after those who write bad checks to GovGuam Pacific Daily News It’s astounding that the government of Guam, in the past, didn’t go after those who cheated it out of much-needed revenue by writing bad checks. The Office of the Attorney General on Friday filed a legal action in the Superior Court of Guam against a person who wrote a bad check to the government of Guam. The AG’s office stated that it's one of several initiatives it’s pursuing to improve collections to GovGuam. DOI-18-0489-000211 Drought Contingency Plan isn't an example of Arizona doing water right Arizona Republic (Robb) Around these parts, you frequently hear the claim that water is something that Arizona does right. After the Legislature passed two measures related to the interstate Drought Contingency Plan, there was a hardy round of self-congratulations. Another example of Arizona doing water right. Comparisons to the landmark Groundwater Act of 1980 filled the air. However, the state implementation plan for the DCP isn’t an example of Arizona doing water right. In fact, it sets some very bad precedents which will become obstacles to truly doing water right, as Arizona has to make due with less water from the Colorado River. State needs sensible methane rules Albuquerque Journal (Rubio) There’s a lot on the table as New Mexico moves into a new legislative session under the helm of our new governor, including several issues related to oil and gas. State leaders will be looking at ways to address climate change and the impacts on our state as well as reducing air pollution and waste of taxpayer resources through the venting and flaring of methane. And rightfully so. New Mexico is home to the nation’s highest concentration of methane pollution in our air, yet we are the worst in adopting policies and practices that help reduce methane emissions. Top National News U.S. Campaign Against Huawei Faces Challenge in Eastern Europe Wall Street Journal (Hinshaw. Woo) America’s global campaign to blacklist China’s Huawei Technologies Co. is facing a major challenge on Europe’s eastern flank, where countries are debating whether to side with Washington against a Chinese government that has courted the region’s leaders. California Homeowners Face Higher Prices for a Scarce Commodity: Wildfire Insurance Wall Street Journal (Friedman) Californians who want to insure their homes against the next wildfire are paying a price for two years of record-breaking blazes. Home-insurance companies in the Golden State are canceling some policies, refusing to sell new ones in certain areas and applying for rate increases as they look to reduce wildfire risk. Date 2/10-14 Host Title Society for Range Society for Range Management Management DOI-18-0489-000212 2/14 3/13-14 3/20 Brookings Institution Animal Welfare Information Center ACORE The future of American Indian gaming: The next 30 years Meeting the Information Requirements of the Animal Welfare Act, March 2019 Renewable Energy Policy Forum Wish to Subscribe? Visit the link below if you wish to subscribe to this distribution: Subscribe Don't want to receive our infrequent newsletters anymore? You can unsubscribe. DOI-18-0489-000213 Conversation Contents U.S. Department of the Interior News Briefing for Monday, November 13, 2017 Bulletin Intelligence From: Sent: To: Bulletin Intelligence Mon Nov 13 2017 04:01:35 GMT-0700 (MST) U.S. Department of the Interior News Briefing for Monday, November 13, 2017 Subject: Mobile version and searchable archives available here. Please click here to subscribe. DATE: MONDAY, NOVEMBER 13, 2017 6:00 AM EST Today's Table Of Contents DOI In The News • USA Today: Vice President Pence Honors Veterans By Cleaning Vietnam Memorial. • Omaha (NE) World-Herald: Chuck Hagel Honors Vietnam Vets at D.C. Memorial: ‘You Are The Quiet Heroes Of Your Generation’. • Washington Post: ‘We’re Searching To Reclaim What Was Lost’: In Museum Archives, A Tribe Urgently Seeks Proof Of Its Past. • Associated Press: Zinke Says Democrats Holding Interior Nominees ‘Hostage.’ • Fox News: Fox News Interviews Zinke About Energy Production On Federal Lands, National Park Fee Hikes. Bureau Of Indian Affairs • Mohegan Sun And Foxwoods Enlist Senators In Casino Fight With MGM. • How The Opioid Crisis Is Affecting Native Americans. • ‘Poor’ Communication Between Blackfeet, BIA Puts Range Rider Program On Edge. Bureau Of Land Management • Associated Press: US Sage Grouse Policy Heading Back To Square One. • Associated Press: County In Oregon Asserts Greater Role In Use of Federal Land. • Associated Press: Environmentalists Target Methane Emissions In New Mexico. • Associated Press: Settlement Reached In Lawsuit Against Bureau of Land Management. • New York Times: America’s Wildest Place Is Open for Business. • Associated Press: Land Managers Drafting Plan For New Mexico’s Otero Mesa. Bureau Of Ocean Energy Management • Carolinas Prepping For Offshore Wind With Hi-Res Wildlife Surveys. DOI-18-0489-000214 Bureau Of Reclamation • Federal Vacancies Would Impede Recovery From Next Drought, Natural Resources Secretary Says. Fish And Wildlife Service • Associated Press: Alaska Lawmaker Sees Financial Boon in Refuge Drilling. • Associated Press: Florida Manatees Starting Annual Migration Earlier This Year. • Associated Press: NY Man Pleads Guilty To Trafficking In Lion, Tiger Skulls. National Park Service • Associated Press: Catharsis Brings Burning Man Spirit To Nation’s Capital. • Money: You Can Go To Any National Park For Free This Weekend. • Associated Press: Ecological Research Tower to Be Built at Yellowstone Park. • Associated Press: Memphis Grad Traveling To All National Park Service Sites. • Associated Press: Pa. Woman Wants To See All 59 National Parks Before Going Blind. • Washington Post: Park Service Wants To Ban Sports From Washington Monument Grounds. • Associated Press: Grand Canyon Overwhelmed With Interest in Bison Program. Office Of Insular Affairs • New York Times: After Irma and Maria: How 3 Spots on the U.S. Virgin Islands Are Faring. • South Florida Sun Sentinel: After Hurricanes Strike, U.S. Virgin Islands Pitches Florida Investors To Help Rebuild. Office Of Surface Mining • Frustration Sets In After Coal Mine Health Study Suspended. • Company Wants To Restart Black Diamond Coal Mine. Opinion Pieces • The GOP Tries To Trade Polar Bears For Tax Cuts. • COMMENTARY: Trump Administration Shouldn’t Undermine Sage-Grouse Compromise. • Rapid Increase In Park Fees Will Keep Visitors Out. • Additional Reading. Top National News • ABC: On Russian Meddling, Trump Sides “With Our Agencies, Especially As Currently Constituted.” • Associated Press: Media Analyses: Trump Unlikely To Rebuke Duterte For Drug War Killings. • Politico: Trump To Make “Major” Trade Announcement Wednesday. • Associated Press: US States, Cities Pledge Commitment To Paris Accord. • NBC: Democrats Field Alternate US Delegation To Global Warming Conference. • Politico: JCT: Middle Class Will See Biggest Tax Cuts Under Senate Bill. • New York Times: Republicans Search For Analyses Showing Tax Cuts Won’t Add To Deficit. • Bloomberg News: McConnell Concedes He Exaggerated Claims On Tax Bill. • Reuters: Wind Energy Industry Lauds Senate For Preserving Tax Credit. • Washington Post: WPost A1: Pruitt Uses Industry Data To Challenge Findings By EPA Scientists. Editorial Wrap-Up • New York Times. - “The Right Way To Cut Corporate Taxes.” - “Gun Carnage In The Nation. Groundhog Day In The Capitol.” • Washington Post. - “Metro Need $500 Million A Year, And It Needs It Now.” - “The Little-Discussed Part Of The GOP Tax Bill Proves What Its Really About.” - “Tillerson’s Redesign For State Looks A Lot Like A Retreat.” • Wall Street Journal. - “ObamaCare Tax Relief.” - “A Nafta Recession?” DOI-18-0489-000215 - “Putin’s Syria Play.” Big Picture • Headlines From Today’s Front Pages. Washington Schedule • Today’s Events In Washington. Last Laughs • Late Night Political Humor. DOI In The News Vice President Pence Honors Veterans By Cleaning Vietnam Memorial. USA Today (11/11, Groppe) reported Vice President Mike Pence and Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke helped clean names etched onto the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Saturday. After arriving at the memorial with his wife, Pence, wearing blue jeans and yellow gloves, “carried an orange cleaning bucket with the message “Let’s Do This” to an area close to the center of the wall.” USA Today quotes Zinke saying to the vice president, “You scrub and I’ll dry.” ABC News (11/11) reported Pence “shook hands and posed for photos with the volunteers in subfreezing temperatures just after dawn.” Pence and Zinke were also joined by James Pierce, “a National Park Service ranger who lost a leg while serving with the North Carolina Army National Guard in Afghanistan.” The event was sponsored by the New Day USA, a mortgage company specializing in loans to veterans. The Salt Lake (UT) Tribune (11/11, Burr) reports Zinke said as he cleaned the monument, “Every name is a story, and there are so many names.” The Tribune notes Zinke, a former Navy SEAL, is “the first Interior secretary in nearly half a century with military experience, a distinction he says he takes seriously.” Zinke told an audience of Vietnam veterans at the monument Saturday afternoon, “A lot of the reason I received what I did and my generation [did] is because you did not. I think as a nation we should be ashamed at how we viewed your service, your dedication. The monument behind me, I think, is not a tribute to victory or defeat, it’s a tribute to remembrance. We should never run away from our history as a country, we should learn.” The Washington (DC) Examiner (11/11) reports Zinke tweeted a picture of himself and the Pences that read, “Up early with @VP Pence to wash the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Wall this chilly #VeteransDay.” Later, Pence tweeted a picture with the caption, “Moving start to Veterans Day. Thanks to @NewDayUSA volunteers who joined @NatlParkService, @SecretaryZinke, Karen & me to clean the Vietnam Veterans Memorial. Also inspiring to meet NPS ranger & veteran James Pierce. To all Veterans, we are grateful for your service & sacrifice.” The Examiner notes Zinke, “a retired Navy SEAL commander and former congressman from Montana, will also have Veterans Day-related events throughout the day.” Also covering this story are NPR (11/11, Benderev) and The Hill (11/11, Bowden). They Served Together in 2004, And Int. Sec. Zinke Used Veterans Day To Recognize Gen. Mattis. Independent Journal Review (11/11, Fink) reported Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke has known Defense Secretary Gen. James Mattis “for over a decade, and his experience with the general in Fallujah, Iraq, left a lasting impression.” On Saturday, Zinke tweeted a photo of himself and Mattis with the caption, “Happy #VeteransDay to General Mattis. Served in Fallujah together in 2004 and now #SecondService under @POTUS Trump.” Here’s What Former SEAL Ryan Zinke Is Drinking On Veterans Day. The Daily Caller (11/9, Pearce) reports Interior Department spokeswoman Heather Swift “confirmed” to The Daily Caller News Foundation that Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke enjoyed a “Legacy Lager” from Dog Tag Brewing Foundation on Veterans Day on Friday “to honor those who have served and are still serving in the United States military.” The Dog Tag Brewing Foundation was founded in late 2015 by former marine Seth Jordan to raise money for charities selected by Gold Star families. According to the Caller, “Dog Tag donates 100 percent of its profits in the form of grants to charities picked by Gold Star families.” DOI-18-0489-000216 Chuck Hagel Honors Vietnam Vets at D.C. Memorial: ‘You Are The Quiet Heroes Of Your Generation’. The Omaha (NE) World-Herald (11/11, Morton) reports former Nebraska senator and Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel gave the keynote speak to thousands of people gathered Saturday at the Vietnam Veterans Memorial. Hagel said, “This memorial was built for future generations, so they would learn from this war and would always remember that wars have serious and lasting consequences.” Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke and Maya Lin, the memorial’s architect, also spoke at Saturday’s event. Following the ceremony, Hagel “joined Zinke and others in presenting wreaths at the center of the memorial, while a bagpiper played ‘Amazing Grace’ on the knoll above.” Recognizing The Pa. Veterans Who Just Donated $40K to Vietnam War Memorial Secretary Ryan Zinke. Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke wrote in the Philadelphia Inquirer (11/9, Zinke) that “few memorials evoke as strong an emotional response as the Vietnam War Memorial in Washington.” Zinke wrote, “As the secretary of the interior, I am the steward of our lands, memorials, and monuments. It’s my job to oversee our nation’s war memorials on the National Mall, which are part of the National Park System. Caring for our Vietnam War Memorial would not be possible without the support of thousands of veterans and their families across the country.” He also recognized the Butler County (Pa.) American Legion Riders, who “drove down in buses to meet” him in Washington, where they “group handdelivered a $40,778.28 check for the upkeep of the Vietnam War Memorial as well as building of the future museum.” Zinke concludes, “Our nation must never forget the names on the Vietnam Wall. That is why the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund, the nonprofit that built the memorial, organized the reading of every single name on the Wall from Tuesday through Friday by veterans and the families and friends of loved ones who gave their lives in Vietnam. I’m proud to have participated in the reading this year.” ‘We’re Searching To Reclaim What Was Lost’: In Museum Archives, A Tribe Urgently Seeks Proof Of Its Past. The Washington Post (11/11, Kaplan) reported that at “Smithsonian Institution facility in Suitland, Md., three generations of Biloxi-Chitimacha-Choctaws just spent a week painstakingly sifting through materials from their tribe’s past.” They were seeking evidence to “supplement their petition for official ‘acknowledgment’ from” the Bureau of Indian Affairs, “a decades-old effort that has gained new urgency as the state of Louisiana moves to resettle the last island residents.” Their ancestors escaped the Trail of Teals and “found refuge nearly 200 years ago on an island on Louisiana’s Gulf Coast.” However, Isle de Jean Charles is “slipping into the sea, a consequence of coastal erosion, subsidence and climate change.” Following two failed attempts, the tribe last year was “awarded a grant from the Department of Housing and Urban Development: $48 million to relocate the 25 remaining families.” Tribal leaders in their HUD application “laid out an idyllic vision” consisting of “hurricane-proof houses arranged in the same pattern as the buildings on the island.” However, it is unclear “how much of that vision will become reality” because the grant is “being administered by Louisiana’s Office of Community Development, and not always according to the tribe’s preferences.” Zinke Says Democrats Holding Interior Nominees ‘Hostage.’ The AP (11/11, Daly) reports Interior Secretary Zinke on Thursday sent a “sharply worded letter” to Senate Minority Whip Dick Durbin accusing Senate Democrats of “holding the department’s nominees ‘hostage’ to a political agenda that includes opposition to his review of presidentially designated monuments.” Zinke asserted the nominees “have nothing to do with this monument review, yet they have been forced to sit on the sidelines [for months]. As a former Navy SEAL, this is not the type of hostage situation I am accustomed to.” According to the AP, “Durbin has placed holds on four Interior nominees: Susan Combs, nominated as assistant secretary for policy, management and budget; Joseph Balash, assistant secretary for land and minerals management; Ryan Nelson, solicitor; and Brenda Burman, commissioner of the Bureau of Reclamation, which oversees dams and water projects in 17 Western states.” DOI-18-0489-000217 Fox News Interviews Zinke About Energy Production On Federal Lands, National Park Fee Hikes. Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke was interviewed Thursday evening on Fox News @ Night (11/9) about criticism he has received from environmentalists. In response to concerns about increasing energy production on Federal lands, Zinke said, “If you want to make our country not dependent on foreign oil. I am a former seal. I don’t want to see your kids, my kids go to foreign shores and fight for a commodity we have here. We are going to do it right. We are not going to sell or transfer public land, but if you believe in the concept that the best science, best practices, greater good in the longest term, then you’re with the secretary of the interior. But if you believe public land is exclusive, only for the elite few that want to look at it but i’m a public access person. I think the public land should be available to america and the public.” Zinke also called criticism of National Park fee increases “baloney,” adding, “The greatest bargain in America is $80 for a year-long pass of our public lands. I face an $11.5 billion backlog of our public lands and parks. Our parks are being loved to death. everyone loves our parks. As a former military, there’s two things we need fun absolutely: the military and our parks. Come on, America. if you think $80, all year, every park, all the time, by a car load, is too much to ask, I mean, come on. It’s our parks. Those that don’t believe that we should invest in our parks. Our parks aren’t Republican or Democrat or Independent issue. It’s an American issue. America, step up. Go to our parks and enjoy them. They are treasures we need to invest in.” Later in the segment, Zinke discussed his involvement with Whitefish and said he will spend time over the weekend visiting national monuments in honor of Veterans Day. The Hill (11/10, Cama) also reported on Zinke’s comments from the Fox News interview. Bureau Of Indian Affairs Mohegan Sun And Foxwoods Enlist Senators In Casino Fight With MGM. The Connecticut Post (11/11, Vigdor) reported Connecticut’s US senators sent a letter to the Department of Interior urging clarification on a “a joint casino venture between the Mohegans and Mashantucket Pequot tribes planned north of Hartford complies with a gambling compact with the state.” The agency has not ruled either way on the legality of the project, “creating a degree of uncertainty for the tribal owners of Mohegan Sun and Foxwoods.” Democrats Richard Blumenthal and Chris Murphy, along with US Rep. Joe Courtney (D-CT) wrote to Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke Nov. 2 “asking the agency to review and sign off on changes to the tribes’ existing compact with the state.” MGM officials, which oppose the tribal casino because it would challenge an MGM resort set to open next year in Springfield, Mass., “say that the absence of a formal approval by the Interior Department, the parent agency of the Bureau of Indian Affairs, constitutes a denial.” The Connecticut Mirror (11/9, Radelat) reported that Connecticut sought Interior Department “approval of amendments that said the new casino would not violate an exclusivity clause in the years-old compact the tribes have with Connecticut that allowed them to open the Foxwoods Resort Casino and Mohegan Sun.” The compact states the tribes “agreed to share 25 percent of their slot revenue with the state, but that arrangement would only hold if no new casinos were opened in Connecticut.” During an Oct. 26 meeting with tribal representatives, Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke “asked the Connecticut tribes to submit information on why his agency would have to weigh in on a commercial casino – that is one that is not built on tribal land nor on land taken by the federal government in trust and therefore subject to the Indian Gaming Regulation Act.” Attorneys for the Mashantucket Pequot and the Mohegan tribes have responded to Zinke’s request for additional information, “insisting the secretary weigh in on the amendment, even though Zinke told them he is concerned doing so would ‘indirectly facilitate the operation of a commercial casino gaming facility.’” How The Opioid Crisis Is Affecting Native Americans. NPR (11/11) interviewed Dr. Ron Shaw, president of the Association of American Indian DOI-18-0489-000218 Physicians, about how the opioid crisis is affecting Native Americans. According to a report from the Centers for Disease Control, “the death rate of Native Americans from opioid overdoses was the highest of any racial demographic. Some 8.4 per 100,000 Native Americans died of opioid overdoses in 2014.” Shaw explained that “many Native American populations suffer from what is known as historical and intergenerational trauma,” which has “been shown to be associated with increased rates of depression, drug use and drug addiction.” Shaw advocates for getting native leaders to “testify before Congress, including the Senate Committee on Indian Affairs, and try to put the native-specific issues before our legislators.” ‘Poor’ Communication Between Blackfeet, BIA Puts Range Rider Program On Edge. The Flathead (MT) Beacon (11/11, Franz) reported the Blackfeet Tribe has received “mixed signals” from the Bureau of Indian Affairs regarding the future of a conservation program on the reservation east of the mountains. BIA notified the Blackfeet Tribal Business Council in early October “that the range rider program would be terminated.” The program, which costs about $140,000 annually, is managed by the BIA “and funded by a fee paid by local cattle producers.” In response, Blackfeet Tribal Chairman Harry Barnes sent a letter to Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke noting that “under federal law, the BIA has to consult with the tribe before making any decision that directly impacts jobs on the reservation.” The BIA has since “changed course and decided to make ‘tweaks’ to the program instead of terminating it.” Interior spokesperson Heather Swift said the mix-up was due to “poor” communication between the BIA and the tribe. Bureau Of Land Management US Sage Grouse Policy Heading Back To Square One. The AP (11/11, Sonner) reports federal scientists and land managers who have been working on strategies to protect the greater sage grouse’s habitat in the American West “for nearly two decades are going back to the drawing board under a new Trump administration edict to reassess existing plans condemned by ranchers, miners and energy developers.” The AP adds that federal officials are finishing a “series of public meetings with three sessions starting Tuesday in Utah ahead of a Nov. 27 cutoff for comment on Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke’s order last month to consider revisions to land management amendments for the greater sage grouse that were adopted under the Obama administration.” Zinke has said “he wants to make sure the amendments don’t harm local economies in 11 western states and allow the states to have maximum control over the efforts within their borders.” However, conservationists claim the move is “a thinly veiled attempt to allow more livestock grazing and drilling, similar to Trump’s efforts to roll back national monument designations, but on a much larger scale.” County In Oregon Asserts Greater Role In Use of Federal Land. The AP (11/9, Selsky) reported the three-member Crook County Court governing body approved a provision after a public meeting Wednesday to “take some control over federal lands that cover half of the high desert, mountains and forests within its borders.” Crook County Court previously “considered the policy more than a year ago — before elections shifted the political landscape.” However, Federal Bureau of Land Management district head Carol Benkosky had warned passing the measure “would create an adversarial relationship with federal agencies.” The policy states that “timber harvest, ranching, farming, and mining are the lifeblood of Crook County’s economy” and that “humans are entitled to an equal opportunity to use federal and private lands for both recreation and economic growth.” County Commissioner Jerry Brummer “said after the meeting that he believes the Trump administration will be receptive to the county’s attempt to assert its authority in helping manage federal lands.” Environmentalists Target Methane Emissions In New Mexico. The AP (11/9, Bryan) reported representatives with the nonprofit Environmental Defense DOI-18-0489-000219 Fund released a report Thursday that shows “methane emissions from oil and natural gas production in New Mexico are higher than what state and federal regulators have measured and the failure to capture the pollution is costing the state revenues and royalties.” The state’s producers are “emitting 570,000 tons of methane annually, amounting to more than $27 million in lost tax revenues and royalties that could otherwise be used for government programs and services, according to the report.” Jon Goldstein, director of regulatory and legislative affairs for the Environmental Defense Fund, said the report emphasizes “that methane is a big problem for the state but it’s an even larger opportunity. I like to think of it as a multi-hundred-million-dollar piece of low-hanging fruit in a time of tight state budgets.” Settlement Reached In Lawsuit Against Bureau of Land Management. The AP (11/9, Warren) reported a federal judge on Wednesday “approved the terms that settle a long-running dispute involving the Bureau of Land Management and property owners along the Red River.” The BLM argued the river “has shifted as much as 2 miles (3.2 kilometers) in some areas over the past century, and some of the dry land where the river once flowed belonged to the government, not residents who claimed ownership.” The landowners’ lawyer, Robert Henneke, said BLM’s claims “amounted to an unlawful federal land grab.” Henneke explained the settlement “contains three provisions, including the one dictating that the river, wherever it may flow now and in decades to come, constitutes the boundary. Federal officials will dismiss the land surveys that were previously done, Henneke said, and the BLM will issue a disclaimer on maps the agency previously released showing federal boundaries that extended into Texas.” America’s Wildest Place Is Open for Business. The New York (NY) Times (11/10, Solomon) carried an interactive piece Sunday highlighting the geography and wildlife found in the National Petroleum Reserve-Alaska, “the single largest parcel of public land in the United States”. The article says the push by Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke to open up more of the area to drilling “seems all the more hawkish given that drilling has scarcely begun on existing leases in the reserve.” Land Managers Drafting Plan For New Mexico’s Otero Mesa. The AP (11/10) reported the Bureau of Land Management is drafting a resource management plan for southern New Mexico’s Otero Mesa, with a goal of having it ready for public comment next spring. BLM officials said oil and gas development on the mesa could lead to the construction of 350 new miles of road over the next two years. BLM “believes development will also bring jobs and income within those industries to Otero County.” Southwest Environmental Center director Kevin Bixby “said he worries the mesa would be irrevocably spoiled if industrial uses such as oil and gas drilling or mining were allowed.” Bureau Of Ocean Energy Management Carolinas Prepping For Offshore Wind With Hi-Res Wildlife Surveys. North American Windpower (11/9, Lillian) reported UK-based APEM said it is “carrying out high-resolution aerial surveys of wildlife off the coasts of North and South Carolina” on behalf of the Bureau of Ocean Energy Mangement. Surveys of the Carolinas “will gather data on birds, marine mammals, sharks, fish, turtles and other marine species in an area of almost 10,000 square nautical miles, says APEM.” According to APEM, the “surveys will provide baseline data to help with the process of siting and permitting future offshore wind developments.” Windpower Engineering & Development (11/9, Froese) reported that BOEM has, to date, “held one lease sale off the coast of North Carolina, awarding a 122,405 acre lease off Kitty Hawk, NC to Avangrid. BOEM is continuing to evaluate other potential lease areas off the Carolinas and data from this study will assist with that process.” Bureau Of Reclamation DOI-18-0489-000220 Federal Vacancies Would Impede Recovery From Next Drought, Natural Resources Secretary Says. The Santa Cruz (CA) Sentinel (11/11, Todd) reported California Secretary for Natural Resources John Laird said after the Democratic Women’s Club of Santa Cruz County meeting Saturday that the state would be in danger if another drought occurs because federal support remains uncertain. The Trump Administration has yet to fill “high-level vacancies for a slate of federal departments,” including the Bureau of Reclamation, which still lacks a commissioner. During the previous drought, “five agencies — two state departments and three federal departments — were in control of California’s water supply, Laird said.” Negotiations between state and federal agencies were vital “in providing timely relief, Laird said. Under the Obama administration, federal support was outlined within 24 hours.” Fish And Wildlife Service Alaska Lawmaker Sees Financial Boon in Refuge Drilling. The AP (11/10, Daly) reported Alaska Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R) has proposed legislation opening Alaska’s Arctic National Wildlife Refuge to oil and gas drilling, which “would generate $2 billion in royalties over the next decade — with half the money going to her home state.” Murkowski, chair of the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee, will hold a hearing on the bill next week. In particular, the bill “calls for at least two major lease sales over the next decade in areas encompassing at least 400,000 acres each in the refuge’s coastal plain,” with surface development limited to 2,000 acres.” Murkowski said the bill “represents “a tremendous opportunity for both Alaska and our country.” However, environmental groups and other critics have called Murkowski’s “projections wildly optimistic, noting that recent sales on Alaska’s North Slope have fallen short of projected revenue.” Newsweek (11/10, Pereira) reports ANWR, “has long been on the radar for energy. It was established in 1960, and by 1980, per the Alaska National Interest Lands Conservation Act, the 1002 area, the coastal plain where Murkowski wants to drill, was designated as ‘non-wilderness’ because of its oil and gas potential.” Murkowski’s bill “requires Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke to approve two lease sales of at least 400,000 acres and allows for 2,000 acres to be developed specifically for wells and support facilities.” Florida Manatees Starting Annual Migration Earlier This Year. The AP (11/11, Gillis) reported manatees this month “seem to be starting their annual migration a little early.” A cold front last week caused coastal water temperatures to decrease to 70 degrees, about the “point at which these tropical marine mammals move inland in search of warmer confines.” Carol Knox, with the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, explained, “Manatees this time of year are searching for warmer waters to help them survive winter’s cold, which they generally find in freshwater springs and the outflow of power plants.” Manatees are expected to “trickle into the Orange River and FPL canal between now and January, typically the coldest month of the year.” According to the AP, manatees “were reclassified from endangered to threatened by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service earlier this year, but the animals are still protected by state and federal laws.” NY Man Pleads Guilty To Trafficking In Lion, Tiger Skulls. The AP (11/10) reported a New York City Man pleaded guilty in Federal court “to illegally trafficking in parts from endangered African lions and tigers worth more than $150,000.” Federal prosecutors claim the 41-year-old Queens man “admitted to purchasing a tiger skull from undercover agents working for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. He also admitted to purchasing lion skulls from an auction house in Texas.” Prosecutors said he shipped the skulls to his New York City home, where he sent endangered animal parts to a wholesale buyer in Thailand. National Park Service DOI-18-0489-000221 Catharsis Brings Burning Man Spirit To Nation’s Capital. The AP (11/10, Khalil) reported on Catharsis on the Mall, a three-day event “that seeks to bring a small slice of the famed Burning Man festival to the foot of the Washington Monument.” The event began Friday afternoon and continued “the-clock through Sunday with seminars, events and performances in tents, stages and camps.” A “massive” metal dragon “will roll through the streets around the Capitol during a protest march at dawn Sunday. On Saturday night, a small wooden temple will be set ablaze under the close eye of fire marshals.” The AP said “R-Evolution, a 47-foot-high sculpture of a nude woman in a yoga pose that was featured at this year’s Burning Man,” would not be at the festival after the Interior Department reversed course on permission that was initially given by the National Park Service. You Can Go To Any National Park For Free This Weekend. Money (11/9, Calfas) reported all parks in the National Park system were free to visitors over the “weekend in honor of Veterans Day — the last time the National Park Service will offer this kind of deal this year.” This means all “parks with an entrance fee will not charge visitors on Nov. 11 and Nov. 12. While not all national parks incur a cost, many of the most popular sites, including Yellowstone, the Grand Canyon and Yosemite, among others, do.” Money added that the free weekend “comes just two weeks before the deadline for National Park goers to submit their thoughts on a proposed price increase for 17 parks during their most popular season of the year.” Ecological Research Tower to Be Built at Yellowstone Park. The AP (11/9) reported a 59-foot tower is being built on the Blacktail Deer Plateau in Yellowstone National Park “as part of a new ecological research and monitoring site.” The tower “will be built and funded by a National Science Foundation project aimed at studying the causes and effects of environmental change.” Construction is projected to begin later this year, and “park officials have decided the tower won’t significantly harm the environment.” Memphis Grad Traveling To All National Park Service Sites. The AP (11/11) reports on University of Memphis graduate Mikah Meyer’s plan to travel 100,000 miles “in a converted cargo van over a three-year period, taking in all 417 sites in the National Park Service system.” Meyer’s journey across the US “began during his freshman year when his 58-year-old father died from cancer” and he took a road trip to “kind of heal.” His adventure began April 29, 2016, and 18 months later, “he’d traveled to nearly 250 sites.” When Meyer completes his journey in April 2019, “he’ll be the youngest person to experience every park, and the only one to complete the tour in one continuous trip.” Pa. Woman Wants To See All 59 National Parks Before Going Blind. The AP (11/11, Negley) reports on Laura Griffith’s goal to see each of the national parks before she goes blind due to retinitis pigmentosa, a degeneration of the eye’s rods and cones. In the past two years, Griffith and her husband “have explored nearly 40 national parks. They have about 20 parks left in their quest to see nature’s majesty from coast to coast.” “I think my favorite visual sight was Crater Lake,” Laura Griffith said. “Which was an immense, spectacular blue lake, big enough even for me to see enough pieces of it to get a vision of this giant lake.” Park Service Wants To Ban Sports From Washington Monument Grounds. The Washington Post (11/9, Ruane) reported the National Park Service said Thursday “that it wants to permanently close the grounds of the Washington Monument to recreational activities and increase reservation fees for use of its 28 athletic fields on the Mall and in Rock Creek Park.” NPS spokesman Mike Litterst said in an email that the Washington Monument ground “were closed earlier this year for turf restoration, and the Park Service wants that closure to continue after the project is finished this year.” The proposal would also increase reservation rate fees to “$70 per two-hour block — $30 an hour plus a $10 administrative DOI-18-0489-000222 fee,” and “permitting will shift from the D.C. Department of Parks and Recreation to the National Park Service, the owner of the fields, Litterst said.” Also reporting on this story are the Washington (DC) Times (11/11, Blake), WJLA-TV Washington (DC) Washington (11/10, Tschida), WTTG-TV Washington (DC) Washington (11/10, Logan) and WTOP-FM Washington (DC) Washington (11/10, Augenstein). Grand Canyon Overwhelmed With Interest in Bison Program. The AP (11/10) reported Grand Canyon National Park said it has been “overwhelmed by the amount of interest in a program to thin a herd of bison using volunteer shooters.” Last month, the National Park Service approved a plan “to decrease the herd through roundups and by seeking volunteers who are physically fit and proficient with a gun to kill the animals.” Grand Canyon spokeswoman Kirby-Lynn Shedlowski said “she initially received dozens of calls a day from people across the country wanting to volunteer.” Callers are now “directed to a recorded line and asked to check back periodically.” Office Of Insular Affairs After Irma and Maria: How 3 Spots on the U.S. Virgin Islands Are Faring. “Hurricanes Irma and Maria both hit the United States Virgin Islands in September as rare Category 5 storms, but the devastation there has been largely overshadowed by the damage and death this year’s hurricane season left behind in Florida, Texas, Puerto Rico and the Caribbean nations,” the New York Times (11/10, Pérez-Peña) reports, and Virgin Islands Gov. Kenneth Mapp on Thursday announced “he would go to Washington next week to request $7 billion in aid.” According t o the Times, “in a territory with just 103,000 residents, more than 33,000 individuals and families have applied for assistance from the Federal Emergency Management Agency, and government agencies reported on Thursday that 73 percent of customers still had no power.” The Times returns to three different locations in the US Virgin Islands “photographed not long after the storms” to see how the recovery effort is progressing. After Hurricanes Strike, U.S. Virgin Islands Pitches Florida Investors To Help Rebuild. The South Florida Sun Sentinel (11/12, Lyons) reported economic development specialists from the U.S. Virgin Islands “used the Fort Lauderdale International Boat Show as a platform to pitch professional service firms and light manufacturers that might want to locate in St. Thomas, St. Croix or St. John.” Gov. Kenneth Mapp is expected to ask Congress for $7 billion in aid, and the Interior Department recently “advanced the islands nearly $225 million in federal excise tax revenue from rum shipments to the U.S. mainland.” However, the Virgin Islands Economic Development Authority “knows it must think for the long term.” Wayne Biggs Jr., the authority’s acting chief executive officer and Andrew Clutz, a marketing consultant, said in an interview with the Sun Sentinel that “the USVI offers generous jobrelated tax incentives such as 90 percent reductions in corporate and personal income tax, 100 percent exemptions on excise, property and gross receipts taxes and property taxes of nearly 75 cents per $1,000 or assessed value.” Office Of Surface Mining Frustration Sets In After Coal Mine Health Study Suspended. The AP (11/12, Virtanen) reports some Appalachia residents expressed frustration that a new federal study that was supposed to provide the most comprehensive review of surface mining’s impact on health was suspended by the Trump Administration three months ago, citing budget reasons. The goal of the canceled “study — by National Academies of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine — was a consensus from experts in various fields on potential short- and long-term health effects, focused on West Virginia, Virginia, Kentucky and Tennessee.” Even though the Office of Surface Mining Reclamation and Enforcement said the cancellation was due to budget reasons, an academies spokesman “said the mining study was the only project stopped, with the group having five others underway.” The AP says the DOI-18-0489-000223 suspension “feeds the mistrust they’ve long harbored for politicians who routinely side with businesses.” Former coal miner resident Chuck Nelson said if the study “comes out negative against the coal industry, it’s swept under the rug, and the funding’s stopped by these politicians who cater to the coal industry.” Company Wants To Restart Black Diamond Coal Mine. The Tacoma (WA) News Tribune (11/11, Mapes) reported Pacific Coast Coal Co. wants to start mining an old King County coal mine, the John Henry mine, once again. Washington, along with Tennessee, are one of two states that delegates regulation of mining to the federal government, but the “project nonetheless has raised local ire about the greenhousegas emissions created by burning the coal, as well as water pollution and noise.” King County Executive Dow Constantine “has vowed to work with state agencies and Washington’s congressional delegation, as well as the courts if need be, to stop the project.” David Morris, general manager of Pacific Coast Coal, said because “there still are rich seams of coal underground” there, it “makes sense to mine them as the company proceeds with its reclamation work at the site.” The county and state “have demanded more comprehensive analysis of the projects and its impacts.” Chris Holmes, public-affairs officer with the Office of Surface Mining Reclamation and Enforcement in Washington, DC, “said those and other comments are presently under review.” Opinion Pieces The GOP Tries To Trade Polar Bears For Tax Cuts. Washington Post (11/10, Parker) columnist Kathleen Parker wrote that as “momentum builds” for former Alabama Supreme Court chief justice Roy Moore’s departure from the Alabama Senate race, “Republicans desperate to pass something before year’s end have been trying to pull elephants out of hats.” As such, they have “turned from draining the swamp to thawing the Arctic to scrounge up more money. Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska) has introduced a bill that would open the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge to oil and gas drilling.” Parker lamented that Murkowski, “usually the more rational member of Alaska’s Senate duo, seems to have fallen under the spell of the greedy brotherhood.” Indeed, Parker is saddened that a “few Republicans would sacrifice even a square inch of the Arctic unnecessarily for the profit of a political victory.” COMMENTARY: Trump Administration Shouldn’t Undermine Sage-Grouse Compromise. Robert Gaudet, president of the Nevada Wildlife Federation, writes in a piece for the Las Vegas Review-Journal (11/11, Gaudet)that the sagebrush lands “that are essential to sagegrouse are also essential to mule deer, elk, pronghorn and a lot of other wildlife that Nevadans care about.” Despite years of progress by the Bureau of Land Management and the US Forest Service to develop plans aimed at saving sage-grouse, the Interior Department is now “looking at weakening or eliminating safeguards in important sagegrouse habitats, areas considered key to maintaining the bird’s population.” Gaudet says Secretary Ryan Zinke “sent a defining message in June” when ordering the review “in light of his order targeting perceived burdens on energy development.” However, Gaudet asserts “the sage-grouse plans don’t shut down energy development,” citing a recent report by Backcountry Hunters &Anglers that says “79 percent of the areas with medium or high potential for energy development fall outside grouse habitat.” Rapid Increase In Park Fees Will Keep Visitors Out. Stephanie Adams, Yellowstone program manager for National Parks Conservation Association, wrote in a piece for the Bozeman (MT) Daily Chronicle (11/11, Adams) that a proposal by Secretary of the Interior Ryan Zinke and the Trump Administration “to more than double entrance fees at” 17 national parks during their peak visitation seasons “has been largely – and justifiably – met with outrage by park communities and Americans from across the country.” Even though the “reasoning provided is the fee increase is needed to DOI-18-0489-000224 tackle the Park Service’s $11.3 billion in repair backlog,” Adams said the Interior Department “estimates these increased fees would raise about $70 million — an amount that would cover a mere 2 percent of the maintenance backlog at the 17 parks proposed for entrance fee increases.” Adams concluded, “Instead of putting the backlog on the shoulders of parks visitors, the administration and Congress should support the National Park Service Legacy Act.” Additional Reading. An Ounce Of Prevention Worth A Pound Of Cure. Mesquite (NV) Local News (11/9) Drilling, Drilling, Everywhere. The Huffington Post (11/9, Banerjee) Dirty Deeds. Durango (CO) Telegraph (11/9, Chamberlin) Zinke’s decision on NM monuments disrespectful. Albuquerque (NM) Journal (11/10, Arnold) Top National News On Russian Meddling, Trump Sides “With Our Agencies, Especially As Currently Constituted.” Media reports cast President on Trump Sunday as walking back his comments earlier this about whether he accepts Russian President Vladimir Putin’s denials of meddling in the US election last year. All three of the networks led last night with reports on the President’s trip. Tom Llamas opened the ABC World News Tonight (11/12, lead story, 3:40) broadcast saying the President is “on the last leg of his tour in Asia, facing backlash from 8,000 miles away” for his comments about Russia’s meddling in the US election. Reuters (11/12, Holland), for example, says Trump “distanced himself” from remarks he made Saturday in which he suggested he believed Putin when he said there had been no Russian meddling in the election. Reuters says those comments drew “criticism at home because US intelligence agencies have long since concluded there was Russian meddling.” USA Today (11/12, Jackson) reports that “after spending a week sticking to the script...Trump’s Asia trip veered off course this weekend into another kerfuffle over Vladimir Putin and Russian election meddling.” Seeking to “clarify comments he had made hours before,” Trump said Sunday, “I’m with our agencies, especially as currently constituted with their leadership.” Trump’s “revised” comments came after he “caused a stir by suggesting to reporters that he believed Putin’s denials more than the conclusions of US intelligence officials.” The Wall Street Journal (11/12, Bender) reports that a day after he called former US intelligence officials “political hacks,” Trump shifted his tone, saying, “I believe very much in our intelligence agencies.” The AP (11/12, Lemire, Colvin) reports Trump said Sunday “he believes US intelligence agencies...but Trump also said he believes Russian President Vladimir Putin is sincere when he says Russia didn’t interfere.” The Washington Times (11/12, Boyer) similarly says Trump “clarified Sunday that he believes the assessment of US intelligence agencies...but also said he believes...Putin is ‘sincere’ in his denials of interference.” Bloomberg News (11/12, Arkhipov, Jacobs) says the President “once again waded into the controversy of whether he thinks Russia meddled in last year’s election,” saying on Sunday that he believes “very much in our intelligence agencies.” Trump, “who often sidesteps direct questions on Russia’s culpability,” said “that all he meant was that Putin himself clearly believed” Russia was not involved. Asked on NBC’s Meet the Press (11/12, Todd) whether the President believes the US intelligence reports that Russia meddled in the election, White House Director of Legislative Affairs Marc Short said, “The President believes that after years of investigations, tens of millions of taxpayer dollars, there is zero evidence of any ballot being impacted by Russian interference.” He added that what Trump “is trying to do right now is recognize that the gravest threat America faces is North Korea developing nuclear weapons,” which “is a greater threat than Russia buying Facebook ads in America.” Treasury Secretary Mnuchin, appearing on CBS’ Face The Nation (11/12, Dickerson), said, “Let me be clear, nobody thinks [Russian meddling] has had any impact on the DOI-18-0489-000225 elections so whatever occurred, there was no impact.” Politico (11/12, Warmbrodt) reports Mnuchin’s remarks. The President’s comments drew criticism from lawmakers on the Sunday morning shows. Asked on CNN’s State Of The Union (11/12, Tapper) about Trump’s comments, Sen. Dick Durbin said they are “incredible to me” because “we had a hearing in the Senate Judiciary Committee” where “we produced a Facebook ad that had a phony committee...and it was paid for with rubles from Russia.” He asked what else the President was “waiting to see before he acknowledges what our intelligence agencies and most people in both political parties acknowledge?” Sen. Bernie Sanders said on CBS’ Face The Nation (11/12, Dickerson) that the idea that Trump says he believes Putin while “he does not believe the intelligence agencies of the United States...is beyond absurd.” Republican Sen. Pat Toomey said on NBC’s Meet the Press (11/12, Todd), “It’s clear that President Putin orchestrated an effort to meddle and disrupt our elections” and that he doesn’t “think there’s anything we can trust that comes out of Putin’s mouth.” An AP (11/12, Lemire, Colvin) analysis says Trump’s Asia trip “wound down as it began, with a visit meant to be centered on trade and North Korea shadowed by questions about Russia.” Mark Landler writes in a New York Times (11/12) analysis that “for nine days on the road, President Trump had been measured, disciplined and studiously scripted as he picked his way through the geopolitical minefields of Asia. Then came the 10th day,” when he unleashed a “stream of tweets,” saying those who want to probe his ties to Russia were “haters and fools,” ridiculed “crooked” Hillary Clinton, and said he could call Kim Jong-un “short and fat.” Politico (11/11, Restuccia, Cook) similarly says Trump “stayed on script for more than a week as he crisscrossed through Asia – and then Russian President Vladimir Putin showed up.” After meeting briefly with Putin, Trump “abandoned the diplomatic tone the White House had carefully scripted for his five-country tour, once again contradicting the overwhelming consensus” the US intelligence community that Russia manipulated the 2016 election. Molly Ball of TIME said on CNN Inside Politics (11/12), “Ironically, his insistence on taking everything personally makes everything a story about him. It would have been conceivable or you could imagine a different president, perhaps, who could say that they accept these conclusions and it’s not about them. This is a story about Russia. This is a story about our institutions. But the fact that Trump believes this is about him.” Brennan And Clapper Say Trump Being “Played.” The Washington Post (11/12, Wagner) reports former CIA Director Brennan and former DNI Clapper said Sunday that President Trump is being “played” by President Vladimir Putin and “accused him of being susceptible to foreign leaders who stroke his ego.” Appearing on CNN’s State Of The Union , Brennan said, “By not confronting the issue directly and not acknowledging to Putin that we know you’re responsible for this, I think he’s giving Putin a pass. I think it demonstrates to Mr. Putin that Donald Trump can be played by foreign leaders who are going to appeal to his ego and try to play upon his insecurities, which is very, very worrisome from a national security standpoint.” Also on CNN’s State Of The Union , Clapper “said he agrees with that assessment.” Said Clapper, “He seems very susceptible to rolling out the red carpet and honor guards and all the trappings and pomp and circumstance that come with the office, and I think that appeals to him, and I think it plays to his insecurities.” The Wall Street Journal (11/12, Youssef) reports Clapper said Russia poses an ongoing threat and yet Trump insists on “rolling out the red carpet” for the Russian leader. “The Russians do not harbor good intentions toward the United States, and there shouldn’t be any illusions or any ambiguity about that. And our President fosters that ambiguity,” Clapper said. Brennan added, “It’s very clear that the Russians interfered in the election, and it’s still puzzling as to why Mr. Trump does not acknowledge that, embrace it and also push back hard against Mr. Putin.” The Los Angeles Times (11/12, King) calls their remarks “an extraordinary critique of President Trump’s mode of dealing with foreign leaders,” while Bloomberg News (11/12, Niquette) and the AP (11/12, Lemire, Colvin) also reports their remarks. Reuters (11/12, Lynch) reports Brennan “declined to say whether he knows of any intelligence to suggest DOI-18-0489-000226 that the Russians have compromising or damaging information on Trump.” USA Today (11/12, Shesgreen) reports the two former officials were responding to Trump’s statement that Putin “means it” when he denies the Kremlin meddled in the 2016 presidential election, which he “since tried to clarify.” Treasury Secretary Mnuchin responded to their remarks on CNN’s State Of The Union (11/12, Tapper) saying, “In all due respect to your previous guests, I think those were the most ridiculous statements.” He added that Trump “is not getting played by anybody,” but that he was “focused on some very important issues, which are North Korea and Syria.” Abby Phillip of the Washington Post said on CNN Inside Politics (11/12), “It’s worth noting here that...current officials believe what the former officials believe, that Russia meddled in the election. The only person that doesn’t seem to believe that is President Trump.” Michael Warren of the Weekly Standard similarly said on CNN Inside Politics (11/12), “The problem is that it’s everybody in the Administration, everybody in the intelligence community. There is nobody in the White House even, who disagrees with the view that Russia did something, except for the President. And that’s a problem.” Clinton Aide Calls Trump A “Russian Agent,” Yates Calls President “Shamelessly Unpatriotic.” The Daily Caller (11/12, Donachie) reports that a former adviser to Hillary Clinton called Trump a Russian “agent” and urged “those who are in a position to put forth articles of impeachment should do so.” Adam Parkhomenko tweeted, “Russia has an agent in the White House. His name is Donald Trump. This is the United States of America and those in a position to utilize safeguards in place such as the 25th or Impeachment are not defending the constitution and it’s absolutely disgusting.” The Daily Caller (11/12, Daley) reports former acting attorney general Sally Yates called the President “shamelessly unpatriotic” in response to his comments about Putin over the weekend. Yates said in a Saturday tweet that Trump’s statements about Putin are “disturbing and shamelessly unpatriotic.” New York Times (11/12, Blow) columnist Charles Blow, along similar lines, calls Trump’s remarks “a striking declaration, a betrayal of American trust and interests that is almost treasonous in its own right.” McAuliffe, Perez Dismiss Impeachment Talk. Politico (11/12, Siders) reports Virginia Gov. Terry McAuliffe said Sunday he does not support impeaching President Trump. “Let [Special Counsel Robert] Mueller, and let the people who are doing the process, go through and do what they’re doing,” McAuliffe said. “You don’t prejudge investigations.” A second Politico (11/12, Warmbrodt) report says DNC Chairman Tom Perez told ABC’s “This Week” that he is “not talking about impeachment,” but “declined to rebuke” Tom Steyer’s multimillion-dollar television campaign calling for Trump’s impeachment. “Tom Steyer has a right to do whatever he feels he needs to do,” Perez said. WTimes Analysis: Schiff “Unrelenting” In Quest To Validate Fusion GPS Dossier. The Washington Times (11/12, Scarborough) reports Rep. Adam Schiff “has not given up on proving that his party’s financed, Kremlin-sourced dossier is true.” The California Democrat “pressed his case again this month during a long closed hearing with former Trump campaign volunteer Carter Page to try to revive what had become dormant charges of criminal conduct.” Schiff, it notes, “previously said that one of his main objectives for the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence investigation is to find which dossier parts are true.” Comey Increasingly Active On Twitter Amid Trump Attacks. The Washington Post (11/12, Phillips) reports former FBI director James Comey “has been somewhat active on Twitter over the past month, mostly tweeting nature photos and avoiding anything blatantly political.” The tweets “may seem innocuous to someone who had not been following the news of the past couple days,” but the Post says they came after President Trump resurrected his attacks against Comey. Media Analyses: Trump Unlikely To Rebuke Duterte For Drug War Killings. The AP (11/12, Lemire) reports Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte has “sanctioned a bloody drug war that features extrajudicial killing,” and boasted this week “that he murdered a man with his own hands. All that may well go unmentioned in public” by President Trump when the leaders hold talks Monday. In what the AP calls a break with his presidential DOI-18-0489-000227 predecessors, Trump has “largely abandoned publicly pressing foreign leaders on human rights, instead showing a willingness to embrace international strongmen for strategic gain.” The Washington Post (11/12, Rauhala) likewise says that while former President Obama “called out Duterte’s rights record, Trump has steered clear of public comment.” US lawmakers are “calling on Trump to express concern, and the White House hinted that he just might.” Jonathan Karl said on the ABC World News Tonight (11/12, lead story, 3:40), “White House officials say it will come up,” but “I, frankly, can’t see this being a major topic of discussion with President Trump.” Major Garrett reported on the CBS Weekend News (11/12, lead story, 2:35, Quijano) that White House Chief of Staff Kelly “told us human rights has been ‘a hot topic here,’ but the United States still needed proof of abuses. Duterte said this won’t even come up.” NBC Nightly News (11/12, lead story, 2:35, Díaz-Balart), meanwhile, reported that in planning for the Asia tour, “the White House considered not coming to Manila to avoid the bad political optics of the President being seen with a violent authoritarian like Duterte.” However, other Asian leaders “urged” Trump to reconsider, and now “he’s actually adding an extra day here in Manila. It is a show of support for those leaders and allies he needs to trade and North Korea.” The Wall Street Journal (11/12, Watts) reports that a Duterte spokesman said he and Trump “were genuinely pleased to have finally met” very briefly at the APEC summit in Vietnam over the weekend. Duterte said he and Trump would have “an interesting time” in the Philippines and that they “share so many ideas.” Duterte, the New York Times (11/12, Paddock, Villamor) reports, “unleashes profane diatribes about countries and world figures he dislikes, with the United States often on the receiving end. But more quietly, he seems to have warmed to the United States and President Trump, who also has a notably provocative style.” The Times says “one big reason for his shift in rhetoric when it comes to the United States is clear: President Trump is a marked improvement in Mr. Duterte’s eyes over Barack Obama, who urged the Philippines leader to follow the rule of law in tackling the illegal drug trade.” Reuters (11/12, Holland, Lema) reports Trump joined ASEAN leaders at “an extravagant gala dinner” in Manila Sunday, “a show of amity in a region fraught with tensions that have lurked behind his marathon tour of the continent.” Trump is “expected to try during the summit to shore up relations, which have been strained by the mercurial Duterte’s notorious anti-US sentiment and his enthusiasm for better ties with Russia and China.” Trump, Duterte “United” On Fight Against ISIS. NBC Nightly News (11/12, story 2, 2:10, Díaz-Balart) reported Trump’s visit to Manila comes “just weeks after government forces, backed by the United States, drove ISIS out of” Marawi. More than half a million people fled the city during the five month battle, and the army retook the city “only by destroying it.” While ISIS lost more than 900 fighters in the battle, “it’s claiming victory because it held this city for so long.” Describing the Philippines as the “new front line for ISIS in Asia,” NBC (Neely) said Trump and Duterte appear “united in fighting a common enemy.” CBS News: Hitman Claims Duterte Pays For Murders In Drug War. The CBS Weekend News (11/12, story 2, 3:30, Quijano) reported on Duterte’s war on drugs, traveling with Philippine police as they conducted raids on alleged drug users and dealers. CBS’ Kylie Atwood spoke to one “hit man” who claimed that “every murder” as part of the war on drugs, the police pay him and his partner $400. When asked if the money comes from Duterte, the man responded, “This is from the President.” However, “despite Duterte’s public comments endorsing the killing drug users,” a spokesperson for the Philippines National Police “said they follow the rule of law and are not hiring hitmen.” When Atwood asked one police official when the war on drugs will end for the country, the official said, “We want to end it by having no demand and no supply in the country.” Duterte Turns Down Trump Offers To Mediate South China Sea Dispute. The New York Post (11/12, Moore) reports President Trump “touted his negotiating skills as he inserted himself” Sunday in a dispute among Asian nations over control of the South China Sea, saying “if I can help you, let me know.” Speaking in Vietnam, the President told reporters, “South China Sea – as you know, we’re looking at – we’re looking at it together. If I could DOI-18-0489-000228 help mediate or arbitrate, please let me know. I know we’ve had a dispute for quite a while with China. If I can help in any way, I’m a very good mediator and a very good arbitrator. I have done plenty of it from both sides. So if I can help you, let me know.” Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte, however, “quickly shot down Trump’s offer.” Conway Downplays Trump’s “Short And Fat” Tweet About Kim Jong-Un. All three networks reported briefly on Trump’s tweets over the weekend directed at North Korea leader Kim Jong-Un. ABC World News Tonight (11/12, lead story, 3:40) said the President “took on Kim Jong-Un, tweeting, ‘Why would Kim Jong-Un insult me by calling me ‘old,’ when I would NEVER call him ‘short and fat?’ Oh well, I try so hard to be his friend, and maybe someday, that will happen!’” The CBS Weekend News (11/12, lead story, 2:35, Quijano) said Trump “did some provoking of his own on Twitter after the North Korean dictator called him a quote ‘old lunatic,’” and NBC Nightly News (11/12, lead story, 2:35, Díaz-Balart) reported Trump, asked about the possibility of becoming friends with Kim, said, “Strange things happen in life. That might be a strange thing to happen. But it’s certainly a possibility.” The Washington Times (11/12, Howell) reports White House counselor Kellyanne Conway Sunday defended the President’s tweet, saying Trump was “responding the way he does to somebody who insulted him first” when he criticized North Korean leader Kim Jongun’s appearance on Twitter. Asked by Martha Raddatz on ABC’s This Week if the President’s comments were “helpful,” Conway responded, “What’s helpful, in full context, is a 13-day trip where the President is very focused on global security and combating terrorism, and most importantly containing a nuclearized North Korea.” The Los Angeles Times (11/12, Bierman) reports that hours after President Trump “taunted” Kim on Twitter, suggesting he is “short and fat,” the White House Chief of Staff Kelly “insisted he doesn’t carefully follow Trump’s comments on social media and tells other aides not to react to them.” Speaking to reporters in Vietnam, Kelly said, “Someone, I read the other day, said we all just react to the tweets. We don’t. I don’t. I don’t allow the staff to. We know what we’re doing. Believe it or not, I do not follow the tweets.” He added, “I find out about them. But for our purposes, my purpose, is we make sure the president is briefed up on what he’s about to do.” Photographer Who Protested White House Restrictions Gets “His Revenge.” The Washington Post (11/12, Nakamura) reports New York Times photographer Doug Mills on Friday was part of the traveling “press pool” shadowing President Trump in Danang, Vietnam, when he tweeted a “photo” of “a black box to protest the White House’s decision to shut out the pool from any coverage” of the APEC forum. On Monday, Mills “got his revenge” at the ASEAN summit, snapping a shot of the ASEAN leaders’ “family photo” that “spread quickly through social media after he posted it online.” Political pundits “quickly made hay of the photo and poked fun at Trump.” Trump To Make “Major” Trade Announcement Wednesday. Politico (11/12, Restuccia) reports President Trump said Sunday he’ll make a “major” announcement on trade Wednesday at the White House upon returning from his trip to Asia. The statement will “detail Trump’s discussions with world leaders during his 12-day, fivecountry tour of Asia.” During a meeting with Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull and Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe in Manila, Trump said, “A lot of things are happening on trade and I’ll be announcing pretty much what happened here and also with other meetings, including with China, South Korea and lots of other places.” He later added, “We’ve made some very big steps with respect to trade, far bigger than anything you know.” Politico says he “did not offer any specifics about the pending announcement.” Meanwhile, a Wall Street Journal (11/12, Browne) analysis of the President’s trip to China said Trump appeared to absolve President Xi Jinping of all responsibility for China’s trade abuses, but a closer examination reveals that the lack of announcements may have been part of the White House strategy. US States, Cities Pledge Commitment To Paris Accord. The AP (11/11, Jordans, Thiesing) reported that at a global climate conference in Bonn, Germany on Saturday, California Gov. Jerry Brown, former New York City mayor Michael DOI-18-0489-000229 Bloomberg, and representatives from other US states, cities, companies, and universities “said they are still committed to curbing global warming even as U.S. President Donald Trump’s administration is walking away from the Paris climate accord.” While the alliance, dubbed “America’s Pledge,” has a collective economy exceeding that of Japan and Germany combined, it cautioned in a report that “we cannot underscore strongly enough the critical nature of federal engagement to achieve the deep decarbonization goals the U.S. must undertake after 2025.” In an interview with the New York Times (11/11, Friedman), Bloomberg said, “Just because the federal government has chosen not to participate [in the Paris climate accord], the American public represented by its elected officials at other levels, by corporations, by universities, we understand that there’s a problem and we have to help solve that problem if we’re going to have a future in this world.” The Times said that the “dueling American delegations...mirror a larger division within the United States over climate change” following Trump’s decision to withdraw from the Paris agreement. Meanwhile, Reuters (11/12, Rowling) reports that the “mayors from 25 cities around the world, representing 150 million citizens, pledged on Sunday to cut their carbon emissions to net zero by 2050, while boosting efforts to become more resilient to extreme weather and other pressures linked to climate change.” Reuters adds that “they pledged to put in place by 2020 their new, ambitious climate action plans, to be developed with help from the C40 Cities network.” Democrats Field Alternate US Delegation To Global Warming Conference. NBC Nightly News (11/12, story 8, 2:35, Díaz-Balart) reported “there are competing US interests at work” at the climate talks in Bonn. On the one hand, “the Trump Administration plans to make the case for cleaner fossil fuels and nuclear energy as an answer to climate change. But another American delegation, critical of President Trump’s decision to withdraw from the Paris climate agreement, is also at the conference.” It is led by California Gov. Jerry Brown and former Vice President Al Gore, who “will emphasize that much of this country remains committed to reducing carbon emissions that warm the planet.” Also among the Americans in Bonn, Politico (11/12, Siders, Holden) reports, are “several Democratic US senators” who “began meeting last week with officials from other countries, seeking to minimize Trump’s withdrawal from the Paris climate agreement.” JCT: Middle Class Will See Biggest Tax Cuts Under Senate Bill. A new report from the Joint Committee on Taxation shows that the Senate tax reform plan “would go much further than a competing House proposal toward making good on Republican promises to focus on the middle class,” Politico (11/12, Faler) reports. According to the JCT analysis, “moderate-income people would consistently see the largest percentage declines in their tax bills.” In 2019, people earning between $50,000 and $70,000, “would see their taxes fall by 7.1 percent,” while “those earning between $20,000 and $30,000 would see a 10.4 percent decline,” and “millionaires would get a 5.3 percent tax cut.” Moreover, “unlike with the House plan, that trend holds up throughout the period over which JCT analyzed the Senate proposal.” In 2027, “millionaires would get a 2.8 percent tax cut from the Senate plan, compared with a 6.1 percent decline for people in the middle and a 10.3 percent reduction for those earning between $20,000 and $30,000.” The Hill (11/12, Jagoda) says the JCT analysis “contrasts with its score of the House bill” which it estimated “would cut taxes on average for all income groups in 2019 but would increase taxes on average for those making $20,000 to $40,000 in some later years.” WSJournal Analysis: GOP Plans Will Make System Simpler, But Many Households Will Fare Worse. A Wall Street Journal (11/12, Rubin) analysis says that while the House and Senate tax plans will not make enable most Americans to file a return the size of a post card, they do move toward making the system simpler. However, simpler may not mean better for many households as some will fare worse under the House plan, according to the Journal. Millionaires, Billionaires Urge Congress Not To Cut Their Taxes. The Washington Post (11/12, Long) reports that more than 400 millionaires and billionaires are writing to Congress this week to urge Republicans not to cut their taxes. They argue that “the GOP is making a mistake by reducing taxes on the richest families at a time when the nation’s debt DOI-18-0489-000230 is high and inequality is back at the worst level since the 1920s,” and their letter “calls on Congress not to pass any tax bill that ‘further exacerbates inequality’ and adds to the debt.” The letter urges lawmakers “to raises taxes on rich people like them.” Signatories include “Ben & Jerry’s Ice Cream founders Ben Cohen and Jerry Greenfield, fashion designer Eileen Fisher, billionaire hedge fund manager George Soros, and philanthropist Steven Rockefeller, as well as many individuals and couples who aren’t household names but are part of the top 5 percent ($1.5 million in assets or earning $250,000 or more a year).” WPost: GOP Bill’s Elimination Of AMT Would Benefit The Wealthy. In an editorial the Washington Post (11/12) that a provision of the tax bill that would “repeal of the alternative minimum tax,” would “serve the interests of wealthy taxpayers — and tax avoiders.” Dionne: Republican Tax Plans Favor “Extremely Rich” Over Everyone Else. E.J. Dionne Jr. writes in his column in the Washington Post (11/12) that Republican Members of Congress do not “denounce” President Trump, because what “they care about most” is not his tendency toward “autocracy” or “bigotry”, but that he “is tilting our economy toward people just like him.” He urges Democrats to ensure that Trump is “exposed as a fraud whenever he says he has the backs of the ‘forgotten men and women.’” Dionne argues that Trump and the Republican leaders in Congress, as exhibited in the tax reform plans, are focused on “pay[ing] off their largest contributors.” The plans, says Dionne “don’t simply favor the welloff”, but “advantage certain kinds of extremely rich people” specifically those he calls “the biggest stockholders” and “struggling millionaire and billionaire heirs and heiresses.” Dionne also says that the tax plans do not simplify the tax code, but make it “even more complex,” in the interest of the rich. Republicans Search For Analyses Showing Tax Cuts Won’t Add To Deficit. The New York Times (11/12, Tankersley) reports that although GOP leaders “keep insisting that their plans to cut taxes by $1.5 trillion over the next decade will not add to the national debt,” economic analyses “keep predicting that the plans will do just that.” As a result, House and Senate GOP leaders and the Administration are seeking to “hunt down – and promote – more optimistic forecasts, even if they exclude large parts of the tax bills from their analyses or assume growth-boosting features that are not, in fact, in the bills.” McConnell Concedes He Exaggerated Claims On Tax Bill. Bloomberg News (11/10, Dennis) reports Senate Majority Leader McConnell “acknowledged to The New York Times Friday he erred when he said in an MSNBC appearance last week that ‘nobody in the middle class is going to get a tax increase.’” McConnell said, “You can’t guarantee that absolutely no one sees a tax increase.” Bloomberg adds that he joins House Speaker Ryan “in walking back their statements on taxes. Ryan had said in a radio interview Wednesday, ‘So actually, even though there’s a lot of false information out there, everybody gets a tax cut.’” According to Bloomberg, “that statement was false, as there are millions of people who would face higher tax bills from the loss of deductions,” and a spokesman for Ryan on Thursday “told The Washington Post that he misspoke.” Will: GOP Tax Plan “An Implausible Instrument Of Simplification.” In his Washington Post (11/10, Will) column, George Will states that while “the Republicans’ tax bill would somewhat improve” the country’s current tax system, the latest “bill, which is 429 pages and is apt to grow, is an implausible instrument of simplification. And it would worsen the tax code’s already substantial contribution to ‘moral hazard.’” Lahart: Tax Reform Delays Should Make Wall Street Investors Nervous. The Wall Street Journal (11/10, Lahart) “Heard on the Street” columnist Justin Lahart argues that the longer it takes for lawmakers to vote on a complete tax reform bill, the more anxious investors should get. He suggests delays will likely result in less friendly legislation for Wall Street, particularly if Republicans are unable to get the votes. Wind Energy Industry Lauds Senate For Preserving Tax Credit. Reuters (11/10, Groom) reports the American Wind Energy Association (AWEA) trade group on Friday “cheered a Senate tax proposal that, unlike the House version unveiled last week, preserves the tax credit that helps wind farms compete with plants fired by fossil fuels.” AWEA CEO Tom Kiernan asserted the legislation “keeps a promise to America’s more than DOI-18-0489-000231 100,000 wind energy workers and restores the confidence of businesses pouring billions of dollars into rural America.” However, a Wall Street Journal (11/10) editorial calls for Republicans to stop protecting the wind lobby and end the industry’s tax credit. WPost A1: Pruitt Uses Industry Data To Challenge Findings By EPA Scientists. In a front-page article, the Washington Post (11/10, A1, Eilperin, Dennis) reports Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Pruitt is spearheading “a profound shift...in which the agency has reassessed its own data and analyses at the prompting of corporations.” According to the Post, “on pesticides, chemical solvents and air pollutants, Pruitt and his deputies are using industry figures to challenge past findings and recommendations of the agency’s own scientists.” While the “change has drawn praise from longtime EPA critics, such as House Science Committee Chairman Lamar Smith,” the Post says that “environmentalists contend Pruitt is sidelining agency scientists on key decisions.” EPA Advisor Challenges Pruitt To “Officially Fire” Her. The Washington Post (11/10, Dennis, Eilperin) reports that although Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Pruitt recently announced plans “to forbid scientists who receive grants from the agency from serving as outside advisers” on the EPA’s Scientific Advisory Board, Clean Air Science Advisory Committee, and Board of Scientific Counselors, Robyn Wilson, “an Ohio State University professor and specialist in risk analysis” who was recently informed that her services on the Scientific Advisory Board were no longer needed, responded, “Mr. Pruitt is welcome to officially fire me from the Board, as I am clearly not on the new list of SAB members.” However, Wilson continued, “given I had one year left in my term, and I was hired by the previous Administrator, it seems as if the appropriate way for him to enact this policy is to provide an official letter informing me that I am being let go before my term ends.” Editorial Wrap-Up New York Times. “The Right Way To Cut Corporate Taxes.” In an editorial, the New York Times (11/12) says while Republicans “are right about the corporate tax system being broken,” they are “wrong about why it’s failing and how to fix it.” the Times argues that “true reform” would “not blow a $1.7 trillion hole in the budget over the next decade, which is what the House plan would do, according to the Congressional Budget Office,” and it would “make the system fairer and more efficient. If Republicans worked with Democrats, they could reach a compromise to lower the top corporate tax rate to between 25 percent and 28 percent, eliminated loopholes and reduced the incentive businesses have to take on debt, rather than to use equity to expand.” In addition it would “include a minimum tax on profits earned abroad by American corporations in the year those profits are earned, minus a credit for taxes paid to other countries.” “Gun Carnage In The Nation. Groundhog Day In The Capitol.” A New York Times (11/12, Board) editorial says “no one more clearly epitomizes the Groundhog Day image of dogged persistence in the face of repeated rejection than Senator Dianne Feinstein,” who “responded to the Texas massacre last week (26 dead) by once more introducing her signature proposal to revive the federal ban on rapid-fire assault weapons adapted from the military battlefield.” the Times adds that while the elections last week “produced victories for some Democratic candidates who dared call for tougher gun safety,” President Trump offered “yet another genuflection before the N.R.A. There is no gun problem in the nation that cannot be dealt with, he said, if enough citizens have guns. Happy Groundhog Day.” Washington Post. “Metro Need $500 Million A Year, And It Needs It Now.” The Washington Post (11/12) editorializes that the primary cause of the problems plaguing Washington’s Metro system are caused by “funding, according to a comprehensive study of the network by Ray LaHood, a former Republican congressman who served as transportation secretary in the Obama DOI-18-0489-000232 administration.” The Post opines that “what distinguishes Metro from its peers elsewhere is not how much it spends but how much it receives, both from local stakeholders in Virginia, Maryland and the District and from the federal government, whose employees make up 40 percent of rush-hour passengers.” It concludes by asserting that “their failure to commit to ongoing, assured and adequate funding led Metro to its current woes,” and that “it’s on them to ante up to set the system up for a brighter future.” “The Little-Discussed Part Of The GOP Tax Bill Proves What Its Really About.” In an editorial the Washington Post (11/12) that a provision of the tax bill that would “repeal of the alternative minimum tax,” would “serve the interests of wealthy taxpayers — and tax avoiders.” “Tillerson’s Redesign For State Looks A Lot Like A Retreat.” In an editorial, the Washington Post (11/12) says “there is not an agency in government that could not benefit from a fresh look,” but raises questions about Secretary of State Tillerson’s “redesign” of the State Department. The Post notes that the president of the American Foreign Service Association, former ambassador Barbara Stephenson, has raised an “alarm about the future of the US diplomatic corps,” saying the department has decided “to slash promotion numbers by more than half.” In response, “a State Department spokeswoman” said that “suggestions that drastic cuts to our Foreign Service ranks are taking place are simply not accurate,” and that freezes on personnel movement, including hiring, will be lifted “at the appropriate time.” The Post argues that the US “has sprawling interests around the globe,” and the “redesign” must “not be a recipe for retreat.” Wall Street Journal. “ObamaCare Tax Relief.” In an editorial, the Wall Street Journal (11/12) makes a case for repealing the ACA’s individual mandate as part of the tax reform legislation being crafted by Congress. “A Nafta Recession?” The Wall Street Journal (11/12) editorializes that many economists agree that President Trump’s threat to withdraw from the North American Free Trade Agreement would not help the economy if it came to fruition. Several economists that the Journal surveyed predicted that such a move would cause a recession. The Journal concludes that Trump’s focus on a protectionist trade agenda is his Achilles’ heel, although he is generally doing well with regard to economic policy. “Putin’s Syria Play.” The Wall Street Journal (11/12) editorializes that a joint statement made on Saturday by Russia and the US announcing plans aimed at the deconfliction of parts of Syria amounts to giving Iran and Russia an advantage in the region, while leaving America’s Syrian and Kurdish allies, who were largely responsible for the nearcomplete ouster of ISIS from its territory, with an uncertain future. The Journal asserts that military conditions on the ground will dictate the terms of lasting peace in the area, not the deconfliction strategy favored by Russia and Iran. Big Picture Headlines From Today’s Front Pages. Wall Street Journal: GOP Bills Remove Some Of The Tax Code’s Complexities Surveillance Cameras Made By China Are Hanging All Over The US Uber Board Settles Feud, Clearing Way For SoftBank Deal New York Times: Security Breach And Spilled Secrets Have Shaken The NSA To Its Core Despite Recent Wins For Democrats, Gerrymanders Dim Hopes For 2018 Trump Health Agency Challenges Consensus On Reducing Costs Appeal Offers Hope For Newtown Families In Suit Against Gun Companies Liz Smith, Longtime Queen Of Tabloid Gossip Columns, Dies At 94 One Week After Texas Church Shooting, A Sunday Service Offers Hope DOI-18-0489-000233 Washington Post: Sheriffs Raise Their Voices For Trump The Love Of His Life Was Killed — Then So Was He Tragedy And Testimony The Children’s War Difficult Decisions Loom On Tax Cuts Financial Times: Trump Under Scrutiny Over Rapport With Philippines’ Duterte UK Spymasters Raise Suspicions Over Kaspersky Software’s Russia Links Somaliland Hopes Election Will Bolster Case For Independence US Banks’ ‘Stop Gap’ Brexit Plans Set To Retain London Jobs Washington Times: Russia Today Registration Part Of Justice Department Crackdown On Foreign Agents Law Goose Chase? Schiff Unrelenting In Quest To Hunt Down Proof From Russia Dossier Iran Vs. Saudi Arabia: Dangerous War Looms Between Middle East Powerhouses Biden’s Moment: Book Tour Can Pave Way To Presidential Campaign Trail Health Care Voters Turn Republican Election Strength Into Liability Story Lineup From Last Night’s Network News: ABC: Trump-Asia Visit; Roy Moore-Sexual Misconduct Allegations; Middle East Earthquake; Florida-Airport Bomb Scare; Kevin Spacey Sexual Assault Scandal; Texas Church ShootingAftermath; San Diego Gym Accident; Google-Business Listing Scam; Speed Boat Crash; Texas Party Floor Collapse; Texas-Apartment Fire; Veteran Marathon Runner. CBS: Trump-Asia Visit; Philippines-War On Drugs; Roy Moore-Sexual Misconduct Allegations; Sexual Misconduct Awareness Movement; Texas Church Shooting-Aftermath; Face Transplant Receiver; Obama Presidency Photographer; Vietnam War Veteran Photographs. NBC: Trump-Asia Visit; Philippines-ISIS; Texas Church Shooting-Aftermath; Texas Church Shooting-Gunman; San Diego Gym Accident; Middle East Earthquake; Poland-Independence Day; Climate Change-Glaciers; Liz Smith Dies; Holiday Travel Deals; Commercial Rocket Blastoff; Breakfast At Tiffany’s; Hurricane Recovery-Caribbean. Network TV At A Glance: Trump-Asia Visit – 8 minutes, 50 seconds Texas Church Shooting – 8 minutes, 15 seconds Story Lineup From This Morning’s Radio News Broadcasts: ABC: Trump-Asia Visit; Minnesota-Mall Robbery Attempt; Middle East Earthquake. CBS: Trump-Asia Visit; Philippines-War On Drugs; Trump-Putin Comment; Tax Reform Plan; Sexual Misconduct Awareness Movement; Roy Moore-Sexual Misconduct Allegations; Middle East Earthquake; Wall Street News. FOX: Trump-Asia Visit; Central America, Middle East Earthquakes; Minnesota-Mall Robbery Attempt; Liz Smith Dies. NPR: Texas Church Shooting; Roy Moore-Sexual Misconduct Allegations; Trump-Asia Visit; Middle East Earthquake; Central America Earthquake. Washington Schedule Today’s Events In Washington. White House: PRESIDENT TRUMP — Participates in a photo opportunity with President Rodrigo Duterte of the Philippines; participates in the opening ceremony of the 31st ASEAN Summit; participates in a bilateral meeting with Prime Minister Malcom Turnbull of Australia; participates in a bilateral meeting with President Rodrigo Duterte of the Philippines; attends the 5th U.S.-ASEAN Summit; participates in a bilateral meeting with Prime Minister Narendra Modi of India; participates in an embassy meet and greet; has dinner with Prime Minister Turnbull. DOI-18-0489-000234 VICE PRESIDENT PENCE — Participates in a meeting with Vatican Secretary of State Pietro Parolin; participates in a swearing-in ceremony for Kenneth Juster as U.S. Ambassador to India; participates in a campaign event for Governor Greg Abbott of Texas. US Senate: 9:00 AM Opioid users call on Congress to fund addiction treatment and overdose prevention – Dozens of opioid users and their allies visit Capitol Hill to pressure Congress to invest $45 billion in addiction treatment and overdose prevention efforts to help address the opioid epidemic, with actions at the office of Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, Rm 317, Russell Senate Office Bldg, and the office of House Speaker Paul Ryan, Rm 1233, Longworth House Office Bldg (9:00 AM EST) * Followed by Capitol Hill press conference to announce the launch of the Opioid Network, a new direct action group that includes activists involved in recent efforts to save Obamacare (3:00 PM EST) Location: U.S. Capitol, Washington, DC populardemocracy.org https://twitter.com/popdemoc 3:00 PM Senate Finance Committee considers Tax Cuts and Jobs Act – Executive Session, to consider ‘an original bill entitled the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act’ * Unveiled last week, the bill is similar to that which was recently passed by the House Committee on Ways and Means, although features some key differences, including retaining the seven income tax rates, eliminating the state and local tax deduction, and cutting corporation tax at a later date Location: U.S. Capitol, Washington, DC http://finance.senate.gov 4:00 PM Senate votes on transportation under secretary nominee – Senate convenes and proceeds to executive session to resume consideration of the nomination of Derek Kan to be Under Secretary of Transportation for Policy, with agenda including a vote on the nomination followed by a vote on a motion to invoke cloture on the nomination of Steven Bradbury to be Department of Transportation General Counsel * Cloture motion on the Kan nomination passed by 87 votes to nine last week Location: Washington, DC http://www.senate.gov/ US House: 9:00 AM Opioid users call on Congress to fund addiction treatment and overdose prevention – Dozens of opioid users and their allies visit Capitol Hill to pressure Congress to invest $45 billion in addiction treatment and overdose prevention efforts to help address the opioid epidemic, with actions at the office of Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, Rm 317, Russell Senate Office Bldg, and the office of House Speaker Paul Ryan, Rm 1233, Longworth House Office Bldg (9:00 AM EST) * Followed by Capitol Hill press conference to announce the launch of the Opioid Network, a new direct action group that includes activists involved in recent efforts to save Obamacare (3:00 PM EST) Location: U.S. Capitol, Washington, DC populardemocracy.org https://twitter.com/popdemoc 11:00 AM Tax reform press conference with Washington, DC, mayor and Dem Rep. Eleanor Holmes Norton – Washington, DC, Mayor Muriel Bowser and Democratic Rep. Eleanor Holmes North discuss their concerns with the House Republican tax reform bill – the ‘Tax Cuts and Jobs Act’ – via press conference with other speakers including Alexandria, VA, Mayor Allison Silberberg, National League of Cities Senior Executive and Federal Advocacy Director Irma Esparza Diggs, National Association of Counties Executive Director Matthew Chase, and Americans Against Double Taxation’s Andrew Koneschusky Location: U.S. Capitol, Washington, DC www.dc.gov https://twitter.com/MayorBowser 1:00 PM Antimicrobial Resistance Aware Fair on Capitol Hill – Antimicrobial Resistance Aware Fair – presented by AdvaMed, BD (Becton, Dickinson and Company), and Infectious Diseases Society of America in cooperation with bipartisan Reps. Mike Thompson, Erik Paulsen, John Shimkus, and Gene Green – featuring interactive displays on patient resources, the public health response and research on antimicrobial resistance (AMR), diagnostics, and treatment Location: Rayburn House Office Building, Gold Rm, Washington, DC http://www.advamed.org https://twitter.com/AdvaMedUpdate 2:00 PM House meets for legislative business, with Tax Cuts and Jobs Act expected to be on week’s agenda – House of Representatives meets for legislative business * Chamber is this week expected to debate ‘H.R. 1, The Tax Cuts and Jobs Act’, which would reduce the number of different tax bands, increase the standard deduction, eliminate the Alternative Minimum Tax, largely eliminate the State and Local Tax Deduction, convert corporate tax into a flat rate, and increase the estate tax exemption Location: Washington, DC http://www.house.gov/ 5:00 PM House Rules Committee hearing – Hearing on Conference Report to DOI-18-0489-000235 Accompany ‘H.R. 2810 – National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2018’ Location: U.S. Capitol, H-313, Washington, DC http://www.rules.house.gov/ https://twitter.com/RulesReps Other: 9:30 AM U.S.-Japan Council Annual Conference – 2017 U.S.-Japan Council (USJC) Annual Conference, ‘Unity in Diversity: Shaping the Future Together’, bringing together regional, national, and international leaders from govt, business, academia, and the nonprofit sector to discuss strengthening the bilateral relationship. Keynotes include Secretary of Commerce Wilbur Ross, Secretary of Transportation Elaine Chao, Japan Financial Services Agency Commissioner Nobuchika Mori, Northrop Grumman Corporation Chairman, CEO, and President Wes Bush, Industrial Growth Platform Managing Partner Kazuhiko Toyama, and Goldman Sachs Japan Company Vice Chair Kathy Matsui, with other speakers including Massachusetts State Rep. Keiko Orrall and former U.S. Ambassador to Japan Tom Schieffer Location: JW Marriott Washington, DC, 1331 Pennsylvania Ave NW, Washington, DC http://www.usjapancouncil.org/ https://twitter.com/USJC 2:00 PM Secretary of Defense James Mattis hosts honor cordon to welcome Georgian Defense Minister Levan Izoria to the Pentagon Location: The Pentagon, Arlington, VA http://www.defense.gov/ https://twitter.com/DeptofDefense 2:00 PM Czech Republic Ambassador to the U.S. speaks at Potomac Institute – Potomac Institute Inter-University Center for Terrorism Studies discussion on ‘Czech Republic-U.S. Strategic Partnership’, with Czech Republic Ambassador to the U.S. Amb. Hynek Kmonicek Location: Potomac Institute for Policy Studies, 901 N Stuart St, Arlington, VA www.potomacinstitute.org https://twitter.com/PotomacInst 4:00 PM GOP Rep. Jim Banks speaks on education at Heritage Foundation – ‘Educational Freedom for Those Who Secure Our Freedoms’ Heritage Foundation and EdChoice panel discussion, with panelists including Republican Rep. Jim Banks, EdChoice Research and Innovation Vice President Paul DePerna, Civitas Institute Communications Fellow Brooke Medina, and Heritage Foundation Center for Education Policy Will Skillman Fellow in Education and Director Lindsey Burke Location: Heritage Foundation, 214 Massachusetts Ave NE, Washington, DC www.heritage.org https://twitter.com/Heritage 5:00 PM Wall Street Journal CEO Council Annual Meeting opens – Wall Street Journal CEO Council Annual Meeting commences with a welcome reception and opening dinner. The event brings together 100 of the world’s leading CEOs to debate and decide on action plans for addressing key economic issues. Day one speakers include Secretary of the Treasury Steven Mnuchin and News Corporation CEO Robert Thomson Location: Four Seasons Hotel Washington, DC, 2800 Pennsylvania Ave NW, Washington, DC http://ceocouncil.wsj.com/ https://twitter.com/WSJ #WSJCEOCouncil 6:00 PM The Dialogue Leadership for the Americas Annual Awards Gala – The Dialogue Leadership for the Americas Annual Awards Gala, celebrating individuals and organizations committed to advancing democratic governance, social equity, and prosperity in the Western Hemisphere. Honorees include Inter-American Development Bank President H.E. Luis Alberto Moreno (Distinguished Leadership Award for Social Equity) and FUNDEMAS Founding President and Grupo AGRISAL Chairman Roberto Murray Meza (Distinguished Leadership Award for Civic Engagement). Presenters include Democratic Sen. Mark Warner and Republican Rep. Francis Rooney Location: Mandarin Oriental Hotel Group, 1330 Maryland Ave SW, Washington, DC www.thedialogue.org https://twitter.com/The_Dialogue #DialogueLeaders Last Laughs Late Night Political Humor. No late-night talk show aired on Sunday night. Copyright 2017 by Bulletin Intelligence LLC Reproduction or redistribution without permission prohibited. Content is drawn from thousands of newspapers, national magazines, national and local television programs, radio broadcasts, social-media platforms and additional forms of open-source data. Sources for Bulletin Intelligence audience-size estimates include Scarborough, GfK MRI, comScore, Nielsen, and the Audit Bureau of Circulation. Data from and access to third party social media platforms, DOI-18-0489-000236 including but not limited to Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and others, is subject to the respective platform’s terms of use. Services that include Factiva content are governed by Factiva’s terms of use. Services including embedded Tweets are also subject to Twitter for Website's information and privacy policies. The Department of the Interior News Briefing is published five days a week by Bulletin Intelligence, which creates custom briefings for government and corporate leaders. We can be found on the Web at BulletinIntelligence.com, or called at (703) 483-6100. DOI-18-0489-000237 Conversation Contents U.S. Department of the Interior News Briefing for Tuesday, October 24, 2017 Bulletin Intelligence From: Sent: To: Bulletin Intelligence Tue Oct 24 2017 04:59:46 GMT-0600 (MDT) U.S. Department of the Interior News Briefing for Tuesday, October 24, 2017 Subject: Mobile version and searchable archives available here. Please click here to subscribe. DATE: TUESDAY, OCTOBER 24, 2017 7:00 AM EDT Today's Table Of Contents DOI In The News • Greenwire: Deputy Takes Bigger Role While Department Awaits Nominee. • Alaska Dispatch News: Trump Offered To Change Denali Back; “We Said, ‘No!’” • Associated Press: GAO: Climate Change Already Costing US Billions. • Politico: Zinke Boosted Fortunes Of ‘Scam PAC’ Operators. • E&E Daily: Rep. Gowdy Accuses DOE, Interior Of Failing To Comply With Email Requests. • The Hill: Interior’s Bad-Faith Plan For Wildlife Refuge Puts Future Reform At Risk. • The Hill: Birth Control For Wild Horses Is The Obvious Alternative To Mass Killing. • Billings (MT) Gazette: Time Is Ripe To Reconsider Historical Markers And Names, Historians And Natives Say. Bureau Of Indian Affairs • Tribes Seek Reparations Over Oregon Site Destroyed For Highway Expansion. • Native American Marine Vet Considered A Homeland Hero. • Smithsonian Museum To Display Post From Dakota Access Pipeline Protests. • Tribe Asks 10th Circ. To Revive Landowner’s Drill Permit Suit. • Oklahoma’s Kickapoo Tribe Gets More Than $282K From EPA. • Lander Man Sets Out To Document Wind River Wildland Fire Crews Before They Disappear. • Water, Stone And History In Navajo Land. Bureau Of Land Management • Elko (NV) Daily Free Press: BLM Seeks Public Comment On Greater Sage-Grouse. • Natural Gas Intelligence: House Committee To Hear How States Manage Sage Grouse Habitat. • KTAR-FM Glendale (AZ): Plan Will Keep Most Of Arizona National Monument Open To Shooters. • Arizona Republic: Two Bundy Ranch Standoff Defendants Reach Plea Deals. DOI-18-0489-000238 • Utah Public Radio: Wyoming Mineral Rights Owners Look To Governor To Help Bring More Gas To Market. • Associated Press: Court Rejects Appeal Of Utah ATV Protest Ride Convictions. • Associated Press: Murder Trial Starts For Man Who Stoked US Immigration Debate. • Washington Times: Some Analysts Say Trump Policies Could Accelerate Decline Of Coal. Bureau Of Ocean Energy Management • Signed, Sealed, Delivered. • Offshore Oil Drilling May Be Coming To A Coastline Near You. • A Floating Wind Farm Could Generate Electricity Off Hawaii’s Shores By 2025. Bureau Of Reclamation • As Dams Burst, Trump Seeks To Gut Key Safety Regime. • Lawsuits Mount Against Feds Over Dam Water Release During Hurricane Harvey. • D.C. Tackles Emissions With Bikes. Choose Your Color. • If We Can’t Build Two Tunnels To Bring Sacramento Delta Water To SoCal, Will One Suffice? • Colorado AG Asks Court To Dismiss Lawsuit That Wants “Person” Status For Colorado River. Bureau Of Safety And Environmental Enforcement • LAGCOE 2017 Kicks Off This Week In Acadiana; Oct. • McKibben: Citizens Climate Lobby Can Help Block ANWR Drilling. Fish And Wildlife Service • KCWY-TV Casper (WY): Ten More Bison Released On The Wind River Reservation. • The Hill: GOP Senators Propose Wildfire Management Bill. • USA Today: King Salmon Reign Becomes More Precarious On Changing Great Lakes. • WXIX-TV Cincinnati: Orphaned Baby Manatees Explore New Home At Cincinnati Zoo. • Daily Inter Lake (MT): State On The Lookout For A Miniature But Devastating Foe. • Hampton Roads (VA) Virginian-Pilot: Smithfield Man Gets House Arrest For Shooting Bald Eagle, Fatally Running Over It With ATV. • Associated Press: Not So Cold Duck? Man Keeps Looking For Bird Thought Extinct. National Park Service • Casper (WY) Star-Tribune: Yellowstone’s Bison Dynamics Raise Questions. • Greenwire: Spending The President’s Money. • Associated Press: Climbers Set Speed Record On Yosemite’s Nose Of El Capitan. • Fayette (WV) Tribune: National Park Service To Host Community Meeting On Climbing. • New York Times: Missing Hikers Found Dead Of Gunshot Wounds, And Locked In An Embrace. • Lakeland (FL) Ledger: Longtime Fla. Park Ranger Tells Tales Of History, Natural Beauty. US Geological Survey • KOMO-TV Seattle: New Simulations Show Best & Worst Places To Be If Major Earthquake Hits Pacific Northwest. • Phys (UK): Routes Out Of Isolation For Yellowstone Grizzlies. • Texas Monthly: UT Geologists Extract Potential Natural Gas Source From The Ocean Floor. • Reuters: Low-Pitched, Rumbling Rocks Could Help Predict When Earthquakes Strike: Research Says. • Bloomberg News: New Monitoring Available For Earthquakes. Top National News • USA Today: EPA Criticized For Pulling Scientists From Climate Change Panel Discussion. • Washington Post: EPA Seeks To Repeal Obama-Era Emission Standards For Truck Components. • E&E Daily: Senate Panel To Take Another Crack At Vote For NRC, EPA Nominees. • Reuters: Nicaragua To Join Paris Climate Agreement, Leaving US And Syria As Only NonMembers. DOI-18-0489-000239 • USA Today: Puerto Rico Still Dealing With Widespread Outages. • Washington Post: Small Montana Company Secures $300 Million Contract To Restore Puerto Rico’s Electrical Grid. • Reuters: IRENA Says Solar Costs Will Fall Further, Powering Global Demand. • Reuters: Lawmakers Ask Justice Department If Terrorism Law Covers Pipeline Activists. • Washington Times: Trump Says Tax Plan Will Include “No Change” To 401(k) Plans. • Politico: House To Vote On Senate Budget Resolution Thursday. • Transport Topics: Chao Says Infrastructure Plan Will Be Unveiled After Tax Reform. Editorial Wrap-Up • New York Times. - “Honor The Truth John Kelly.” - “The Little Guys Win One On Payday Loans.” • Washington Post. - “The Government’s Grotesque Abuse Of Power Over A 17-Year-Old Seeking An Abortion.” - “Kenya’s Election Rerun Could Be A Major Setback For African Democracy.” - “Doug Jones For Senator In Alabama.” • Wall Street Journal. - “The Wages Of Corporate Taxes.” - “Rule And Law In Catalonia.” - “Japan’s Election Warning To China.” Big Picture • Headlines From Today’s Front Pages. Washington Schedule • Today’s Events In Washington. Last Laughs • Late Night Political Humor. DOI In The News Deputy Takes Bigger Role While Department Awaits Nominee. Greenwire (10/23, Brown, Yachnin) reports Interior spokeswoman Heather Swift indicated that “Casey Hammond, the current deputy assistant secretary for fish and wildlife and parks, will temporarily help Deputy Assistant Secretary for Land and Minerals Management Katharine MacGregor oversee various Interior agencies.” Greenwire says Hammond will be “pulling double duty as the Senate has yet to confirm a permanent assistant secretary for land and minerals management.” By “signing secretarial order No. 3357 on Tuesday, Deputy Interior Secretary David Bernhardt declared ‘an immediate need for additional executivelevel supervision and direction with respect to’” the BLM, BOEM, BSEE, and the OSMRE. Swift said, “The Senate minority is dragging its feet on getting qualified nominees like Joe Balash in leadership roles here at Interior. Rather than let that slow our progress, we are utilizing team members across the bureaus to move the ball forward for the American people.” The Politico Morning Energy (10/23, Adragna) briefing adds that “in related news, Virginia Johnson, an Interior beachhead staffer and princip[al] deputy secretary for fish wildlife and parks in July left for a job at the USO, according to her LinkedIn profile, and Interior earlier this month announced Jason Larrabee has been assigned that role. He is listed as acting assistant secretary on his LinkedIn profile.” Politico notes that the US Senate is considering the confirmation of Joe Balash as secretary for land and minerals management. Trump Offered To Change Denali Back; “We Said, ‘No!’” The Alaska Dispatch News (10/23, Martinson) reports that in a speech at the Alaska Federation of Natives’ annual conference Saturday, Alaska Sen. Dan Sullivan (R) “offered DOI-18-0489-000240 up...previously unknown...information about a March meeting between him, Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R), Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke and” President Trump. According to Sullivan, “One by one, regarding Obama administration executive actions for the National Petroleum Reserve-Alaska, the Arctic Ocean, a road out of King Cove, Trump would turn to Zinke and ask, ‘well can we change that to help Alaska?’” ADN adds that to each question, Zinke replied, “Yes, sir.” Sullivan said Trump “looked at [him] and said, ‘I heard that [Mount McKinley] also had – also its name was changed by executive action. Do you want us to reverse that?’” To this, Sullivan said he and Murkowski “jumped over the desk” and “said, ‘no! No. Don’t want to reverse that.’” Sullivan “told the president that Denali was the name given to the mountain by the Athabascan people more than 10,000 years ago.” Sullivan said, “So he’s like, ‘all right, we won’t do that.’” In its “Energy 202” news rundown, the Washington Post (10/23, Grandoni) cites the Alaska Dispatch News (10/21, Demer) in reporting on Sullivan’s comments on the hour-long meeting. Sullivan said, “We had maps and we were talking all about Alaska issues. So many issues. Our fisheries. Whaling, the culture of whaling in Alaska. The economy. The military.” In response, The Hill editor Timothy Cama tweeted, “So pretty much everything Obama did, Trump wants to undo.” Newsweek (10/23, Saul) also covers the ADN report. GAO: Climate Change Already Costing US Billions. The AP (10/23, Biesecker) reports that a GAO “report released Monday said the federal government has spent more than $350 billion over the last decade on disaster assistance programs and losses from flood and crop insurance,” not including the sizable costs from this year’s hurricanes and wildfires. The GAO report “says the fiscal impacts of climate change are likely to vary widely by region.” The study said, “The federal government has not undertaken strategic government-wide planning to manage climate risks by using information on the potential economic effects of climate change to identify significant risks and craft appropriate federal responses.” The AP adds that President “Trump has called climate change a hoax,” and “has also appointed officials such as EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt, Energy Secretary Rick Perry and Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke, all of whom question the scientific consensus that carbon released into the atmosphere from burning fossil fuels is the primary driver of global warming.” The New York Times (10/23, Friedman) says the GAO study warns that “fires, floods and hurricanes are already costing the federal government tens of billions of dollars a year and climate change will drive those costs ever higher in coming years.” The report “urges the Trump administration to take climate change risks seriously and begin formulating a response.” Sens. Maria Cantwell and Susan Collins, who requested the report, “asserted that the study should help move Congress and the administration past partisan fights over the science of global warming and toward a search for solutions – something they said could be problematic given that the Trump administration is rolling back many of former President Barack Obama’s climate change initiatives.” Zinke Boosted Fortunes Of ‘Scam PAC’ Operators. Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke “has directed millions of dollars in political contributions since 2014 to” Washington-area political operative Scott Mackenzie, organizer of Virgin Islands GOP PAC “VIGOP,” which “hosted the secretary at a St. Croix fundraiser in March,” according to a 2,300-word Politico (10/24, Lefebvre, Juliano) analysis of FEC filings as well as interviews with campaign finance lawyers and people familiar with VIGOP. Critics of Mackenzie “say he operates ‘scam PACs’ that raise small-dollar donations from conservative voters but then spend the bulk of the money on consultants and overhead.” However, “none of the records indicate that Zinke violated the law or received any direct compensation from his association with Mackenzie, the Virgin Islands PAC or its consultants.” Rep. Gowdy Accuses DOE, Interior Of Failing To Comply With Email Requests. E&E Daily (10/23) reports that House Oversight and Government Reform Chairman Trey Gowdy (R-S.C.) sent letters last week to four federal agencies saying they were not compliant with his panel’s request for documents on private email use. He sent his letters to the Energy Department, Interior Department, Department of Veterans Affairs, NASA, and DOI-18-0489-000241 also followed up with the EPA. Interior’s Bad-Faith Plan For Wildlife Refuge Puts Future Reform At Risk. Georgetown Law professor David A. Super writes a column for The Hill (10/23, Super) about last week’s release “of internal Interior Department communications showing both an intent to disregard the law in building a road through the Izembek National Wildlife Refuge on the Alaska Peninsula and a concerted effort to conceal these plans from Congress and the public.” Super asserts, “The supposed rationale for this road – to facilitate medical evacuations from the small village of King Cove – does not bear serious examination.” Rather, Super argues, “the true purpose of this road is hauling fish for a company in King Cove.” Super concludes, “When the administration abuses...the discretion it already possesses to do covert, cynical favors for industry under false humanitarian pretenses, the only lesson that people who take environmental protection seriously will draw is that all flexibility must be systematically removed from statutes.” Birth Control For Wild Horses Is The Obvious Alternative To Mass Killing. Former US congressman Bill Richardson and Center for Animals Director Allen Rutberg write in The Hill (10/23, Richardson, Rutberg) to oppose the House Appropriations Committee’s authorization of “killing healthy wild horses and burros,” which they say it did “with the full support of Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke.” They assert that while the BLM “scheme for managing protected wild horses and burros has never worked well, and has collapsed completely in the last 15 years,” “the killing strategy is no more sustainable than the roundup and adopt strategy.” Richardson and Rutberg predict public outrage against the committee’s decision, and argue “the BLM must develop and put into practice locally tailored long-term plans to manage wild horses and burros with fertility control.” Time Is Ripe To Reconsider Historical Markers And Names, Historians And Natives Say. The Billings (MT) Gazette (10/23, French) highlights opinions that the removal of confederate monuments should be reconsidered. Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke reportedly “told Breitbart News that he will not remove any monuments from federal lands.” Zinke said, “Where do you start and where do you stop? It’s a slippery slope. If you’re a native Indian, I can tell you, you’re not very happy about the history of General Sherman or perhaps President Grant.” Indian Country Today editor Simon Moya-Smith responded, “This is a perfect example of how divorced Secretary Zinke is from the Native community. Were he intimately familiar with Natives he’d already know that for decades we’ve called for the eradication of monuments to Native murderers like Andrew Jackson, Christopher Columbus, etc. ... Sec. Zinke should stop using Natives as an excuse to keep racist monuments erected.” Bureau Of Indian Affairs Tribes Seek Reparations Over Oregon Site Destroyed For Highway Expansion. The AP (10/23) reports that Justice Department attorneys “asked a federal judge Monday to dismiss a lawsuit filed by tribal elders who say a sacred site was destroyed to expand a highway near Oregon’s Mount Hood.” Justice Department attorney Ben Schifman “said in a telephone hearing that the elders were not substantially burdened by the expansion of U.S. 26 and lacked standing to sue.” According to the AP, “the elders from Yakama Nation and the Confederated Tribes of Grande Ronde claim the Federal Highway Administration violated the Religious Freedom Restoration Act,” and “their attorney Stephanie Barclay said the government in 2008 could have widened the road without bulldozing a site that included a stone altar and medicinal plants.” The AP notes that “rather than money, the Native Americans are asking for a historical marker, a rebuilt altar and for the planting of new trees and plants.” Courthouse News (10/23, Brown) reports that US Magistrate Judge Youlee Yim You “seemed skeptical Monday about the government’s argument that it was within its rights to DOI-18-0489-000242 destroy burial grounds and a ceremonial site sacred to members of the Klickitat and Cascade Native American tribes to widen a highway.” CN adds that tribal members said “they repeatedly pleaded with the government not to disturb the stone memorial and sacred grove of trees,” but “the government filed a motion to dismiss the case, claiming that it is legally allowed to do whatever it wants on land it owns. ‘Many cases show that the federal government’s use of its own property, as a legal matter, cannot constitute a substantial burden,’ U.S. Attorney Reuben Schifman told” Judge You. Native American Marine Vet Considered A Homeland Hero. The AP (10/22, Scott) profiled Native American and US Marine Corps veteran Jesse DesRosier, highlighting his efforts to defend Blackfeet lands and culture. The AP said, “Today, Native Americans serve in the U.S. military at the highest rate per capita of any ethnic or cultural population, and Montana is home to more than 6,000 tribal veterans, many of them Blackfeet.” The article mentioned that DesRosier “and dozens of other Native American veterans and active-duty members have petitioned U.S. Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke to defend a sacred ancestral homeland known as the Badger-Two Medicine, a 130,000-acre area named for the two rivers that define it,” seeking “permanent protections from oil and gas drilling.” Smithsonian Museum To Display Post From Dakota Access Pipeline Protests. The AP (10/23, Nicholson) reports that the Smithsonian Institution’s National Museum of the American Indian in Washington DC will be displaying a 12-foot-tall mile-maker post, which was built by Dakota Access pipeline protesters to show how far people traveled to protest the project. Hickory Edwards donated the post to the museum, which he erected in September of 2016. Tribe Asks 10th Circ. To Revive Landowner’s Drill Permit Suit. Law360 (10/23, Lidgett) reports that on Friday, the federal Tenth Circuit granted a bid from the Pawnee Nation of Oklahoma to file an amicus brief in support of Oklahoma landowner Merrill Chance’s appeal of a ruling in favor of the BIA. Chance had claimed “the Bureau of Indian Affairs granted an energy exploration company permission to drill on his land without first conducting a required environmental review.” Oklahoma’s Kickapoo Tribe Gets More Than $282K From EPA. The AP (10/23) reports that the EPA “awarded the Kickapoo Tribe of Oklahoma more than $282,000 to curb water pollution.” The “tribe will use the grant to control surface and groundwater pollution and establish protection programs that address indoor air, underground storage tanks and solid and hazardous waste management.” Lander Man Sets Out To Document Wind River Wildland Fire Crews Before They Disappear. The Billings (MT) Gazette (10/22, Schmelzer) reported that former BIA employee Robin Whiteplume has been documenting the firefighting efforts of Eastern Shoshone and Northern Arapaho tribe members. Whiteplume said he “wanted to write down the group’s history before the men and women are gone, taking their memories with them.” Water, Stone And History In Navajo Land. Voice of America (10/23, Taboh) contributor Julie Taboh praises the beautiful views at the Glen Canyon National Recreation Area, managed by the NPS, which borders Navajo Indian territory. Mikah Meyer described his tour of the area and said, “It was a privilege to be able to experience these sacred Native American sites and I’m thankful that the National Park Service preserves them in a way that allows myself and so many people to experience them.” Bureau Of Land Management DOI-18-0489-000243 BLM Seeks Public Comment On Greater Sage-Grouse. The Elko (NV) Daily Free Press (10/23) reports that the BLM “announced opportunities for the public to comment and share issues on the agency’s consideration of potential amendments to its Nevada and California land use plans, specifically elements of land use plans that address greater sage-grouse conservation.” The BLM announced meetings in “Northern Nevada, including one slated for Elko on Nov. 8.” House Committee To Hear How States Manage Sage Grouse Habitat. Natural Gas Intelligence (10/23, Passut) reports, “The House Committee on Natural Resources is to hear from western state officials on Wednesday in an oversight hearing regarding management solutions for the greater sage grouse.” The article notes that the BLM has “issued notices stating it intends to reconsider land use plans from 2014 and 2015 designed to protect habitat; withdraw protections from 10 million acres of habitat on federal land; and cancel an associated environmental impact statement (EIS).” Plan Will Keep Most Of Arizona National Monument Open To Shooters. KTAR-FM Glendale, AZ (10/23) reports online that the BLM “last week recommended closing 53,300 acres of the Sonoran Desert National Monument to recreational shooting, but keeping the remaining 443,000 open to shooters.” The latest plan, published “Friday in the Federal Register, calls for making 11 percent of the monument’s land off-limits to shooting,” although “hunting is not affected by any of the proposals considered by the bureau, and would be allowed anywhere in the monument with the proper permits.” BLM Arizona spokesman Adam Eggers said, “This is by no means the end of the process. ... Nothing has been finalized.” He is paraphrased as indicating “Friday started a 30-day protest period for the public to voice concerns or support for the proposal, as well as a 60-day legal review by the governor.” Two Bundy Ranch Standoff Defendants Reach Plea Deals. The Arizona Republic (10/23, Anglen) reports that “a legal saga that included two hung juries, two trials and months of testimony in Las Vegas ended Monday for two defendants in the Bundy Ranch standoff case with a misdemeanor plea deal.” Eric Parker and O. Scott Drexler “pleaded guilty to obstructing a court order and will not serve additional time in prison, getting credit for time served.” Parker and Drexler “initially were charged with conspiracy, extortion, carrying weapons during crimes of violence, assaulting and threatening federal officers, and interference with interstate commerce for their roles in taking up arms against the federal government.” The Republic notes that Parker and Drexler, both of Idaho, “were among the first of six defendants to go to trial over the 2014 standoff, which pitted armed ranchers and militia members against Bureau of Land Management agents.” The AP (10/23, Gorman) reports similarly. Wyoming Mineral Rights Owners Look To Governor To Help Bring More Gas To Market. Utah Public Radio (10/23, Bringhurst) reports online that “some mineral-rights owners are looking to state governments to help save royalty earnings from natural-gas reserves” after the “Interior Department began the process of reversing Obama-era rules limiting the waste of methane – the primary component of natural gas – on public lands, arguing the regulations were an overreach of authority and cost jobs.” Maggie McKenzie, a land and mineral-rights owner in southeastern Wyoming, said that “just because the feds say it’s OK to waste millions of dollars in natural gas through leaks, venting and flaring, that doesn’t mean Wyoming has to stand by and watch critical revenues vanish into thin air.” Court Rejects Appeal Of Utah ATV Protest Ride Convictions. The AP (10/23, Whitehurst) reports that on Monday, the federal Tenth Circuit Court of Appeals in Salt Lake City rejected arguments that Utah county commissioner “Phil Lyman’s trial was tainted by the judge’s friendship with a conservation group lawyer.” The AP notes, DOI-18-0489-000244 “Lyman and blogger Monte Wells were convicted of federal misdemeanor charges for their roles in an ATV protest ride through parts of southern Utah’s Recapture Canyon, which was closed to motor vehicles to protect ruins that are nearly 2,000 years old.” Wells “said he’s disappointed in the ruling in the case that he calls emblematic of frustrations over federal management of public land.” Murder Trial Starts For Man Who Stoked US Immigration Debate. The AP (10/23, Elias) reports that alleged murderer “Garcia Zarate’s trial began Monday with Deputy District Attorney Diana Garcia showing jurors the handgun that is accused of firing and said a ballistics expert will testify that the only way to fire it is to pull the trigger.” The AP notes that the handgun belonged to a BLM “ranger who reported that it had been stolen from his parked car in San Francisco a week before Steinle was shot.” The AP says the “shooting touched off a political furor during last year’s presidential race, with President Donald Trump citing the killing of 32-year-old Kate Steinle as a reason to toughen U.S. immigration policies.” Some Analysts Say Trump Policies Could Accelerate Decline Of Coal. The Washington Times (10/23, Wolfgang) reports on its front page that while President Trump “has dismantled much of his predecessor’s environmental agenda and rolled back the regulatory war on coal,” according to “analysts,” “coal’s long-term future is bleak and that the administration’s friendly policies toward natural gas could speed up the decline.” Analysts “say Mr. Trump and Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Scott Pruitt, despite their best efforts, simply cannot ward off market forces that have been building for years.” Moreover, “research shows the administration’s fossil fuel-centric energy policy – which is focused not just on coal but also on revving up oil and gas production on federal lands and loosening restrictions on private land exploration – could have adverse effects on coal.” Bureau Of Ocean Energy Management Signed, Sealed, Delivered. The Politico Morning Energy (10/23, Adragna) briefing reports that BOEM “approved a key step of Deepwater Wind’s 144-megawatt Revolution Wind project that will enable the company to collect the biological and wind performance data it needs to file a construction plan.” The briefing adds, “Massachusetts is slated to pick the winning contracts in July, and Deepwater Wind has said it could bring the project online by the end of 2023.” Offshore Oil Drilling May Be Coming To A Coastline Near You. In EcoWatch (10/23, Stauffer), Surfrider Foundation Environmental Director Pete Stauffer predicted the expansion of offshore oil drilling in the US. Stauffer cites how “following an executive order earlier this year, Interior Sec. Ryan Zinke announced plans to revise the nation’s Five-Year Offshore Drilling Plan, threatening the Atlantic, Pacific, Gulf of Mexico and Arctic Ocean with the prospect of new offshore oil rigs.” Stauffer attacks these plans, writing, “The drilling, rigs and transportation tankers required for offshore drilling release a brew of toxic chemicals and leaked oil.” Stauffer urges readers to “submit comments to the Department of the Interior and boldly voice their opposition to offshore drilling.” A Floating Wind Farm Could Generate Electricity Off Hawaii’s Shores By 2025. Behind a paywall, Pacific Business News (HI) (10/23, Mai) reports, “Hawaiian Electric, the state’s largest utility, said in its power supply improvement plan it plans to utilize 200 megawatts of offshore wind power by 2030 and 800MW by 2045.” The article mentions the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management. Bureau Of Reclamation As Dams Burst, Trump Seeks To Gut Key Safety Regime. DOI-18-0489-000245 A 2,300-word Greenwire (10/23, Jacobs) analysis says American dams “are crumbling,” citing failures at the Oroville Dam in California last year, two dams destroyed by Hurricane Harvey in Houston, and the spillway failure at the Guajataca Dam in Puerto Rico due to Hurricane Maria. Yet, “President Trump wants to zero out the Reclamation program’s budget. Seemingly because it grew out of the Obama administration’s climate change adaptation strategy.” Greenwire praises the Reclamation program as “a natural fit for the bureau,” saying that “for 40 years, Reclamation and the Army Corps of Engineers...have been the country’s leaders in developing dam safety protocols that are passed along to industry and state regulators responsible for the vast majority of the country’s dams.” Lawsuits Mount Against Feds Over Dam Water Release During Hurricane Harvey. The Wall Street Journal (10/23, Randazzo) reports that a number of lawyers are pursuing dozens of lawsuits against the federal government – lawsuits seeking compensation for the damage Houston homeowners argue resulted from the US Army Corps of Engineers’ decision to release water from two Houston-area reservoirs in the days following Hurricane Harvey’s impact. With the estimated 10,000 homes affected by the reservoirs, the litigation potentially could result in billions of dollars in compensation, but the lawyers’ arguments, based upon a small area of eminent domain law, likely will face challenges in court. D.C. Tackles Emissions With Bikes. Choose Your Color. Behind a paywall, ClimateWire (10/23, Jacobs) says, “It’s morning rush hour in the nation’s capital, and bicyclists crowd their lane six deep at an intersection. Clad in spandex and business suits, a few ride the bright green, orange, red or yellow bikes that signal a new phase of city cycling.” The article mentions the Bureau of Reclamation. If We Can’t Build Two Tunnels To Bring Sacramento Delta Water To SoCal, Will One Suffice? The Los Angeles Times (10/23, Board) editorializes in support off the two-tunnel plan for the Los Angeles WaterFix program, which aims to bring Sacramento water into Southern California. Yet, the Times opines, “the already-crippled delta needs more [water]. Whether it’s to be one tunnel or two, the rest of us will have to learn to make do with less.” The editorial adds, “It’s now up to” California Gov. Jerry Brown (D), “with his unparalleled political capital, but entering the final year of his uniquely long tenure as California’s leader – to decide how much less is still enough.” Colorado AG Asks Court To Dismiss Lawsuit That Wants “Person” Status For Colorado River. The Denver Post (10/23) reports that the Colorado Attorney General’s Office wrote to the US District Court in Denver, asking them to dismiss a lawsuit filed by environmental group Deep Green Resistance, which petitioned “to declare the Colorado River ecosystem a ‘person’ and represent its interest in court.” The attorney general’s office “said the questions of ‘whether the ecosystem should have the same rights as people, and who should be allowed to assert those rights in federal courts, are matters reserved to Congress by the Constitution.’” Bureau Of Safety And Environmental Enforcement LAGCOE 2017 Kicks Off This Week In Acadiana; Oct. 24-26. KLFY-TV Lafayette, LA (10/23) reports online that the Louisiana Gulf Coast Oil Exposition (LAGCOE) starts this week in Lafayette, Louisiana. This year’s keynote speakers are BSEE Director Scott Angelle and BP project general manager Ryan Malone. KLFY explains, “LAGCOE is an event industry leaders said is a way to introduce the oil and gas industry to Acadiana.” McKibben: Citizens Climate Lobby Can Help Block ANWR Drilling. Bill McKibben, founder of 350.org, writes in the Los Angeles Times (10/23, McKibben) arguing against drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. McKibben is hoping the DOI-18-0489-000246 members of the Citizens Climate Lobby will sway the vote to prevent oil and gas drilling in the refuge. Arguing against the measure, McKibben says a new analysis found the government will generate $37.5 million by opening drilling, much less than the $1.8 billion proponents claim. Further, burning the fossil fuels presence in the region will only exacerbate damage by carbon. Fish And Wildlife Service Ten More Bison Released On The Wind River Reservation. KCWY-TV Casper, WY (10/23, Ford) reports online, “The restoration of bison in Fremont County,” Wyoming “continues as more of them have been released into the Wind River Reservation.” KCWY describes how “members from the Shoshone Tribe along with people in the community joined last week to release 10 more bison on the Wind River Reservation.” FWS Project Leader Pat Hnilicka said, “Just returning those bison to their rightful place on the landscape and how there’s so much meaning, again not just towards the animals themselves by to the human element to the tribes that are here. That’s new it inter-weaved in their culture for all these centuries it’s just a very wonderful complete feeling.” GOP Senators Propose Wildfire Management Bill. The Hill (10/23, Cama) reports that draft legislation unveiled Monday by Republican “Sens. John Barrasso (Wyo.), Orrin Hatch (Utah), John Thune (S.D.) and Steve Daines (Mont.)” is “aimed at preventing and mitigating wildfires by making it easier to cut down and remove trees and brush.” The Hill says that “Republicans have long complained that when land management agencies like the Forest Service have to go through the arduous process of consulting with the Fish and Wildlife Service to allow logging in areas where endangered species live or are nearby, it delays the process of removing wood and brush that contributes to fires.” The Hill adds that “provisions of the bill would reduce the obligations of the Forest Service to consult with the Fish and Wildlife Service,” and “direct the Forest Service and Interior Department to create certain exclusions from environmental review for wood and brush removal.” King Salmon Reign Becomes More Precarious On Changing Great Lakes. USA Today (10/23, Matheny) reports that the declining population of the alewife, a silvery herring, is threatening the population of chinook, or king salmon, which “almost exclusive[ly]” feed on the alewife. The article says the FWS’ Great Lakes Mass Marking Program aims to figure out where caught salmon come from. FWS Mass Marking Program fish biologist Matthew Kornis said, “Our biotechnicians on Lake Michigan are handling about 20,000 fish a year. It gives us the sample size we need.” A joint USGS-Michigan State University study “found that chinook stocking could be cut by an additional 50% with little resulting difference in overall salmon numbers.” Orphaned Baby Manatees Explore New Home At Cincinnati Zoo. WXIX-TV Cincinnati (10/23) reports online, “Orphaned manatees from SeaWorld Orlando have been sent to the Cincinnati Zoo and Botanical Garden to receive care before they’re eventually released into the wild.” WXIX notes that the “zoo is part of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s Manatee Rescue and Rehabilitation Partnership.” Cincinnati Zoo & Botanical Garden Director Thane Maynard said, “We are extremely proud to be part of this conservation program and excited to welcome Pippen, Miles and Mathew to their new home in Cincinnati. There’s nothing better than being able to work with these amazing creatures and ultimately see them return to the wild.” State On The Lookout For A Miniature But Devastating Foe. The Daily Inter Lake (MT) (10/22, Reilly) reported on Montana’s efforts to keep out “quagga mussels that have crashed fisheries and clogged pipes across America.” The FWS “says an infestation could cost the region’s hydroelectric industry alone $300 million annually.” DOI-18-0489-000247 Smithfield Man Gets House Arrest For Shooting Bald Eagle, Fatally Running Over It With ATV. The Hampton Roads (VA) Virginian-Pilot (10/23, Daugherty) reports that Allen H. Thacker of Smithfield, Virginia “was sentenced Monday morning to one month of house arrest on charges that he shot a bald eagle and then ran over it multiple times with an all-terrain vehicle.” In an interview with the FWS, Thacker reportedly confessed “to shooting the eagle, arguing it was a menace.” Not So Cold Duck? Man Keeps Looking For Bird Thought Extinct. The AP (10/23, Borenstein) reports on British writer Richard Thorns’ search for a colorful duck, as he aims to prove they are not extinct. Thorns “is backed by the Global Wildlife Conservation group, which launched a hunt for ‘lost species’ – 25 quirky and elusive plants and animals beginning with the duck.” National Park Service Yellowstone’s Bison Dynamics Raise Questions. A 1,500-word Casper (WY) Star-Tribune (10/23, French) analysis says that “when Yellowstone National Park did its summer count of bison this year, it was somewhat surprising to see that although the animals suffered their second highest culling and killing since 2000... was the untargeted central herd that shrank substantially and not the northern herd, which is the main target of the bison removals.” As a result, the NPS has “asked, as it has in the past, that tribal and sport hunters limit their harvest outside Yellowstone’s western boundary, which is all central herd bison.” In addition, Park officials are “recommending that no more than 1,250 bison be killed by hunters or shipped to slaughter this winter.” Spending The President’s Money. Greenwire (10/23, Hotakainen) reports that maintenance mechanic “Kenny Klipp appreciates that President Trump donated his first-quarter salary to the National Park Service,” and hopes it will enable him “to join the team of construction workers that will restore the historic Newcomer House at the Antietam National Battlefield in Sharpsburg using the president’s donation of $78,333 to pay for part of the project.” NPS Historic Preservation Training Center Superintendent Moss Rudley “said the renovation project originally set for 2019 has moved to a faster track, with work scheduled to begin next spring and some windows getting removed as early as February.” The article outlines the history of the Newcomer House. Climbers Set Speed Record On Yosemite’s Nose Of El Capitan. The AP (10/23) reports, “Two climbers have set a new speed record for ascending the Nose route of El Capitan in Yosemite National Park, one of the world’s most technical and dangerous verticals.” Brad Gobright “and climbing partner Jim Reynolds raced up the nearly 90-degree, 2,900-foot (884-meter) precipice in 2 hours and 19 minutes.” The AP notes, “More than two dozen people have been killed on El Capitan since 1905.” National Park Service To Host Community Meeting On Climbing. The Fayette (WV) Tribune (10/23) says, “The National Park Service invites members of the public who have an interest in rock climbing at New River Gorge National River and Gauley River National Recreation Area to a public meeting on Nov. 4 from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. at the Canyon Rim Visitor Center.” The Tribune says the event will kick off “with a brief presentation, and then focus on how the park, climbing community, neighbors, government entities and others can work together to address issues that have impacts on the park and communities.” Missing Hikers Found Dead Of Gunshot Wounds, And Locked In An Embrace. The New York Times (10/23, Caron) reports the San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department DOI-18-0489-000248 said Friday that “the bodies of the hikers, Rachel Nguyen, 20, and Joseph Orbeso, 22, who had been missing since late July, were found embracing each other under a tree in Joshua Tree National Park. ... They had no water and seemed to have been rationing their food.” The couple “died of gunshot wounds...in what appeared to be a murder-suicide.” Longtime Fla. Park Ranger Tells Tales Of History, Natural Beauty. The Lakeland (FL) Ledger (10/22, Soergel) featured an interview with Fort Caroline National Memorial lead ranger Craig Morris, who told stories about odd events that happened at the park. The Ledger said, “Fort Caroline is a historical site, and Morris sees his main job as keeping that history alive – telling the stories of the Timucuan Indians who lived there for thousands of years, the French settlers who tried to make a go of it there in the 1560s, and the Spanish who quickly came along to wipe out the impudent French.” US Geological Survey New Simulations Show Best & Worst Places To Be If Major Earthquake Hits Pacific Northwest. KOMO-TV Seattle (10/23, Markovich) reports online, “Researchers with the University of Washington have released new simulations revealing the best and worst places to be when a possible 9.0 earthquake hits.” The researchers said “the epicenter of the potentially catastrophic quake will be off the west coast between California and British Columbia, in an area known as the Cascadia Subduction Zone.” USGS researcher Dr. Erin Wirth said, “What we’ve done differently in this research is we’ve run 50 computer simulations of what a magnitude 9 earthquake on the Cascadia mega thrust could look like.” Wirth “will present her findings at the Geological Society of America’s annual meeting in Seattle” today. Routes Out Of Isolation For Yellowstone Grizzlies. Phys (UK) (10/23) reports that the Interagency Grizzly Bear Study Team projected paths that “future bears might take to pass through (or bypass) human occupied territory around Helena, Butte, and Bozeman, hopping between islands of wildlands in developed farm and rangeland.” Their results will be published in an article “next week in the Ecological Society of America’s open access journal Ecosphere.” Interagency Grizzly Bear Study Team leader and USGS ecologist Frank van Manen said, “We let the male bears tell us where they would be most likely to go, by looking at their movement characteristics. We had the luxury of huge datasets of location data from both populations. We could be very picky about our data selection.” UT Geologists Extract Potential Natural Gas Source From The Ocean Floor. Texas Monthly (10/23, Hlavinka) reports, “In May, a group of scientists from the UTJSG, Ohio State, Columbia University, and the” USGS “embarked on a mission sponsored by the Department of Energy to extract” methane hydrate, “an icy, flammable substance, from the floor of the Gulf of Mexico.” UT postdoctoral fellow Stephen “Phillips said scientists are interested in learning how methane hydrate plays into the carbon cycle in order to better understand its effects on climate change as well as its role in natural hazards, such as how it relates to submarine landslides.” According to the article, the substance “could provide power to future generations.” Low-Pitched, Rumbling Rocks Could Help Predict When Earthquakes Strike: Research Says. Reuters (10/23, Hares) reports that a study published Monday in Geophysical Research Letters, a journal published by the American Geophysical Union, found that “rocks under increasing pressure before earthquakes strike send out low-pitched rumbling sounds that the human ear cannot detect but could be used to predict when a tremor will strike.” For the study, “researchers recreated powerful earthquake forces in a laboratory and used high-tech algorithms to pick out the acoustic clues amid all the other noise of a pending quake.” DOI-18-0489-000249 New Monitoring Available For Earthquakes. Bloomberg News (10/23, Wethe) reports that TexNet now has “22 permanent” earthquake “monitoring stations and another 40 that are portable.” According to the University of Texas, TexNet is the country’s most advanced seismic monitoring system run by a state. University of Texas at Austin’s Bureau of Economic Geology Director Scott Tinker said “small earthquake events have become more common in Texas recently.” Tinker added that “we are now positioned to learn more about them and, hopefully, to understand how to mitigate their impacts in the future.” Top National News EPA Criticized For Pulling Scientists From Climate Change Panel Discussion. The EPA’s decision to pull its scientists from a panel discussion at a Rhode Island conference highlighting the impact of climate change on the Narragansett Bay is drawing criticism, USA Today (10/23, King) reports. The move “has sparked fresh criticism about EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt’s skepticism toward the broad scientific community’s conclusion that humancaused global warming is a proven fact and a growing concern.” Rhode Island Sens. Jack Reed and Sheldon Whitehouse “criticized the EPA’s decision during an appearance Monday at the conference in Providence, R.I.” Whitehouse said, “This has traditionally been a bipartisan issue. ... So there is no reason for it to have to be this way. And it should not take away from the terrific scientific work that is being done, because at the heart of all this is not the politics, it’s the knowledge.” Reed “said he was ‘disheartened and disappointed’ that the EPA scientists were not allowed to publicly present their findings.” The Washington Post (10/23, Dennis, Eilperin) says the Administration decision “gave the event a suddenly high profile, with protesters outside, media inside and angry lawmakers and academics criticizing the move.” The Washington Times (10/23, Wolfgang) reports the three scientists – “Autumn Oczkowski and Rose Martin, both of whom work at an EPA research laboratory in Rhode Island, and Emily Shumchenia, an agency consultant – are co-authors of a report on climate change and its effects on the estuary.” Reuters (10/22, Scott) reports Tom Borden, Narragansett Bay Estuary Program Director, said the agency gave “no specific reason” as to why the researchers weren’t permitted to speak. The AP (10/23, Smith) reports that in a statement yesterday, EPA spokeswoman Nancy Grantham said, “EPA scientists are attending, they simply are not presenting; it is not an EPA conference.” Newsweek (10/23, Frankel), the Daily Caller (10/23, White) and CNN International (10/23, Vazquez, Marsh) also provide coverage of this story. EPA Seeks To Repeal Obama-Era Emission Standards For Truck Components. The Washington Post (10/23, Eilperin) reports that the EPA is seeking to repeal a rule adopted in the last months of the Obama Administration imposing tighter emissions standards on truck components. The OMB “posted a notice saying that on Saturday it received the proposal to rescind the rule,” which “applies the standards now used for heavyduty trucks to new truck components called gliders and trailers.” The rule, the Post adds, “has been widely embraced by the trucking industry.” Senate Panel To Take Another Crack At Vote For NRC, EPA Nominees. E&E Daily (10/23, Bogardus) reports that the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee is “taking a second shot at moving through a slate of President Trump’s nominees, including some controversial picks for U.S. EPA.” The committee “will also vote on Jeff Baran, up for another term at the Nuclear Regulatory Commission.” The EPW committee was scheduled to vote on the nominees last week, “but Chairman John Barrasso (R-Wyo.) put off the [meeting] amid controversy over EPA’s plans for the renewable fuel standard.” Sen. Joni Ernst (R-IA) “raised concerns about Wehrum over his answers to her questions regarding the RFS.” The markup is “Wednesday, Oct. 25, at 10 a.m. in 406 Dirksen.” DOI-18-0489-000250 Nicaragua To Join Paris Climate Agreement, Leaving US And Syria As Only NonMembers. Reuters (10/23, Pretel) reports that Nicaragua is set to join the Paris climate agreement, leaving the United States and Syria as the only nations who are not members of the global pact. The next round of U.N. climate talks will take place from Nov. 6-17 in Bonn, Germany, as government environment ministers work to create a set of international guidelines for the agreement. Puerto Rico Still Dealing With Widespread Outages. USA Today (10/23, Dorell) reports that more than a month after Hurricane Maria battered Puerto Rico “with 155-mph winds, three-quarters of the residents are still without power, lining up at banks for cash and gathering at shopping malls, hotels or government buildings just to charge their cellphones.” Gov. Ricardo Rosselló acknowledges “that his pledge to restore 95% of power by mid-December is ‘aggressive.’” The article adds, “Col. Jeff Lloyd of the Army Corps of Engineers in Puerto Rico, which the federal government is relying on to help the U.S. territory restore power, would not commit to Rosselló’s mid-December timeline. The Corps has ordered $130 million worth of supplies, including 62,000 telephone poles from the U.S. mainland.” The AP (10/23, Shinkman) reports Lt. Gen. Jeffrey Buchanan, commander of U.S. Army North, “remains defiant in the face of critics who say the response has been too slow or too small, echoing President Donald Trump’s defenses of the relief effort thus far.” Buchanan said, “It’s hard to mass resources when you’re dependent on sealift and airlift to get anything here. You can’t just drive down the road like what happened in Florida and Irma.” Billionaire Richard Branson and Amory B. Lovins of the Rocky Mountain Institute, in a piece for the New York Times (10/23, Branson, Lovins), urge grid modernization as a way to prevent sustained outages following a severe weather event. Small Montana Company Secures $300 Million Contract To Restore Puerto Rico’s Electrical Grid. In a front-page story, the Washington Post (10/23, A1, Mufson, Gillum, Davis, Hernández) reports that as part of the effort to restore Puerto Rico’s electrical grid following Hurricane Maria’s damage, a small Montana company called Whitefish Energy has secured a $300 million contract with the Puerto Rico Electric Power Authority “to repair and reconstruct large portions of the island’s electrical infrastructure” – the “biggest” contract yet issued in the effort. Whitefish announced Monday it had 280 workers on the island and “said it was close to completing infrastructure work that will energize some of the key industrial facilities that are critical to restarting the local economy.” IRENA Says Solar Costs Will Fall Further, Powering Global Demand. Reuters (10/23, Tan) reports the International Renewable Energy Agency said yesterday that costs for solar power will decrease “by another 60 percent over the next decade giving an already booming market another boost.” Solar power is in the middle of a “boom because of sharp drops in costs and efficiency improvements, pushing global capacity from virtually zero at the start of the century to 300 gigawatt (GW) by the end of 2016, a figure expected to rise again by 2020.” Lawmakers Ask Justice Department If Terrorism Law Covers Pipeline Activists. Reuters (10/23, Gardner) reports a bipartisan group of US representatives yesterday asked the Department of Justice “whether the domestic terrorism law would cover actions by protesters that shut oil pipelines last year, a move that could potentially increase political rhetoric against climate change activists.” Rep. Ken Buck “said in a letter to Attorney General Jeff Sessions, that damaging pipeline infrastructure poses risks to humans and the environment.” The letter said “operation of pipeline facilities by unqualified personnel could result in a rupture – the consequences of which would be devastating.” The letter “was signed by 84 representatives, including at least two Democrats, Gene Green and Henry Cuellar, both of Texas.” The Washington Examiner (10/23, Siciliano) reports “the letter raises security concerns DOI-18-0489-000251 based on an incident last year in which a group of environmental activists attempted to disable pipelines that crossed the border between the U.S. and Canada in multiple states.” Trump Says Tax Plan Will Include “No Change” To 401(k) Plans. Amid reports that Republicans were considering reducing the amount workers can contribute to their 401(k) without paying taxes from $18,000 to $2,400, President Trump tweeted Monday, “There will be NO change to your 401(k). This has always been a great and popular middle class tax break that works, and it stays!” While media reports cast Trump’s stance as positive for people saving for retirement, several reports and analyses say the tweet further complicates Republicans’ already difficult task of finding agreement on a tax bill. The Washington Times (10/23, Boyer) reports that Trump “said Monday he won’t allow Congress to reduce tax-exempt contributions to popular 401(k) savings plans,” and Ylan Mui said on CNBC’s Closing Bell (10/23) that Trump’s tweet “may have put the nail in the coffin” for the idea. Pete Alexander reported on NBC Nightly News (10/23, story 2, 1:10, Holt) that in the wake of Trump’s tweet, Republicans “are scrambling for other ways to try to pay for sweeping tax cuts without ballooning the deficit.” A front-page story in the Washington Post (10/23, A1, Paletta, Debonis) says that for GOP tax writers, “Trump’s numerous tax promises are proving difficult to keep.” Charles Lane of the Washington Post said on Fox News’ Special Report (10/23), “I have had Republicans on Capitol Hill emphatically tell me over and over again, ‘We are doing this. We are getting it done. We have no choice. It is political death if we don’t.’ Having said all that, they have a problem which is unless you want to really, really, really blow up the deficit, you have to pay for at least some of this and it’s hard to do it without attacking some big, sacred cow in the tax code.” Politico (10/23, Lima) reports that at a town hall on tax reform with Ivanka Trump in Pennsylvania on Monday, “US Treasurer Jovita Carranza reiterated the administration’s intent to retain current 401(k) rules.” Carranza said that although the plan is “always going to be under review, just like it is for corporate America, just like it is for all of the pensions in every state pension,” the Administration does not currently project an overhaul, despite House Republicans’ reported considerations. Carranza said, “That will be continued to be reviewed, but at this point I can say that the latest is that the 401(k) plan is going to stay as is.” The Wall Street Journal (10/23, Rubin) reports that the Save Our Savings Coalition, which includes the AARP, American International Group Inc. and Northern Trust Corp., said it was “thrilled” by Trump’s tweet. USA Today (10/23, Shell) calls Trump’s tweet “good news for savers and taxpayers,” and Reuters (10/23, Heavey) says making changes to 401(k) plans “would risk alienating tens of millions of workers as well as Wall Street, which generates fees from managing the plans.” Moreover, it would “provide ammunition to Democrats, who have painted Trump’s plan, with its $6 trillion in tax cuts, as a gift to the rich and corporate America that would balloon the federal deficit.” The New York Times (10/23, Sullivan, Tankersley) says Trump’s “shutdown of the proposal is the first of what many Republicans privately fear could be a presidential pattern that disrupts their efforts to pass a sweeping overhaul of the tax code.” Similarly, Roll Call (10/23, Bennett) says Trump’s tweet “further complicated Republicans’ quest to find agreement on a package of tax rate cuts and code changes.” Roll Call adds that GOP aides “have long worried that Trump’s tendency to post erratically on social media could undermine the tax effort and drive a wedge into negotiations between Congress and the White House.” A New York Times (10/23) analysis says that while tax reform “was never going to be easy given that it requires targeting lucrative and politically popular tax breaks to mitigate the magnitude of cuts Republicans are envisioning,” supporters of the effort have said “publicly and privately” that Trump “is making a hard task even harder.” The Washington Post (10/22, Rucker, Sullivan, Kane) reports that “after nine months of struggling to broker agreements, lawmakers in both parties increasingly consider [Trump] an untrustworthy, chronically inconsistent and easily distracted negotiator.” Some Republicans “are openly questioning his negotiating abilities and devising strategies to keep him from changing his mind.” DOI-18-0489-000252 The Los Angeles Times (10/23, Puzzanghera) reports that Senate Finance Committee Chairman Orrin Hatch “said on Monday that his panel ‘will not change the 401(k) retirement savings system in a manner that does not achieve the goals outlined in the unified framework; namely, to maintain or raise retirement plan participation for workers and the resources available for retirement.’” However, the AP (10/23, Gordon) reports that House Ways and Means Committee Chairman Brady “indicated that changes to the 401(k) structure may still be on the table.” Brady said, “I don’t want to get ahead of the committee. That will all be part of the tax reform bill.” Asked whether Trump’s tweet “changes in any way what the panel was planning to do,” Brady said, “No.” Conway: Trump’s Priorities Are Middle-Class Tax Cut, Reducing Corporate Rate. Presidential counselor Kellyanne Conway said on Fox News’ Fox & Friends (10/23), “The President made clear his two major priorities are to make sure that this tax cut benefits the middle class and secondly to reduce that corporate tax rate because those are the job creators. The President wanted 15 percent. It’s now at 20 percent, but it will no longer be 35 percent.” Conway added, “The other thing to note here is that there aren’t just three tax brackets, there are actually four when you count the zero percent. We’ll have more Americans paying zero percent in taxes than currently do.” Reardon: Cut Rates For Pass-Through Corporations. In an op-ed for the Wall Street Journal (10/23), Brian Reardon, a former White House official at the National Economic Council from 2003-2005, advocates for tax rate cuts for pass-through corporations, arguing that they employ the majority of US workers and are the basis of many local economies. WSJournal: Left Attacks Hassett For Showing Corporate Rate Cut Will Raise Wages. A Wall Street Journal (10/23, Board) editorial assails economists on the left over their attacks on White House Council of Economic Advisers Chairman Kevin Hassett for presenting evidence that a cut in the corporate tax rate will benefit workers. The Journal suggests that the economists’ criticisms may be due to the fact that their own policies to increase wages were unsuccessful. Ivanka Trump Pitches Tax Reform In Pennsylvania. Politico (10/23, Lima) reports that Ivanka Trump pitched the Republican tax reform plan during a town hall in Bucks County, Pennsylvania on Monday, saying, “For me this tax plan really couples two things that are really core values as a country, which is work and supporting the American family.” Trump called tax reform “long overdue” and “argued that working families cannot continue to bear their current tax burden without relief from the government.” She said, “We have to support the American worker, we have to create jobs, we have to create growth, but we also have to support that American worker’s family.” In addition, she “stressed the importance of expanding the child tax credit – one of her biggest priorities since moving to Washington – but it’s still unclear whether the proposal will win over fiscal conservatives in Congress.” Ivanka Trump said on Fox News’ Hannity (10/23), “I think tax reform is so core to our goal of fueling the economic growth in this country. We need to be competitive. We need the tax code that’s reflective with the modern reality of what our workforce looks like, including supporting our working families, the majority of which are now dual-income, which is why I am really excited about the realization of a large part of the Administration’s working-family agenda through tax reform, the expansion of the child tax credit, doubling the standard deduction, eliminating the marriage penalty. There’s so many critical elements that support our dual values of work and family. But we need to be competitive and, ultimately, we need growth, and that is going to come by ensuring that this is the country that everyone wants to grow their businesses in.” RSC Chairman Open To Leaving Top Tax Rate Intact. In what Bloomberg News (10/23, Wasson) describes as “a boost” for House tax writers, Republican Study Committee Chairman Mark Walker said Monday that “he is open to tentative plans for keeping the current top individual tax rate for the highest earners as part of a tax code overhaul set to be released as soon as next week.” In an interview, Walker “said he could live with taxing the highest earners at the current top rate of 39.6 percent if that’s needed to get a tax bill enacted.” he said, “A key thing is making sure this benefits the middle- and lower-income individuals.” House To Vote On Senate Budget Resolution Thursday. DOI-18-0489-000253 Politico (10/23, Ferris) reports that the House is expected to vote Thursday to “back the Senate’s budget resolution, fast-tracking the GOP’s effort to advance a tax overhaul with a simple majority in the Senate.” While the Senate version “is not as fiscally conservative” as the House plan, House Republicans “are expected to easily clear” it, which will “unlock the powerful legislative tool known as reconciliation, which replaces the Senate’s 60-vote threshold with a simple majority in some circumstances.” Chao Says Infrastructure Plan Will Be Unveiled After Tax Reform. Transport Topics (10/23, Mulero) reports that Transportation Secretary Elaine Chao said at the American Trucking Associations’ annual conference that the Trump Administration will unveil its infrastructure funding proposal after Congress reforms the tax code. Chao said, “Originally we anticipated the administration’s infrastructure proposal by late fall 2017, but the Affordable Health Care Act was delayed” and lawmakers are currently working on tax reform. In her speech, Chao touted the benefits of public-private partnerships, suggesting it “better protects the taxpayers by identifying and mitigating risk.” She also praised the Trump Administration’s efforts in streamlining environmental regulations. Fleet Owner (10/23, Abt) reports that Chao “said 16 federal agencies were involved in crafting the [infrastructure funding] proposal, and that she had met numerous times with trucking industry officials.” Chao also said she is working with FMCSA to address the driver shortage. In her speech, Chao also shared her experiences with the hurricane damage in Texas, Florida, and Puerto Rico. Editorial Wrap-Up New York Times. “Honor The Truth John Kelly.” In an editorial, the New York Times (10/23) writes that a video of a 2015 dedication of an FBI building in Florida “showed that [Rep. Frederica] Wilson had made none of the string of boasts that [White House chief of staff] Kelly put in her mouth. ... In the days since, he and the White House have added to his mistakes by refusing to correct them. All evidence to the contrary, they have continued to insist on Mr. Kelly’s false version, compounding the grief of the Johnson family.” “The Little Guys Win One On Payday Loans.” In an editorial, the New York Times (10/23, New York (NY), Times) writes that a new Consumer Financial Protection Bureau rule that limits how often and how much customers can borrow using so-called payday loans offers a victory for those who face financial difficulties. The Times adds, however, that the payday industry is lobbying Congress to overturn the rule, and that the Administration also “could undermine the regulations after the bureau’s director, Richard Cordray, leaves office or when his term expires next summer.” The Times concludes that consumer advocates “need to remain vigilant” against such possibilities. Washington Post. “The Government’s Grotesque Abuse Of Power Over A 17-Year-Old Seeking An Abortion.” The Washington Post (10/23) editorializes about the case of the pregnant 17year-old immigrant living in a Texas shelter for undocumented minors who is seeking an abortion, which the federal government refuses to allow. According to the Post, “under the directorship of E. Scott Lloyd, an antiabortion activist appointed by President Trump to lead the Department of Health and Human Services’ Office of Refugee Resettlement, ORR began preventing federally funded shelters from ‘facilitat[ing]’ access to abortion services unless Mr. Lloyd approved.” The girl “received a Texas judge’s approval to receive an abortion,” but “the government is preventing her from leaving the shelter to receive the procedure.” The Post argues that “Lloyd’s behavior toward” the girl is “a grotesque abuse of government power over a vulnerable young woman far from her home,” and it contends the ORR “should allow her access to the medical care to which she is legally entitled, immediately.” “Kenya’s Election Rerun Could Be A Major Setback For African Democracy.” In an editorial, the Washington Post (10/23) cautions Kenya is “in danger of violent implosion,” and if President Uhuru Kenyatta insists on moving forward with a presidential election rerun DOI-18-0489-000254 on Thursday, “mass protests and bloodshed” could result. The Post says the Kenyan Supreme Court’s decision to annul the initial election result “could have strengthened Kenya’s institutions,” had Kenyatta and his primary opponent, Raila Odinga, “not both played a spoiling role.” The Post explains Kenyatta’s “insistence on going forward with the vote on Thursday, instead of delaying it and encouraging reforms by the election commission,” is “self-defeating,” and his assured defeat of Odinga would only leave him “with a weakened domestic mandate and a lack of international credibility.” “Doug Jones For Senator In Alabama.” In an editorial, the Washington Post (10/23) endorses former US Attorney Doug Jones in the Alabama Senate race to replace Attorney General Sessions, calling him “a well-qualified, even-tempered former prosecutor” and condemns Moore as “one of the most divisive, counterproductive figures in US politics.” Wall Street Journal. “The Wages Of Corporate Taxes.” A Wall Street Journal (10/23, Board) editorial assails economists on the left over their attacks on White House Council of Economic Advisers Chairman Kevin Hassett for presenting evidence that a cut in the corporate tax rate will benefit workers. The Journal suggests that the economists’ criticisms may be due to the fact that their own policies to increase wages were unsuccessful. “Rule And Law In Catalonia.” A Wall Street Journal (10/23) editorial argues that Spanish Prime Minister Rajoy has little choice but to suspend Catalonia’s regional authority and call elections. A new election, it says, offers Catalans a path out of the current crisis. “Japan’s Election Warning To China.” The Wall Street Journal (10/23) editorializes that Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe’s ruling coalition performed better than expected in Sunday’s election due in large part to the threat from North Korea. The Journal argues that without the threat, Abe would have lost his supermajority, and possibly the election. Big Picture Headlines From Today’s Front Pages. Wall Street Journal: Amazon Says 238 Places Want to Host Its New Headquarters U.S. Revises Timeline on Niger Battle Supersized Family Farms Are Gobbling Up American Agriculture Ill-Timed Uber Investment Roils a Giant Saudi Fund New York Times: Cutting Taxes Is Hard. Trump Is Making It Harder. What It Could Mean If China’s Leader Won’t Name An Heir Russia’s Favored Outlet Is An Online News Giant. YouTube Helped. New York To Replace MetroCard With Modern Way To Pay Transit Fares Washington Post: Army Widow Says Call From Trump ‘Made Me Cry’ Team In Niger Ambush Waited An Hour For Jets Trump’s Promises Narrow GOP’s Tax Bill Options Biggest Maria Relief Contract Goes To A Small Montana Firm How Princeton Became Less Preppy Financial Times: Deripaska Heads For Russia’s First London IPO Since 2014 Harvey Weinstein: How Lawyers Kept A Lid On Sexual Harassment Claims Mexico’s Former First Lady Offers Break From Corrupt Rule Merkel’s CDU Party Says €100bn Wishlist Poses Budget Threat Washington Times: Studies Reveal Power Of Liberal Bias Among Politically Active Internet Giants With Islamic State Out Of Iraq, U.S. Loses Remarkably Unified Coalition DOI-18-0489-000255 Illegal Immigrant Who Paved Way For Massachusetts’ ‘Sanctuary’ Policy Arrested In Stunning Robbery Trump Energy Policies Push Market Forces To Crush Coal Industry New Jersey Governor Candidate Embraces Trump’s Stance Against Sanctuary Cities FBI Informant’s Testimony Sought As Clinton-Russia Uranium Case Re-Emerges Story Lineup From Last Night’s Network News: ABC: Niger-US Casualty Investigation; White House-Niger US Casualty; Sen. McCain Interview; Tampa-Serial Killer Manhunt; Severe Weather; Miami-Foiled Terror Attack; Bill O’Reilly-Sexual Harassment Settlement; Cleveland-Kidnapper Manhunt; College Football Hazing; Philadelphia-Officers Injured; Breast Cancer Genes; Medal Of Honor Recipient. CBS: Niger-US Casualty Investigation; White House-Niger US Casualty; Kidnapped US Soldier Trial; Bill O’Reilly-Sexual Harassment Settlement; Tampa-Serial Killer Manhunt; Medal Of Honor Recipient; California Fire-Marijuana Farms; Boston College Scholarship; Loretta Lynn Public Appearance; Former Presidents Public Appearance; JFK Files Declassification. NBC: Niger-US Casualty Investigation; Tax Reform Plan-Impact; Bill O’Reilly-Sexual Harassment Settlement; Severe Weather; Border Wall Designs; Fire Fighters-Health Risks; Kidnapped US Soldier Trial; JFK Files Declassification; LA-Baseball World Series; French Government Meeting-Dog Peeing; Texas High School Baseball; Medal Of Honor Recipient. Network TV At A Glance: Niger-US Casualty Investigation – 10 minutes Bill O’Reilly-Sexual Harassment Settlement – 7 minutes, 40 seconds Medal Of Honor Recipient – 6 minutes, 10 seconds White House-Niger US Casualty – 5 minutes, 10 seconds Story Lineup From This Morning’s Radio News Broadcasts: ABC: Niger-US Casualty Investigation; Tax Reform Bill; Vegetable Recall. CBS: Niger-US Casualty Investigation; Kidnapped US Soldier Trial; Tax Reform Bill; TampaSerial Killer Manhunt. FOX: Niger-US Casualty Investigation; Failed Detroit Terrorist Lawsuit; Relief Budget; Medal Of Honor Recipient. NPR: Niger-US Casualty Investigation; LA-Baseball World Series; Japan-North Korea Warning; Trump-Asia Tour; Weinstein Sexual Harassment Scandal. Washington Schedule Today’s Events In Washington. White House: PRESIDENT TRUMP — Participates in the minority enterprise development week White House awards ceremony; participates in a swearing-in ceremony for Callista Gingrich as U.S. Ambassador to the Holy See; participates in a Senate Republican policy lunch. VICE PRESIDENT PENCE — Delivers remarks to the American Enterprise Institute; joins the President to participate in a swearing-in ceremony for Callista Gingrich as U.S. Ambassador to the Holy See. US Senate: 10:00 AM Senate Intelligence Committee holds hearing with President Trump’s personal attorney invited to testify – Senate Select Committee on Intelligence holds hearing with Michael Cohen – personal attorney to President Donald Trump – having been invited to appear * Cohen was originally scheduled to speak with the committee in a closed interview, but defied committee requests to refrain from public comment and released a public statement, leading the committee to postpone the interview and reschedule his appearance in an open session Location: U.S. Capitol, Washington, DC http://intelligence.senate.gov 10:00 AM Senate Environment and Public Works Committee Business Meeting, legislative hearing – Business Meeting, with agenda including nominations of Michael Dourson, William Wehrum, Matthew Leopold, and David Ross to be Environmental Protection Agency Assistant Administrators; Paul Trombino III to be Federal Highway Administration DOI-18-0489-000256 Administrator; and Jeffery Baran to be a Nuclear Regulatory Commission member (reappointment) * Immediately followed by legislative hearing on ‘S. XXXXXX, the Wildfire Prevention and Mitigation Act of 2017’ Location: Dirksen Senate Office Building, Rm 406, Washington, DC http://epw.senate.gov/public/ 10:00 AM Hearing on ‘The Economic Outlook with CEA Chairman Kevin Hassett’ Location: U.S. Capitol, Washington, DC www.jec.senate.gov https://twitter.com/JointEconCmte 10:00 AM Senate Foreign Relations subcommittee top secret briefing on Nigeria – Africa and Global Health Policy Subcommittee closed / top secret briefing on ‘Nigeria Security Update’, given by Acting Assistant Secretary of State for African Affairs Donald Yamamoto; and State Department Regional and Arms Transfers Office Director Mike Miller Location: U.S. Capitol Visitor Center, SVC-217, Washington, DC http://foreign.senate.gov/ 10:00 AM Senate Commerce, Science, & Transportation Committee hearing on the commercial satellite industry – Hearing on ‘The Commercial Satellite Industry: What’s Up and What’s on the Horizon’, with testimony from SpaceX Vice President of Satellite Government Affairs Patricia Cooper; ViaSat CEO Mark Dankberg; Intelsat CEO Stephen Spengler; and OneWeb founder and Executive Chairman Greg Wyler Location: Rm 253, Russell Senate Office Bldg, Washington, DC http://commerce.senate.gov https://twitter.com/SenateCommerce 10:30 AM Senate Governmental Affairs Committee votes on nominees for OPM and GSA heads – Business Meeting, with agenda including consideration of nominations of Jeff Pon to be Office of Personnel Management Director, and Michael Rigas to be Deputy Director; and Emily Murphy to be General Services Administration Administrator Location: Dirksen Senate Office Building, Rm 342, Washington, DC http://hsgac.senate.gov/ https://twitter.com/SenateHSGAC 11:00 AM Congressional Gold Medal presented to Filipino WWII vets – House of Representatives and Senate leadership present a Congressional Gold Medal in honor of Filipino veterans of World War II, for their service and sacrifice during the war. Event participants include House Speaker Paul Ryan, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, and House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi * Congressional Gold Medal is the highest civilian honor Congress can bestow. A single medal has been struck to honor all the vets Location: U.S. Capitol Visitor Center, Emancipation Hall, Washington, DC http://speaker.house.gov/ https://twitter.com/SpeakerRyan 2:30 PM Senate Aging Committee hearing on working and aging with disabilities – Hearing on ‘Working and Aging with Disabilities: From School to Retirement’, with testimony from Indiana University Professor Emeritus Dr David Michael Mank; University of IllinoisChicago Professor Dr Tamar Heller; Jeff Smith; and Spurwink President and CEO Eric Meyer Location: Dirksen Senate Office Building, Rm 562, Washington, DC http://aging.senate.gov/ 2:30 PM Senate Indian Affairs Committee legislative hearing – Legislative hearing on ‘S. 1870, the Securing Urgent Resources Vital to Indian Victim Empowerment Act 2017’, ‘S. 1953, the Reauthorization of the Tribal and Law Order Act of 2010’, and ‘S. 1942, a bill to direct the AG to review, revise and develop law enforcement and justice protocols appropriate to address missing and murdered Indians’ Location: Dirksen Senate Office Building, Rm 628, Washington, DC http://indian.senate.gov https://twitter.com/IndianCommittee US House: 9:30 AM POSTPONED: House Natural Resources Committee oversight hearing on Puerto Rico recovery – POSTPONED: Oversight hearing on ‘Examining Challenges in Puerto Rico’s Recovery and the Role of the Financial Oversight and Management Board’ Location: Longworth House Office Building, Rm 1324, Washington, DC http://naturalresources.house.gov https://twitter.com/NatResources 10:00 AM House Science, Space, and Technology subcommittees joint hearing on quantum technology – Energy Subcommittee and Research and Technology Subcommittee joint hearing on ‘American Leadership in Quantum Technology’, with testimony from National Institute of Standards and Technology Physical Measurement Laboratory Acting Director Dr Carl Williams; National Science Foundation Assistant Director of Computer and Information Science and Engineering Dr Jim Kurose; Department of Energy Acting Director of Science Dr John Stephen Binkley; IBM Systems Group Vice President and CTO for Quantum Computing DOI-18-0489-000257 Dr Scott Crowder; University of Maryland Department of Physics Professor Dr Christopher Monroe; and Argonne National Laboratory Nanoscience and Technology Division Director Dr Supratik Guha Location: Rayburn House Office Building, Rm 2318, Washington, DC http://science.house.gov https://twitter.com/HouseScience 10:00 AM POSTPONED: House Judiciary subcommittee hearing on cybersecurity – POSTPONED: Crime, Terrorism, Homeland Security, and Investigations Subcommittee hearing on ‘Cybersecurity and the Law: Protecting Consumers in the Digital Age’ Location: Rm 2141, Rayburn House Office Bldg, Washington, DC http://judiciary.house.gov/ https://twitter.com/HouseJudiciary 10:00 AM House Financial Services subcommittee hearing on the federal govt’s role in the insurance industry – Housing and Insurance Subcommittee hearing on ‘The Federal Government’s Role in the Insurance Industry’, with testimony from Germania Insurance President Paul Ehlhert; University of Minnesota Law School Professor Daniel Shwarcz; Shelter Insurance Companies President and CEO Rick Means; and Connecticut Insurance Department Commissioner Katharine Wade (on behalf of National Association of Insurance Commissioners) Location: Rayburn House Office Building, Rm 2128, Washington, DC http://financialservices.house.gov https://twitter.com/FinancialCmte 10:00 AM House Commerce subcommittee hearing on HHS response to the 2017 hurricane season – Oversight and Investigations Subcommittee hearing on ‘Examining HHS’s Public Health Preparedness for and Response to the 2017 Hurricane Season’, with testimony from Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services Principal Deputy Administrator for Operations Kimberly Brandt; Food and Drug Administration Commissioner Scott Gottlieb; Assistant Secretary of Health and Human Services for Preparedness and Response Robert Kadlec; and CDC Office of Public Health Preparedness and Response Director Rear Adm. Stephen Redd Location: Rayburn House Office Building, Rm 2123, Washington, DC http://energycommerce.house.gov/ https://twitter.com/HouseCommerce 10:00 AM House Appropriations subcommittee oversight hearing on supporting NIHfunded research – Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies Subcommittee oversight hearing on ‘The Role of Facilities and Administrative Costs in Supporting NIH-Funded Research’, with testimony from University of Oklahoma Vice President for Research Dr Kelvin Droegemeier; Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center President and Director Dr Gary Gilliland; University of Connecticut School of Medicine Dean Dr Bruce Liang; and University of California-San Francisco Vice Chancellor for Science Policy and Strategy Dr Keith Yamamoto Location: Rayburn House Office Building, Rm 2358-C, Washington, DC http://appropriations.house.gov/ https://twitter.com/HouseAppropsGOP 10:00 AM House Government Reform subcommittees joint hearing on Regulatory Reform Task Forces – Health Care, Benefits, and Administrative Rules Subcommittee and Government Operations Subcommittee joint hearing on ‘Regulatory Reform Task Forces Check-In’ Location: Rayburn House Office Building, Rm 2154, Washington, DC http://oversight.house.gov/ https://twitter.com/GOPoversight 10:00 AM Democratic Rep. Eleanor Holmes Norton hosts roundtable discussion on near-term and long-term risks of flooding in Washington, DC Location: Rayburn House Office Building, Rm 2253, Washington, DC www.norton.house.gov https://twitter.com/EleanorNorton 10:00 AM Markup hearing on ‘H.R. X, Agricultural Guestworker Act’ and ‘H.R. 3711, Legal Workforce Act’ Location: Rm 2141, Rayburn House Office Bldg, Washington, DC http://judiciary.house.gov/ https://twitter.com/HouseJudiciary 10:00 AM Democratic Rep. Nydia Velazquez hosts reception having proposed WWII rabbi for Congressional Gold Medal – Democratic Rep. Nydia Velazquez hosts reception to better acquaint her Congressional colleagues with the activities of Rabbi Michoel Ber Weissmandl, having co-sponsored a bill to posthumously award him the 2017 Congressional Gold Medal in recognition of his acts of valor during World War II in attempting to save Eastern European Jews during the Holocaust. Amud Aish Memorial Museum representatives and other advocates also attend, with artifacts and documents on display Location: Rayburn House Office Building, Rm 2360, Washington, DC www.house.gov/velazquez https://twitter.com/NydiaVelazquez 10:00 AM House Veterans’ Affairs Committee legislative hearing – Legislative hearing, DOI-18-0489-000258 on ‘draft legislation related to the Veterans Choice Program’, ‘draft legislation to modify VA’s authority to enter into agreements with state homes to provide nursing home care to veterans, to direct the Secretary to carry out a program to increase the number of graduate medical education residency positions, and for other purposes’, ‘draft legislation to direct VA to conduct a study of the Veterans Crisis Line’, ‘draft legislation to direct VA to furnish mental health care to veterans at community or non-profit mental health providers participating in the Veterans Choice Program’, ‘The Department of Veterans Affairs’ legislative proposal – the Veteran Coordinated Access and Rewarding Experiences (CARE) Act’, ‘H.R. 1133: Veterans Transplant Coverage Act of 2017’, ‘H.R. 2123: VETS Act of 2017’, ‘H.R. 2601: VICTOR Act of 2017’, and ‘H.R. 3642: Military SAVE Act’ Location: Cannon House Office Building, Rm 334, Washington, DC http://veterans.house.gov/ https://twitter.com/HouseVetAffairs 11:00 AM House Minority Whip Steny Hoyer regular pen-and-pad briefing Location: H144, U.S. Capitol, Washington, DC www.democraticwhip.gov/ https://twitter.com/WhipHoyer 12:00 PM House meets for legislative business – House of Representatives meets for legislative business, with agenda including ‘H.R. 732 – Stop Settlement Slush Funds Act of 2017’, and consideration of ‘H.R. 3101 – Strengthening Cybersecurity Information Sharing and Coordination in Our Ports Act of 2017’, as amended, ‘H.R. 3972 – Family Office Technical Correction Act of 2017’, as amended, and ‘H.R. 3898 – Impeding North Korea’s Access to Finance Act of 2017’, as amended under suspension of the rules Location: Washington, DC http://www.house.gov/ 12:00 PM Congressional Task Force on Election Security second public forum – Congressional Task Force on Election Security holds its second public forum, ‘Securing America’s Elections: Preparing for 2018 and Beyond’, hearing from Rhode Island Secretary of State Nellie Gorbea, Virginia Department of Elections Commissioner Edgardo Cortes, and Election Assistance Commission Commissioner and Vice-Chair Thomas Hicks on steps states are taking to secure their elections and what the federal govt can do to do assist * Task Force was created to address ‘the lack of action to protect electoral infrastructure following Russia interfering and attempting to influence the 2016 presidential election’, and is chaired by House Committee on Homeland Security Ranking Member Bennie Thompson and Committee on House Administration Ranking Member Robert Brady Location: Longworth House Office Building, Rm 1310, Washington, DC democrats-homeland.house.gov https://twitter.com/HomelandDems 12:00 PM Dem Rep. Adriano Espaillat domestic violence awareness press conference – Democratic Rep. Adriano Espaillat holds domestic violence awareness press conference, to address initiatives to help support victims of domestic violence in communities around the nation. New York Latinas Against Domestic Violence participate as part of their annual ‘Brides’ vigil in honor of murdered New York bride-to-be Gladys Ricart, a victim of domestic violence who lost her life on her wedding day Location: House Triangle, U.S. Capitol, Washington, DC espaillat.house.gov https://twitter.com/espaillatny 1:00 PM Dem Rep. Don Beyer hosts Half-Earth Day celebration – Democratic Rep. Don Beyer hosts celebration of Half-Earth Day, including a conversation on saving the nation’s biodiversity with biologist Edward Wilson, and discussion on how wildlife corridors and other policies can protect the nation’s wild creatures and places with Democratic Reps. Tom Udall, Raul Grijalva, and Alan Lowenthal and former National Park Service Director Robert Stanton Location: U.S. Capitol Visitor Center, Congressional Auditorium and Atrium, Washington, DC beyer.house.gov/ https://twitter.com/RepDonBeyer 2:00 PM House Education and the Workforce / Homeland Security subcommittees joint hearing on educating a cyber workforce – House Committee on Education and the Workforce Higher Education and Workforce Development Subcommittee and House Committee on Homeland Security Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Protection Subcommittee joint hearing on ‘Public-Private Solutions to Educating a Cyber Workforce’ Location: U.S. Capitol Visitor Center, HVC-210, Washington, DC http://edworkforce.house.gov/ https://twitter.com/EdWorkforce 2:00 PM House Oversight subcommittee hearing on political advertisement laws – Information Technology Subcommittee hearing on ‘Oversight of Federal Political Advertisement Laws and Regulations’, with testimony from Center for Competitive Politics DOI-18-0489-000259 Legal Director Allen Dickerson; News Media Alliance President and CEO David Chavern; Law Offices of Jack N. Goodman owner Jack Goodman; Interactive Advertising Bureau President and CEO Randall Rothenberg; and Brennan Center for Justice Democracy Program Senior Counsel Ian Vandewalker Location: Rayburn House Office Building, Rm 2154, Washington, DC http://oversight.house.gov/ https://twitter.com/GOPoversight 3:00 PM House Rules Committee emergency hearing – Emergency hearing on Senate Amendment to ‘H. Con. Res. 71 – Concurrent resolution establishing the congressional budget for the United States Government for fiscal year 2018 and setting forth the appropriate budgetary levels for fiscal years 2019 through 2027’ Location: U.S. Capitol, H313, Washington, DC http://www.rules.house.gov/ https://twitter.com/RulesReps 3:00 PM Dem Reps. Don Beyer and Carolyn Maloney hold Gender Parity Forum – Democratic Reps. Don Beyer and Carolyn Maloney hold Forum on Gender Parity in Corporate Leadership, with Paradigm for Parity Founding Member Candace Duncan, Serena Fong (Catalyst), Kiersten Barnet (30 Percent Club), and Kymberlee Dwinell (Northrop Grumman) Location: Longworth House Office Building, Rm 1539, Washington, DC beyer.house.gov/ https://twitter.com/RepDonBeyer 4:00 PM Office of the House Majority Whip holds its latest members-only briefing on tax reform, on corporate/international taxation Location: U.S. Capitol, HC-5, Washington, DC http://majoritywhip.house.gov/ https://twitter.com/SteveScalise 6:30 PM Lifetime hosts Capitol Hill screening of new TV movie about the Flint, MI, water crisis – Lifetime and Democratic Rep. Dan Kildee host viewing of new TV movie ‘Flint’ followed by panel discussion, attended by actress Betsy Brandt, Flint activists Melissa Mays and Nayyirah Shariff, executive producers Craig Zadan and Neil Meron, Rep. Kildee, and Democratic Rep. Keith Ellison * Movie was inspired by the Time magazine cover story ‘The Toxic Tap’, and follows the true story of three women from Flint, MI, who sought justice following the wrongdoing committed against the residents of the city who were unknowingly drinking and using lead-laden water Location: U.S. Capitol Visitor Center, CVC Congressional Auditorium, Washington, DC Flint http://www.mylifetime.com/ https://twitter.com/lifetimetv Other: 8:00 AM Bill Clinton keynotes SAP NS2 Solutions Summit – SAP NS2 Solutions Summit, themed ‘Discover Real-Time Context, for Real-World Security Decisions’, examining ‘how emerging technology like machine learning can add unprecedented depth and context to data, turning information into understanding and providing us with the picture needed to decide and act in the moment of truth’. Keynote speaker is former President Bill Clinton Location: Falls Church Marriott Fairview Park, 3111 Fairview Park Drive, Falls Church, VA summit17.sapns2.com https://twitter.com/SAPNS2 8:00 AM Bipartisan Reps. Katherine Clark and Markwayne Mullin speak at The Hill event on ‘America’s Opioid Epidemic’ – The Hill hosts ‘America’s Opioid Epidemic: Aging & Addiction’, to discuss the impact of opioid abuse in older adults. Headline conversations feature Democratic Rep. Katherine Clark and Republican Rep. Markwayne Mullin who review strategies ‘to fight the opioid epidemic and deliver effective care for America’s seniors.’ Other speakers include Health and Human Services Deputy Inspector General for Investigations Gary Cantrell and Assistant Inspector General for Evaluations Ann Maxwell Location: Newseum, 555 Pennsylvania Avenue Northwest, Washington, DC thehill.com https://twitter.com/TheHillEvents #Genes4Medicine 10:30 AM GOP Sen. David Perdue speaks on tax reform at Heritage Foundation – ‘The Business Perspective and Cost of Doing Nothing on Tax Reform’ Heritage Foundation panel discussion, on corporate tax reform proposals and the ‘significant benefits they will have on American workers and the economy’. Speakers include Republican Sen. David Perdue, and Business Roundtable President and CEO Joshua Bolten Location: Heritage Foundation, 214 Massachusetts Ave NE, Washington, DC www.heritage.org https://twitter.com/Heritage 12:00 PM Dem Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse speaks on climate change at New America – ‘As the Waters Come, Will Our Politics Rise to the Challenge?’ Future Tense book discussion, on Jeff Goodell’s book, ‘The Water Will Come: Rising Seas, Sinking Cities, and the Remaking of the Civilized World’. Event also features discussion on what Congress can do to ‘bridge the political divide to take action to guard the future against climate change’. Speakers include Democratic Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse, and Rolling Stone Contributing Editor and author Jeff Goodell Location: New America, 740 15th St NW, Washington, DC DOI-18-0489-000260 http://www.newamerica.org/ https://twitter.com/NewAmerica Last Laughs Late Night Political Humor. Jimmy Kimmel: “President Trump is planning to release a treasure trove, thousands of classified documents connected to the assassination of John F. Kennedy. And he said, ‘Will you release me too?’ ... This is a bombshell. The real killer is not Lee Harvey Oswald. It was a 16-year-old Hillary Clinton. Isn’t that something? The White House released a statement saying the President believes the documents should be made available in the interest of full transparency. And his tax returns, however, will remain secret forever, no matter what.” Stephen Colbert: “This weekend, five former Presidents teamed up at a benefit to raise money for hurricane relief. ... President Trump couldn’t be there to help the victims of flooding because, and this is true, he was working on his own water hazards.” Stephen Colbert: “Of course, Trump’s tweet that he would release the JFK files came right during the whole Gold Star family controversy. People say it might have been for a distraction or something like that. So now when Trump feels cornered, he’ll just declassify America’s biggest secrets. ‘Robert Muller is presenting the findings of the Russia investigation on Tuesday ... the same day I am giving away an alien plasma cannon from Area 51! Tenth caller wins!’” James Corden: “Sen. John McCain appeared to take a swipe at Donald Trump’s lack of military service. He said that during the Vietnam War, a lot of rich people got out of the draft by claiming they had bone spurs. Now, as you may know, Donald Trump famously got out of service in Vietnam due to bone spurs. If you don’t know what bone spurs are, don’t worry, Donald Trump doesn’t know either. But seriously, bone spurs can make walking very difficult, unless you carry a bag of golf clubs, apparently. Then it’s fine.” James Corden: “Did you guys see this conspiracy theory that was going around the internet last week? People claim that Melania Trump had a body double impersonate her during an appearance with her husband. And if you think that is weird, Donald Trump has been impersonating a President for almost a year.” Trevor Noah: “What do you think Bush said to Obama that made him laugh so hard? I have been thinking about this the whole day. If he said one thing, what if he just leaned in, he was like, ‘Guess what, I did 9/11.’ And then Obama is like, ‘Well, I was born in Kenya.’” Trevor Noah: “I am blown away by the fact that Bill O’Reilly had to pay one woman $32 million, one woman. And by the way, this is from his own money. Now I understand why he cranks out so many books – ‘Killing Kennedy,’ ‘Killing Jesus,’ ‘Killing Patton.’ He needed the extra cash. I should have known something was wrong when he published ‘Killing Big Bird.’” Seth Meyers: “All five living former Presidents attended a benefit concert in Texas on Saturday to help raise money for hurricane victims. The only way it could have been better is if there had been six former Presidents.” Seth Meyers: “First Lady Melania Trump visited a middle school in Detroit today where she began her anti-bullying campaign by speaking to the students and joining them for lunch. Meanwhile, Donald Trump had lunch in the White House cafeteria and clapped when someone dropped their tray.” Conan O’Brien: “President Trump is going to Japan to meet with the prime minister and may play a round of golf. Or as Trump put it, he’s going to Japan to play a round of golf and he may meet with the prime minister. He’s got priorities.” DOI-18-0489-000261 Conan O’Brien: “Trump announced over the weekend that he will release over 3,000 classified files relating to the Kennedy assassination. Spoiler alert: Apparently Hillary did it.” Conan O’Brien: “The latest rumor in Washington is that Trump is looking for a replacement for Secretary of State Rex Tillerson. After hearing the job entails constant trips out of the country, Melania volunteered.” Copyright 2017 by Bulletin Intelligence LLC Reproduction or redistribution without permission prohibited. Content is drawn from thousands of newspapers, national magazines, national and local television programs, radio broadcasts, social-media platforms and additional forms of open-source data. Sources for Bulletin Intelligence audience-size estimates include Scarborough, GfK MRI, comScore, Nielsen, and the Audit Bureau of Circulation. Data from and access to third party social media platforms, including but not limited to Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and others, is subject to the respective platform’s terms of use. Services that include Factiva content are governed by Factiva’s terms of use. Services including embedded Tweets are also subject to Twitter for Website's information and privacy policies. The Department of the Interior News Briefing is published five days a week by Bulletin Intelligence, which creates custom briefings for government and corporate leaders. We can be found on the Web at BulletinIntelligence.com, or called at (703) 483-6100. DOI-18-0489-000262 Conversation Contents U.S. Department of the Interior News Briefing for Tuesday, August 29, 2017 Bulletin Intelligence From: Sent: To: Bulletin Intelligence Tue Aug 29 2017 05:01:28 GMT-0600 (MDT) U.S. Department of the Interior News Briefing for Tuesday, August 29, 2017 Subject: Mobile version and searchable archives available here. Please click here to subscribe. DATE: TUESDAY, AUGUST 29, 2017 7:00 AM EDT Today's Table Of Contents DOI In The News • Politico: Trump Ramping Up For Texas Trip As Flooding Ravages Houston. • U.S. News & World Report: US Interior Secretary Urges Mining Ban Near Yellowstone. • U.S. News & World Report: Maine Monument Supporter ‘Optimistic’ After Chat With Zinke. • Los Angeles Times: Under Obama, A Gold Mining Firm Was Fine With A Mojave Desert Monument. Under Trump, An About-face. • Colorado Public Radio: National Park Campgrounds Need Work. Is Zinke’s Privatization Pitch The Answer? • KBSC-FM Boise (ID): How A Mosquito-Borne Disease May Impact An Imperiled Idaho Species. • Great Falls (MT) Tribune: Buttrey Discusses Long Quest For Pending Interior Job. • The Hill: House Natural Resources Chairman Pledges To Retire After Next Term. • CNN: Additional Coverage: Zinke’s Daughter Slams Trump’s “Inexcusable” Transgender Military Policy. • New York Times: The Rush To Develop Oil And Gas We Don’t Need. • Salt Lake (UT) Tribune: Commentary: US And Utah Need To Stop Coddling Domestic Extremists. Bureau Of Land Management • U.S. News & World Report: New Path Sought For High-Voltage Transmission Lines In Idaho. • U.S. News & World Report: Person Who Caused Big Wyoming Wildfire Could Be Told To Pay. • U.S. News & World Report: Bringing Pot To Burning Man? It’s Still Illegal On US Land. • Casper (WY) Star-Tribune: Lawmakers Frustrated By BLM, Wyoming Gets EPA Grant For Leaky Petroleum Tanks Ruffatto Sentencing Delayed. • Juneau (AK) Empire: Throwing Away Years Of Public Cooperation In The Arctic Would Be A Mistake. • Reno (NV) Gazette-Journal: Euthanizing Wild Horses Is Nice Way To Say Killing: Suzanne Roy. DOI-18-0489-000263 Bureau Of Ocean Energy Management • Study: Seismic Blasting In Gulf Of Mexico Hurts Dolphins, Whales. • Carney Launches Effort To Explore Offshore Wind In Delaware. Bureau Of Reclamation • Boat Ramp To Close After Labor Day Weekend. Bureau Of Safety And Environmental Enforcement • More Rain And Rescues As Harvey Lashes Texas For Another Day. Fish And Wildlife Service • Arizona Daily Star: 9th Circuit Rules Against Endangered Status For Sonoran Desert Bald Eagles. • U.S. News & World Report: Business Leaders Want Mexican Wolves In Grand Canyon Area. • Elk River (MN) Star News: Feds Will Help With Wetlands Restoration At Bailey Point. • U.S. News & World Report: Refuge Occupier Jason Blomgren Sentenced To Probation. • Daily Signal: This ‘Endangered Species’ Story Was Government-Sponsored Fake News. National Park Service • Beatrice (NE) Daily Sun: Homestead To Welcome Visitor Aiming To See Every National Park. • Plastics Today: Additional Coverage: Bottled Water Is Back In Our National Parks. • Helena (MT) Independent Record: Growing Maintenance Backlog Hurting Our National Parks. • Johnstown (PA) Tribune-Democrat: Cash-strapped Park Service Eyes Help From ‘Friends’. Office Of Insular Affairs • Los Angeles Times: North Korea Fires Unidentified Projectile, US Says. Top National News • Dallas Morning News: Trump To Visit Texas As Rain Continues To Fall And Relief Efforts Continue. • Washington Times: Trump Stands By Threat To Shut Down Government Over Border Wall. • St. Louis Post-Dispatch: Trump To Promote Tax Reform In Missouri Wednesday. • The Hill: EPA Watchdog To Investigate Pruitt’s Travel. Editorial Wrap-Up • New York Times. - “As Harvey Rains Down Devastation, Houston Stands Together.” - “‘The President Speaks For Himself.’” • Washington Post. - “Harvey’s Heroes – The Inspiring Response To A Terrible Storm.” - “The Arpaio Pardon Displays Trumps Disdain For The Rule Of Law.” - “The Purple Line Rises From The Dead.” • Wall Street Journal. - “Our Political Central Bankers.” - “Behind The Bedlam In Berkeley.” - “Labour’s Brexit Pains.” Big Picture • Headlines From Today’s Front Pages. Washington Schedule • Today’s Events In Washington. Last Laughs • Late Night Political Humor. DOI In The News Trump Ramping Up For Texas Trip As Flooding Ravages Houston. DOI-18-0489-000264 Politico (8/28, McCaskill, Nelson) reports that Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke “said Monday morning that the federal government’s response to Harvey’s devastating impact on Texas has been ‘very much like a military operation,’ praising the leadership of White House chief of staff John Kelly.” Zinke “said Interior Department resources involved in storm response include emergency response teams from the U.S. Geological Survey, which have monitored flooding and sought to model how it will progress; and swift water rescue teams and assets from national parks and wildlife refuges.” Zinke said on Fox News’ Fox & Friends (8/28) that “it’s amazing to see the Cabinet under the Chief of Staff Gen. Kelly. This is very much like a military operation by the numbers, making sure the assets are surged forward, making sure we have communication with our assets and make sure all the secretaries are engaged.” Additional coverage was provided by Fox News (8/28), Fox News (8/28), and Newsmax (8/28, Fitzgerald). US Interior Secretary Urges Mining Ban Near Yellowstone. The AP (8/28, Brown) reports that Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke “wants to speed up a proposal to block new gold mining claims on forested public lands in Montana near Yellowstone National Park and will also consider blocking other types of mining, agency officials said Monday.” Interior spokeswoman Heather Swift “said Monday that Zinke wants to move forward as quickly as possible with a proposed 20-year withdrawal of future mining claims in the area north of the park, known as Paradise Valley.” The review of “that withdrawal was scheduled to be completed by the U.S. Forest Service and Interior’s Bureau of Land Management by November, 2018.” Swift said, “He is fully in the corner of protecting the Paradise Valley and is putting forward Interior Department assets to support the U.S. Forest Service in that mission. Some places are too precious to mine...This is very much a final decision.” The Missoula Current (MT) (8/28, Kidston) reports that Sen. Jon Tester said in a statement Monday, “An administrative withdrawal would be a step in the right direction, but we have no guarantee that the current review will even recommend a withdrawal. And even the best-case scenario means a mine could threaten the doorstep to Yellowstone 20 years from now, sticking our kids with a fight they shouldn’t have to fight.” Coverage by the AP was also picked up by the Washington Times (8/28, Brown), the Houston Chronicle (8/28, Brown, Press), the Minneapolis Star Tribune (8/26, Brown), the Idaho Statesman (8/28, Brown), Philly (PA) (8/28, Brown), the Washington Post (8/28, Matthew Brown , Ap), the San Jose (CA) Mercury News (8/28, Brown), the San Gabriel Valley (CA) Tribune (8/28, Brown), ABC News (8/28, Brown), the Baytown (TX) Sun (8/28, Brown), the Belleville (IL) News-Democrat (8/28, Brown), the Coeur d’Alene (ID) Press (8/28, Brown), the Columbia Basin (WA) Herald (8/28, Brown), the Santa Cruz (CA) Sentinel (8/28, Brown), the Seattle Post-Intelligencer (8/28, Brown), the St. Joseph (MO) News-Press (8/28, Brown), the Portland (ME) Press Herald (8/28, Brown), the Albuquerque (NM) Journal (8/28, Brown), the Boston Herald (8/28, Brown), the Daily Mail (8/28, Brown), Fox Business (8/28, Brown), and KTAR-FM Glendale (AZ) Glendale, AZ (8/28, Brown). Maine Monument Supporter ‘Optimistic’ After Chat With Zinke. The AP (8/28, Sharp) reports that Lucas St. Clair , who led “the successful effort to get the federal government to protect land near Maine’s tallest mountain says he’s feeling optimistic after a telephone chat with Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke.” After receiving a telephone briefing Monday from Zinke, St. Clair “came away from the conversation reassured that Zinke wants the Katahdin Woods and Waters National Monument to be managed for conservation and recreation by the National Park Service.” St. Clair said, “I’m feeling very optimistic.” Coverage by the AP was also picked up by the Portland (ME) Press Herald (8/28, Sharp), ABC News (8/28, Sharp), the Daily Mail (8/28), the Houston Chronicle (8/28, Sharp, Press), the Minneapolis Star Tribune (8/26, Sharp), Philly (PA) (8/28, Sharp), the Washington Times (8/28, Sharp), the Washington Post (8/28, David Sharp , Ap), the Idaho Statesman (8/28, Sharp), the Los Angeles Times (8/28, Sharp), the Richmond (VA) TimesDispatch (8/28, Sharp), the Santa Cruz (CA) Sentinel (8/28, Sharp), the Westport (CT) News DOI-18-0489-000265 (8/28, Sharp), KTAR-FM Glendale (AZ) Glendale, AZ (8/28), and WTOP-FM Washington Washington (8/28). Changes Coming To Nevada Monuments, Heller Confirms. The Las Vegas Review-Journal (8/28, Lochhead) reports that Sen. Dean Heller “said Monday that ‘minor’ changes are coming for two of Nevada’s national monuments, Gold Butte and Basin and Range.” Heller said he was notified “about the changes Friday during a phone call with Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke.” Heller said, “There will be some adjustments to both of those monuments, but they will be minor. You’re not going to see wholesale changes in those monuments.” The President Can Make Monuments – But He Can’t Take Them Away. For the “Pundits” blog of The Hill (8/28, Molvar, Contributor), Erik Molvar, executive director of Western Watersheds Project, claims that Interior Secretary Zinke’s recommend ation to the White House last week “that national monument lands protected by past presidents be removed from their protected status” is “apparently a scheme to make way for oil and gas drilling and other destructive land uses that threaten the sacred lands, fragile archaeological sites and scientific values for which these national monuments were designated.” Molvar calls the move “a breathtaking overreach by an administration that clearly doesn’t understand that a president’s powers are limited by the Constitution.” He notes that “legal scholars correctly point out that the 1906 Antiquities Act, adopted when Theodore Roosevelt was president, gives the White House power to create National Monuments — but only Congress can alter or rescind them.” Molvar adds that “in addition to being unlawful, Zinke’s recommendations plainly ignore the will of the majority.” Why Trump’s Upcoming Decision On Federal Lands Matters. In commentary for the Daily Signal (8/28, Tubb), Katie Tubb, a policy analyst for the Thomas A. Roe Institute for Economic Policy Studies at The Heritage Foundation, claims that “reducing the size of a national monument or even rescinding its status does not open up the federal land to be overrun by oil interests or clear cut by the foresting industry.” She notes that “federal lands are managed by a web of laws determining who can do what and when.” Tubb suggests that “if Congress doesn’t like what the Trump administration is doing, it ought to act to clarify” the Antiquities Act. She says that “at the very least, Congress ought to amend the law to give states more say in the matter.” Tubb concludes that “shifting more control from Washington to those with direct knowledge of the land in question and a clear stake in the outcome of decisions would be a step in the right direction.” Our View: Bringing Balance To The Antiquities Act. The Salem (MA) News (8/28) editorializes that Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke’s “unwillingness to be transparent about his review and its results all but guarantees a legal quagmire.” With regards to the Northeast Canyons and Seamounts Marine Monument, the paper says that “all sides are already threatening lawsuits, so no matter the outcome, the issue will likely not be settled for years.” The paper argues that “if anything, the debate over Canyons and Seamounts shows the need for Congress to update the outdated Antiquities Act, which allows presidential administrations to designate and reshape national monuments with little or no oversight.” Who Deserves Praise And Criticism This Week In Utah? The editorial board of the Ogden (UT) Standard-Examiner (8/28) gives Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke mixed reviews for his recommendation on the Bears Ears National Monument. Zinke receives a “thumbs up” for “keeping Bears Ears’ designation as a national monument.” But he is also given a “thumbs down” for “not being more transparent about how Bears Ears and other monuments might change.” Under Obama, A Gold Mining Firm Was Fine With A Mojave Desert Monument. Under Trump, An About-face. The Los Angeles Times (8/28, Sahagun) reports that gold mining firm Newcastle Gold Ltd. has changeed its position on the creation of the Castle Mountains National Monument. The designation was “hailed as a compromise that served the goals of conservationists and the mining industry.” So, conservationists said, “they were caught off guard to learn Newcastle’s position shifted after the Trump administration moved to roll back federal protections on many of the monuments created by previous administrations.” Newcastle and Rep. Paul Cook “have told Zinke the designation was made without adequate public outreach or input from the company.” The company “recommended solution: Reduce the size of Castle DOI-18-0489-000266 Mountains National Monument by 50%.” Additional coverage was provided by the Los Angeles LAist (8/28, Peleg). National Park Campgrounds Need Work. Is Zinke’s Privatization Pitch The Answer? Colorado Public Radio (8/28, Hood) reports that in the face of a $11.3 billion backlog in deferred maintenance at national parks, Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke “thinks private companies could provide campground upgrades.” The Interior Department “doesn’t have a formal proposal,” but Zinke has “mentioned expansion of public-private partnerships for campground management multiple times, including a conference call with reporters and at a Recreational Vehicle Industry Association meeting.” The proposal has the support of Derrick Crandall, counselor for the National Parks Hospitality Association and president of the American Recreation Coalition. He “explained that companies can provide much needed upgrades to park campgrounds while adding amenities like food stores, Wi-Fi, and tent rentals.” How A Mosquito-Borne Disease May Impact An Imperiled Idaho Species. KBSC-FM Boise, ID (8/28, Barnhill) reports that Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke has identified the West Nile Virus as a threat to the greater sage grouse. During his visit to Boise in June, Zinke “said he wanted to take the mosquito-borne disease into consideration as part of his sage grouse management strategy.” In recommendations since that visit, Zinke “outlined changes to the previous administration’s plan that’s friendlier to mining and oil and gas companies.” Buttrey Discusses Long Quest For Pending Interior Job. The Great Falls (MT) Tribune (8/28, Drake) reports that Montnana state Sen. Ed Buttrey is up for a job as an assistant secretary with the Interior Department. According to the article, “it was known toward the end of the 2017 legislative session that Buttrey was up for the job.” Buttrey said he and Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke “have the same vision and that Zinke was looking for people who he could rely on, trust and make the department look great.” House Natural Resources Chairman Pledges To Retire After Next Term. The Hill (8/28, Henry) reports that “House Natural Resources Committee Chairman Rob Bishop (R-UT) intends to retire after his next term in office, he told constituents last week.” The Hill says that “at a town hall event in Layton, Utah, on Friday, Bishop said he won’t run for reelection to the House in 2020, assuming he wins reelection next year to the House seat he’s held since 2003.” The Hill adds that “Bishop is in his second term as chairman of the Natural Resources Committee, a panel that gives him oversight of the Interior Department, energy and natural resources development, public lands policy, and Puerto Rico.” Additional coverage was provided by the AP (8/28). Additional Coverage: Zinke’s Daughter Slams Trump’s “Inexcusable” Transgender Military Policy. Additional coverage that Jennifer Detlefsen, the daughter of Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke, “slammed” President’s Trump’s “policy banning transgender people from serving in any capacity in the military” was provided by CNN (8/28, Klein) and E&E Publishing (8/28, Yachnin). The Rush To Develop Oil And Gas We Don’t Need. In an op-ed for the New York Times (8/28, Lyons), Jim Lyons, a research scholar at Yale, criticizes President Trump for moving forward with oil and gas development on public lands. Lyons argues that Trump’s “misguided move to increase production in a soft energy market is bad for government revenues, not necessary for national security and likely to damage natural resources that millions of Americans use and enjoy.” Lyons suggests that “a better approach would be to develop an overall strategy to guide energy development to places where conflicts with water, wildlife and recreation are fewer.” DOI-18-0489-000267 Commentary: US And Utah Need To Stop Coddling Domestic Extremists. In an op-ed for the Salt Lake (UT) Tribune (8/29, Summers), Ian Summers, a graduate research fellow in the University of Utah’s Department of Communication and special advisor to Alliance for a Better Utah, draws attention to “a pattern of state and federal officials excusing extremist antigovernment rhetoric that fosters violent zealots against the public servants they are supposed to protect.” Summers adds that Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke “declined to speak up in defense of his employees when asked about the Bunkerville standoff.” Summers warns that “the longer Zinke stays silent on this form of domestic terrorism, the more likely a tragic attack will occur – at the expense of the men and women who serve under him.” Bureau Of Land Management New Path Sought For High-Voltage Transmission Lines In Idaho. The AP (8/28, Ridler) reports that “federal officials on Monday reopened public comments on proposed routes for two high-voltage transmission lines in southwestern Idaho intended to modernize the Pacific Northwest’s energy grid.” The Bureau of Land Management “announced it will take comments through Sept. 27 for two segments of the Gateway West project proposed by Idaho Power and Rocky Mountain Power.” The BLM in January “approved routes for the two 500-kilovolt transmission lines on public land in Idaho’s Gooding, Elmore, Owyhee, Cassia and Twin Falls counties.” However, “legislation by Idaho Republican Rep. Mike Simpson signed into law in May by President Donald Trump mandates segments not connected to those routes.” Coverage by the AP was also picked up by the Sacramento (CA) Bee (8/28, Ridler), the Bristol (VA) Herald Courier (8/28, Ridler), the Washington Times (8/28, Ridler), the Houston Chronicle (8/28, Ridler, Press), and the Spokane (WA) Spokesman-Review (8/28, Ridler). Person Who Caused Big Wyoming Wildfire Could Be Told To Pay. The AP (8/28) reports that “the person who caused a wildfire that destroyed a home and threatened several others east of Yellowstone National Park could be ordered to pay millions to cover firefighting costs.” Bureau of Land Management spokeswoman Sarah Beckwith said “the federal agency seeks to recoup the cost of wildfires caused by people.” According to Beckwith, “the fire cost the BLM roughly $1.4 million and several agencies were involved in fighting the fire.” Additional coverage was provided by the Powell (WY) Tribune (8/28, Baker). Bringing Pot To Burning Man? It’s Still Illegal On US Land. The AP (8/28) reports that “Nevada has legalized recreational marijuana, but it’s still not OK for tens of thousands of Burning Man fans to light up this year.” According to the article, “consumption is allowed only in private and even possession remains illegal on federal lands, including the stretch of Black Rock Desert managed by the U.S. Bureau of Land Management where the counter-culture festival began Sunday and continues through the weekend about 100 miles (161 kilometers) north of Reno.” BLM officials “say a pot possession arrest can result in a year in jail and a $1,000 fine.” However, “federal agents made no arrests for any crimes last year at Burning Man, or the year before.” Lawmakers Frustrated By BLM, Wyoming Gets EPA Grant For Leaky Petroleum Tanks Ruffatto Sentencing Delayed. The Casper (WY) Star-Tribune (8/28, Richards) reports that “the Bureau of Land Management’s consideration of viewshed impacts from Native American historic sites has some lawmakers and a number of oil and gas operators frustrated.” The Select Federal Natural Resource Committee meets in Casper next week, “and the viewshed is on the agenda.” Throwing Away Years Of Public Cooperation In The Arctic Would Be A Mistake. In an op-ed for the Juneau (AK) Empire (8/28), Debbie S. Miller opposes opening up more of DOI-18-0489-000268 the National Petroleum Reserve-Alaska to drilling. According to Miller, “given the size of the Reserve, there is plenty of room to protect significant natural values and the subsistence interests of the Inupiat.” She says that the BLM has “created a management plan that, while not perfect, has set aside five areas of exceptional wildlife and subsistence values while still allowing oil development to move forward in the Reserve.” Euthanizing Wild Horses Is Nice Way To Say Killing: Suzanne Roy. In an op-ed for the Reno (NV) Gazette-Journal (8/28, Roy), Suzanne Roy, executive director of the American Wild Horse Campaign, criticizes “the Trump Administration’s budget request to slaughter tens of thousands of healthy wild horses and burros.” Instead of slaughter, Roy urges Congress to “look where the National Academy of Sciences directed the BLM to go: managing the wild horse population with fertility control.” She argues that “there is still time for Congress to wise up, reject the inhumanity of mass slaughter, and call for publiclysupported, scientifically-recommended, and long-term solutions for our wild horses.” Bureau Of Ocean Energy Management Study: Seismic Blasting In Gulf Of Mexico Hurts Dolphins, Whales. The Tampa Bay (FL) Times (8/28, Pittman) reports, “For the past six months, a battle has raged over a proposal to allow oil and gas companies to perform seismic testing to search for deposits of petroleum off the nation’s Atlantic coast.” The federal government issued 22 permits for seismic tests in the Gulf of Mexico last year, and has so far issued 11 this year. A federal environmental impact study released this month “says the blasts of sound used to detect the presence of oil and gas have likely been harming whales and dolphins” in the Gulf of Mexico. But “an industry spokesman contended that there’s no evidence that any marine life has ever been harmed by its seismic testing.” API’s Erik Milito said, “The oil and natural gas industry has been operating safely and successfully in the Gulf of Mexico for decades without injuries to marine life.” Carney Launches Effort To Explore Offshore Wind In Delaware. The Wilmington (DE) News Journal (8/28, Goss) reports that “Delaware this week took its first major step toward encouraging the development of an offshore wind farm in nearly a decade.” Gov. John Carney on Monday “signed an executive order to create a ‘working group’ that will examine the potential costs and benefits of generating electricity from such a project.” According to the article, “one of the first questions the 17-member working group will need to answer is how to avoid the missteps that caused the undoing of Delaware’s previous attempt to foster an offshore wind project under Carney’s predecessor, former Gov. Jack Markell.” Also reporting are North American Windpower (8/28, Lillian). Bureau Of Reclamation Boat Ramp To Close After Labor Day Weekend. The Twin Falls (ID) Times-News (8/29) reports that “American Falls Reservoir’s west-side boat ramp construction will resume after Labor Day weekend, the Bureau of Reclamation announced.” According to the article, “the ramp will close to the public, including all boater and angler traffic, beginning Sept. 5 and will re-open in mid-October following construction.” Upper Snake Field Office manager Ryan Newman said in a release, “Our contractors have a small window of opportunity to access a portion of the ramp. The goal is to remove and replace up to 150 feet of the ramp before the water rises in mid-October.” Bureau Of Safety And Environmental Enforcement More Rain And Rescues As Harvey Lashes Texas For Another Day. The New York Times (8/28) reports Tropical Storm Harvey continues to unleash rain and DOI-18-0489-000269 flooding in Houston, leading the city’s mayor Sylvester Turner to defend his decision not to evacuate. Turner said an evacuation order would have been chaotic and put more people’s lives in danger. A second New York Times (8/28, Dougherty) reports the storm is likely to be one of the nation’s costliest disasters, with tens of billions in economic activity and property damage lost in an area crucial for the energy, chemical and shipping industries. Economists say the region will recover quickly and continue growing, but the storm is forcing businesses to focus on damage assessment and rebuilding. Brett Ryan, senior US economist at Deutsche Bank, said, “Since the Port Arthur refining complex is the largest in the U.S. and the second largest in the world, this will no doubt impact gasoline and chemicals prices.” The storm forced eight refineries in Texas to shut down, sparking concern for increases in gasoline prices. The Wall Street Journal (8/28, Zumbrun) reports the financial toll will largely depend on the extend of flooding in upcoming days. While refiners outside the region may be able to offset some of the negative effects, Gulf Coast producers still have to evaluate whether the plants and ports sustained major damage from the flood before restarting operations. Moody’s expects the biggest damage will be to insurers and property owners, with an estimated $30-40 billion in damage from the storm. The Los Angeles Times (8/28, Masunaga) reports major ports in Corpus Christi and Houston are closed to vessel traffic, which is expected to delay imports and exports of crude and refined products, according to S&P Global Platts. Beacon Economics economist Robert Kleinhenz said there is a “good chance” of a “slight but measurable impact” on the US GDP this quarter because of the storm. USA Today (8/28, Davidson, Bomey) reports the region is responsible for about 2.4 percent of the US’ economy, with a projected gross output of $441 billion this year. It is a top three center for oil refineries, and is the largest concentration of chemical production. It also contains the second busiest shipping port and two of the country’s busiest airports. Kevin Simmons, an economics professor at Austin College, writes in the Dallas Morning News (8/28, Simmons) that Harvey could break a record for financial damage by a storm. Refiner Stocks Rise As Harvey Disrupts Fuel Production. The Wall Street Journal (8/28, Sider) reports shares of refiners rallied Monday as investors look to benefit from the plants that are still online and producing. Harvey has knocked out more than 2 million bpd in refining capacity, causing gasoline and diesel prices to spike on concerns that supplies will tighten. However, the reduced demand from refiners has also depressed oil prices. USA Today (8/28, Bomey) reports that long term damage will be limited, but short term outages at refineries are causing gasoline price spikes. The national average was $2.36 on Monday, up 4 cents from a week ago and 15.4 cents year-over-year, according to AAA. GasBuddy.com petroleum analyst Patrick DeHaan expects retail increases of 10-25 cents in the Gulf Coast, 10-25 cents in the upper Midwest, 10-20 cents in the Northeast, 5-15 cents in the Plains and 5-15 cents in the Rockies and West. DeHaan said, “I think the worst of the impact is going to start trickling down to the retail level in the next couple of days. ... The storm is going to be dumping rain for days yet, so we don’t necessarily have a full comprehension of the amount of damage that’s taking place.” The Miami Herald (8/28, Neal) reports DeHaan said, “The impact could linger for several weeks or longer, depending on how long it takes Texas refiners to return to normal operations. In addition, the situation could worsen should more shutdowns or outages happen in the coming week as Harvey continues to drop feet of rain on already flooded Texas.” Reuters (8/28, Seba) reports US fuel prices surged on Monday as two more Gulf Coast refiners cut output and considered reducing a third, leaving more than 13 percent of the nation’s refining capacity offline. Marathon’s Galveston Bay refinery cut production by half, while Lyondell Basell Industries’ Houston refinery also reduced output by 50 percent to conserve supply. Motiva Enterprises is also considering shutting in its Port Arthur refinery because of high water and plant grounds and running with only essential personnel. Gasoline for immediate delivery in the Gulf Coast hit five-year highs, while US gasoline futures jumped as much as 7 percent. Robert Rapier writes a contributing piece for Forbes (8/28, Rapier) saying that the US will have a considerable draw on gasoline inventories this week, and for the foreseeable future. The extent of the draws will depend on the damage to the facilities and infrastructure. Rapier expects offshore production to resume quickly, but Eagle Ford operations to take longer to resume. DOI-18-0489-000270 Reuters (8/28, Scheyder) reports BP said its offshore oil platforms in the US Gulf of Mexico and its Texas City chemical plant are still online despite Tropical Storm Harvey. BP decided to close its US headquarters in Houston and is asking its 5,000 employees to work remotely. The office will only reopen once conditions approve, according to spokesman Jason Ryan. Fox Business (8/28, Rocco) reports some oil production in the Gulf of Mexico started to return on Monday as companies recover from Hurricane Harvey. About 18.9 percent of the Gulf’s 1.75 million bpd capacity was still offline, down from Sunday’s estimate of 22 percent, according to the BSEE. The agency said 98 platforms remain evacuated, while seven resumed operations. Natural gas production also improved from 25.7 percent offline to 18.1 percent. Gaurav Sharma writes a contributing piece for Forbes (8/28, Sharma) reports that the storm could move towards Louisiana and cause widespread damage at their refining facilities. In total, “The shutdowns include ExxonMobil Baytown (560,500 bpd), and Valero (293,000 bpd), Citgo (157,500 bpd), Flint Hills (296,470 bpd), Magellan (50,000 bpd), Buckeye (50,000 bpd) – all in Corpus Christi. Shell Deer Park (340,000 bpd), Pasadena (112,229 bpd), Phillips66 Sweeny (247,000 bpd) and Valero Three Rivers (89,000 bpd) facilities have also been temporarily closed.” Bloomberg News (8/28, Spalding, Carroll) reports Harvey has drifted back into the Gulf of Mexico, where it is gaining strength before coming ashore again. It is expected to hit the Texas-Louisiana border. Harvey’s Lessons For America’s Stretched Energy Infrastructure. The Wall Street Journal (8/28, Jakab) reports Hurricane Harvey is providing an important reminder that the infrastructure that processes and delivers oil is vital for the US’ energy security. The US imports 25 percent less oil than a decade ago and exports over a million bpd. The US also relies on fewer facilities, that are now run closer to their physical limits. The storm in the Gulf Coast, where many refineries are concentrated, also affects the pipeline infrastructure that delivers product to customers. The Colonial Pipeline carries over 2.5 million bpd, about half the refined product used along the entire east coast. In Breakingviews, Reuters (8/28, Laughlin) says that the storm exposes the flaws in making the US a dominant fuel exporter by promoting coal and opening federal lands for oil drilling. Instead, “Tackling climate change and hardening energy infrastructure should take priority over Trump’s pet projects.” While oil and gas supplies are plentiful, the resources are little good if the necessary infrastructure is not working. Fish And Wildlife Service 9th Circuit Rules Against Endangered Status For Sonoran Desert Bald Eagles. The Arizona Daily Star (8/28, Fischer) reports that the 9th US Circuit Court of Appeals “rebuffed a bid to have the Sonoran Desert area bald eagle listed as endangered, saying, in essence, that if they all are eradicated it wouldn’t make a real difference to eagle populations as a whole.” The appeals court “agreed Monday with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service that while the eagles are different than others, they are not ‘ecologically or biologically significant.’” According to the article, “with bald eagles as a whole no longer endangered, the judges said there was no justification for providing that status for this group alone, even if they disappear from the Southwest.” Additional coverage was provided by the Arizona Daily Sun (8/28, Fischer) and Law360 (8/28, Phillis). Business Leaders Want Mexican Wolves In Grand Canyon Area. The AP (8/29) reports that “more than 60 business leaders have urged the federal government to release endangered Mexican gray wolves into the Grand Canyon area in northern Arizona and eastern Utah.” The business leaders are “submitting their request in a joint letter to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.” They claim “the wolf-recovery efforts will have economic and environmental benefits.” Additional coverage was provided by the Arizona Republic (8/28, Devoid). DOI-18-0489-000271 Feds Will Help With Wetlands Restoration At Bailey Point. The Elk River (MN) Star News (8/28) reports that the US Fish and Wildlife Service is “going to help with wetland restoration at Bailey Point Nature Preserve in Elk River.” The Elk River City Council agreed “to enter into a contract with the service Monday night.” Under the contract, the federal government will “pay $2,500 to restore an acre of wetland and 15 acres of prairie and oak savanna in the park.” The project will “provide habitat for migratory birds and native pollinators, like bees, and give the city technical expertise, while the city agreed to hire the contract that does the work.” Refuge Occupier Jason Blomgren Sentenced To Probation. The AP (8/28, Dubois) reports that “a federal judge sentenced a North Carolina man on Monday to two years on probation for his role in last year’s takeover of a national wildlife refuge in Oregon.” US District Judge Robert Jones also “ordered Jason Blomgren to pay $3,000 restitution.” Blomgren is also “required to participate in mental health treatment.” This ‘Endangered Species’ Story Was Government-Sponsored Fake News. In commentary for the Daily Signal (8/28, Gordon), Rob Gordon, a senior research fellow at The Heritage Foundation criticizes the federal government for its decision to delist the Johnston’s frankenia. According to Gordon, “the species did not recover – it never was endangered in the first place.” Gordon also claims that it took the Fish and Wildlife Service “decades to correct this mistake, and when it finally did, it was dishonest.” National Park Service Homestead To Welcome Visitor Aiming To See Every National Park. The Beatrice (NE) Daily Sun (8/28) reports that Homestead National Monument of America will be “welcoming Mikah Meyer to the park on Monday, Sept. 4, 2017, from 1-2 p.m. at the Education Center.” Meyer is “on a mission to set a world record for national park trips.” Meyer will “discuss his epic quest to be the youngest person to stamp his national park passport book in all 417 units of the National Park System.” Additional Coverage: Bottled Water Is Back In Our National Parks. Additional coverage that the ban on the sale of bottled water in national parks has been overturned was provided by Plastics Today (8/28, Goldsberry). Growing Maintenance Backlog Hurting Our National Parks. In an op-ed for the Helena (MT) Independent Record (8/28, Beck), Tom Beck, a former legislator from Deer Lodge, writes that the deferred maintenance backlogs at national parks is “a big problem” for the National Park Service, “as it can’t keep up with the roughly $11.3 billion in maintenance repairs that are needed system-wide.” Beck warns that “the maintenance backlog means that tourism in Montana could take a hit.” Furthermore, he says that “the more we defer park maintenance needs, the more expensive they can become.” Beck supports the National Park Service Legacy Act, “bipartisan congressional legislation that would provide a fiscally sustainable path forward to address deferred maintenance problems in our national parks.” Cash-strapped Park Service Eyes Help From ‘Friends’. The Johnstown (PA) Tribune-Democrat (8/29) editorializes that “because federal dollars for national parks are limited, and more than 400 other national historic sites are cash-strapped as well, rangers at the Johnstown Flood National Memorial started looking elsewhere for funds to help pay for improvements.” The rangers “want to adopt a program that has been successful at other national park sites across the country.” The rangers “hope to establish a Friends of the Johnstown Flood National Memorial group.” The paper encourages “anyone interested in preserving the region’s rich heritage and history to lend a hand.” DOI-18-0489-000272 Office Of Insular Affairs North Korea Fires Unidentified Projectile, US Says. The Los Angeles Times (8/28, Stiles) reports North Korea on Tuesday launched a missile that “apparently traveled hundreds of miles over Sea of Japan and Hokkaido, an island prefecture in northern Japan,” according to Army Col. Rob Manning, a Pentagon spokesman. Manning said military officials are evaluating the launch and will report their findings later. ABC World News Tonight (8/28, story 7, 1:10, Llamas) called the ballistic missile launch “another serious escalation,” and noted “President Trump has threatened to confront new signs of aggression from North Korea with, quote, ‘fire and fury.’ No response yet from the White House to today’s launch.” NBC Nightly News (8/28, story 8, 0:30, Holt) said the early Tuesday morning launch “was the first time a North Korean projectile crossed over Japan in nearly a decade” and “the second launch from the North in four days. Defiant moves in the face of President Trump’s threats of fire and fury.” The New York Times (8/28, Sang-Hun, Sanger) similarly calls the move “a direct challenge to President Trump,” and notes the launch came shortly after Secretary of State Tillerson said he was “pleased to see that the regime in Pyongyang has certainly demonstrated some level of restraint that we have not seen in the past.” While the missile’s flight “landed harmlessly in the sea,” the propaganda value “was considerable,” as public television programs “were interrupted with a rare warning screen announcing the missile’s flight over the country,” bullet train lines halted operations, and the government used “unusually dire terms” to discuss the incident. Said Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, “A missile passing over Japan is an unprecedented, grave and serious threat,” Bloomberg News (8/28, Nonomiya, Sharp, Keatinge) reports, adding that Abe demanded an emergency United Nations Security Council meeting. Abe told reporters “that he agreed with Trump to increase pressure on North Korea following a 40-minute phone call on Tuesday morning,” and also “urged China and Russia to join in taking action against Kim Jong Un’s regime.” The Wall Street Journal (8/28, Cheng, Landers) reports the Anderson Air Force Base in Guam announced US authorities detected the launch “in real time,” but determined the missile did not pose a threat to the island. Meanwhile, according to a statement from Seoul’s Blue House, National Security Adviser McMaster and his counterpart from Seoul, Chung Euiyong discussed an expanded deployment of “strategic assets,” which the Journal says may include nuclear weapons, aircraft carriers, or stealth bombers, to South Korea. Top National News Trump To Visit Texas As Rain Continues To Fall And Relief Efforts Continue. President Trump addressed Tropical Storm Harvey and the continuing rains in Texas on Monday, vowing long-term federal recovery assistance. The President and First Lady plan to visit Texas Tuesday, and may return to the region again this weekend. Coverage portrays the response as running smoothly so far, but with much remaining to be seen amid ongoing rains and a massive number of displaced people. The Dallas Morning News (8/28, Gillman) reports under the headline “Trump’s Texas Flood Tour Will Project Compassion, High-Level Engagement” that the White House has tried to project an image of Trump as “an engaged consoler in chief,” but the Washington Post (8/28, Parker) says the visit “is not without its own possible political peril, especially because rain may still be falling when he heads to Texas.” The story dominated the network newscasts, which devoted more than 46 minutes of combined coverage to Harvey. On the CBS Evening News (8/28, story 7, 0:30, O'Donnell), Anthony Mason reported, “President Trump will fly to the disaster zone tomorrow, and possibly again next weekend. No decision has been announced on which towns the President will visit.” NBC Nightly News (8/28, story 5, 0:40, Holt) reported, “President Trump is preparing to head here to the storm zone tomorrow to monitor this situation on the ground. This natural disaster [is] a major test for how his Administration will respond.” On ABC World News Tonight (8/28, story 6, 1:50, Llamas), Jonathan Karl reported, “The President was DOI-18-0489-000273 upbeat about recovery efforts, saying the Texas governor is doing a fantastic job, calling his FEMA administrator ‘outstanding in so many ways,’ and predicting a swift recovery.” USA Today (8/28, Korte) reports that Trump said Monday “that he may visit the Gulf Coast two or three times this week – with stops in Texas and possibly Louisiana – to survey the damage caused by Hurricane Harvey.” During remarks at the White House after his meeting with President Sauli Niinistö of Finland, the President “expressed amazement at the magnitude of the disaster but promised a swift and long-term federal government response.” Trump said, “I’ve heard the words ‘epic,’ I’ve heard ‘historic.’ That’s what it is. It’s like Texas. It’s really like Texas, if you think about it. But it is a historic amount of water.” Politico (8/28, McCaskill, Nelson) reports that the President and First Lady are “expected to sidestep Houston” on Tuesday “so as not to interrupt evacuations and emergency responses to the devastating flooding in that area.” The New York Times (8/28, Davis, Thrush) reports that Trump “pledged the federal government’s full support to residents of Texas and Louisiana...saying that ‘we are 100 percent with you’ and promising quick delivery of a multibillion-dollar aid package.” Trump said, “Recovery will be a long and difficult road, and the federal government stands ready, willing and able to support that effort.” The Los Angeles Times (8/28) reports that Trump “cautioned that the extent of the disaster is still unknown.” The New York Post (8/28, Fredericks) reports that Trump “also praised people who were going out of their way to help out their fellow citizens.” The President said, “Tragic times such as these bring out the best in America’s character. Strength, charity and resilience are those characters. We see neighbor helping neighbor, friend helping friend and stranger helping stranger.” The Washington Times (8/28, Boyer) reports that he said “the nation is hoping for ‘strength and courage’ for those affected by epic flooding and other storm damage, with much of the rainfall still coming.” Politico (8/28, Nussbaum) says the President “has deployed his knack for marketing as Hurricane Harvey has ravaged Texas, calling the storm ‘epic,’ ‘historic’ and the ‘biggest ever.’ ... But Trump’s showmanship is about to collide with the devastation on the ground as he heads to Texas on Tuesday, and while natural disasters usually call for a certain presidential demeanor, Trump’s response so far has been distinctly his own.” Politico writes that “even while he has pledged quick financial assistance from the federal government, he has appeared unable to stop himself from marveling at the strength and size of the storm.” Energy Secretary Perry said on Fox News’ Fox & Friends (8/28), “The President’s really engaged in this. ... This President is as engaged in a personal way as any president that I had the privilege to work with. He wants to come to Texas.” He “wants to be around some people, let them know that the federal government is a partner in this. We recognize, we respect the state’s role in this effort that they’re leading this, we’re assisting them. We’re leaning forward as far as we can in this. But the President is very, very engaged, he knows exactly what’s going on.” Perry later said on Fox News’ Hannity (8/28), “The President has put a Cabinet together that is really focused on this. The President has been leaning into this disaster from before it ever started, clearly giving the authority to the state of Texas to move and move quickly. So I feel confident that both the state and the federal government.” Interior Secretary Zinke said on Fox News’ Fox & Friends (8/28) that “it’s amazing to see the Cabinet under the Chief of Staff Gen. Kelly. This is very much like a military operation by the numbers, making sure the assets are surged forward, making sure we have communication with our assets and make sure all the secretaries are engaged.” Bill Kristol was asked on CNN’s The Lead (8/28) about the Trump Administration’s response. Kristol said, “It’s hard to tell, obviously, and we’ll know much more later. I do think we want to remember that John Kelly, the very capable chief of staff, was secretary of homeland security. ... So John Kelly knows more about this than the typical White House chief of staff and he was a four-star Marine general and is probably pretty good at getting things organized and happening on time.” Some analyses look at the political ramifications of how the President handles the storm. The AP (8/28, Pace) writes, “George W. Bush never recovered from his flyover of Hurricane Katrina’s devastation. Barack Obama got a bipartisan boost late in his re-election campaign for his handling of Superstorm Sandy.” Now Trump “confronts the political risks DOI-18-0489-000274 and potential gains that come with leading the federal government’s response to a deadly and destructive natural disaster.” The White House “has sought to paint Trump as eagerly engaged in the initial response,” and the President’s “advisers are well-aware that the hurricane poses a significant test for the White House, which has largely been mired in crises of its own making during Trump’s first seven months in office.” The Washington Post (8/28, Debonis, Paletta) says the storm “will pose an immediate test for the White House and Congress, pressing policymakers to approve billions of dollars in recovery funds even though they haven’t agreed on much else this year.” Harvey “poses President Trump’s first test in emergency assistance, potentially revealing whether he can overcome Congress’s deep divisions over spending and the budget to prioritize aid. It will also test whether Trump can suspend his adversarial governing style and even postpone his own agenda...to assemble a major – and costly – package that could be directed to law enforcement, emergency relief, schools, infrastructure, hospitals, food banks and several other entities.” USA Today (8/28) says in an editorial, “Everything President Trump needs to know about how not to handle Hurricane Harvey’s devastation in Texas, he can learn” from handling of Katrina. “Key lessons: No flyovers. No amateurs running the Federal Emergency Management Agency. No premature compliments for disaster relief efforts. And definitely nothing like ‘Brownie, you’re doing a heck of a job.’ ... Trump will ultimately be judged by his leadership, his empathy and the strength of his administration’s efforts to support state, local and private relief efforts.” The President did not tweet during the day on Monday, but retweeted four items – just one of them, from Texas Gov. Greg Abbott, about the storm. Bloomberg News (8/28, Epstein, Jacobs) also reports on the President’s Monday remarks. Pence Says Adequate Funding Exists To Address Crisis. Roll Call (8/28, Bennett) reports that Vice President Pence said Monday that the federal government “has adequate funding on hand to deal with the historic flooding and damage done by Hurricane Harvey, possibly looking to tamp down concerns that Congress could get into a spending fight over the cost of the storm’s aftermath.” Pence said, “We truly believe that we have the reserves to address the financial burden of this crisis.” Pence told KHOU-TV Houston (8/28, Lewis), “We actually anticipate that as many as a half a million people in Texas will be eligible for and applying for financial disaster assistance, and we remain very confident that with the reserves and with the support in the Congress, we’ll have the resources that we need. But right now, as you know very well, the focus now is on rescue, on getting people out of harm’s way. ... The President and I could not be more grateful for the efforts of state and local officials in Texas. But it’s so important that Texans continue to do what people have been doing, and that is listening to local emergency management officials and making sure that they and their families stay safe.” Pence said on KTRH-AM Houston (8/28), “I think that the what you’re going to see is that the national government, and we anticipate the Congress, are going to make the resources of available to see Texas through the rescue operation, through the recovery. But there is simply no question when you look at...the magnitude of the flooding that’s taken place in the fourth largest city in the United States that we anticipate it will be years coming back but Houston and Texas are strong. ... We know we will be there to rebuild and the American people are with you.” Pence said on KTSA-AM San Antonio (8/28) that “when the rain comes down and beats against the house and the flood waters rise and the wind blows, states are in the lead and your local first responders and local emergency managers but the federal government has a vital role in providing support and from even before landfall, President Trump directed the full resources of the Federal government to support the people of Texas and as of this morning the people of Louisiana in the midst of this storm. As I speak to you we have some eight thousand federal officials working through FEMA on the ground in Texas and Louisiana. We have but dozens of fixed wing and helicopter aircraft with the Coast Guard that are supporting National Guard efforts.” Pence said on the Rush Limbaugh Show (8/28), “I think the American people can be very proud of the effort the Gov. Abbott in Texas and local first responded are making and I am very proud of the strong leadership President Trump has provided for our entire DOI-18-0489-000275 Administration.” Pence added that “once the floodwaters subside, then the real work of recovery will be begin in earnest and we’re going be making sure that that upwards to a half a million Americans that may be eligible for disaster assistance know that that we are with them, we support them and we’ll see Houston and southeast Texas all the way through this crisis.” Pence was also interviewed on KSEV-AM and KTRK-TV. Lawmakers Hope To Avoid Fight Over Disaster Aid. USA Today (8/28, King, Jackson) reports that officials are hoping “to avoid the political squall over disaster aid that followed Superstorm Sandy in 2012. ... Lawmakers from New York and New Jersey took to Twitter to make clear they were ready to support disaster aid for the battered Gulf Coast, even though many of their colleagues from that region opposed the aid package approved after Sandy struck the Northeast nearly five years ago.” However, “some conservatives are warning Congress not to fill a relief bill with pork-barrel spending.” House Freedom Caucus Chairman Rep. Mark Meadows (R-NC) said, “Sadly and far too often, relief packages become a vehicle for all kinds of special interest and pet projects that have nothing to do with the devastation. Narrowly focused relief packages would get conservative support.” The New York Times (8/28, Kaplan, Martin) says that “the prospect of a disaster aid package is also reviving raw emotions from after Hurricane Sandy, when Northeastern Republicans found themselves pitted against conservative colleagues from other regions – including most of the Texas delegation – who objected to the roughly $50 billion relief package,” and it “will add another pressing issue to an already tense fiscal showdown that faces Congress as lawmakers return next week from a monthlong recess.” Politico (8/28, Scholtes, Wright) reports under the headline “Hurricane Aid Adds To GOP’s Dreadful September” that Senate Majority Leader McConnell and House Speaker Ryan “already face a daunting September, with deadlines looming to avoid a government shutdown and debt default,” and “now they’ll likely have to add a multibillion-dollar aid package” to the mix. Politico (8/28, Cheney) reports that Sen. Ted Cruz and other Texas Republicans are now being “accused of hypocrisy on Harvey aid.” Gov. Chris Christie, referring to Sandy, told reporters Monday, “The congressional members in Texas are hypocrites, and I said back in 2012 they’d be proven to be hypocrites. It was just a matter of time. We were the disaster that was the longest in waiting in terms of federal aid, and I hope that’s not what happens to the folks in Texas.” Other northeastern Republicans “also vented their frustration at how Texas Republicans handled Sandy aid – even as they said they wouldn’t repeat history in return.” Several Texas lawmakers of both parties weighed in on the storm response. Rep. Al Green (D-TX) said on CNN’s Situation Room (8/28), “I think that we have to prepare ourselves for a circumstance similar to what we had with Katrina. ... We will have a longterm recovery process, and it’s going to require funding from the government. Only the Federal government can step in with the resources necessary to take care of the people after this horrific event. My hope is that we will be amenable to working together, I think we will, and making sure we provide the resources for the recovery that will be long term.” Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee (D-TX) was asked on CNN’s Situation Room (8/28) if she is confident Congress will pass an aid package for Texas. Jackson Lee said, “This is a statement about America and whether we will build infrastructure and housing and we’ll restore people’s lives. I believe the Speaker and certainly my Democratic leadership that has called me already to move an aid package, I think the real question is if the President of the United States has to be part of that leadership with a commitment not to shut this government down.” Rep. Pete Sessions (R-TX) said on MSNBC’s Morning Joe (8/28), “Congress is going to have to deal with this appropriately as we have had to do over the last 20 years of big floods and tornadoes. I would offer some bit of advice to the Administration...and to the United States Senate. They need to finish 100 percent of the confirmations. They need to finish doing their work rather than the games that have been going on. We need real live people who will be accountable and responsible for what happens for several years from the Administration across the board, and I encourage the Administration to finish off its business.” AP Analysis: FEMA’s Long Brings Experience To Handling Of Storm. The AP (8/28, DOI-18-0489-000276 Kellman) writes that FEMA Administrator Brock Long, “a veteran of disaster management in government and the private sector,” is “facing a new scale of problems to solve in the historic devastation of the nation’s fourth-largest city. And if the past is any indication, political storms could loom on the horizon.” Long said Monday, “We have not seen an event like this. You could not draw this forecast up.” Harvey “is far from Long’s first time managing disaster response, but it’s shaping up to be one of the nation’s most devastating storms.” The Texas Tribune (8/28, Livingston) reports that Long was in Corpus Christi and San Antonio on Monday. Long said on Fox News Special Report (8/28), “I was with Gov. Abbott in Corpus Christi today. ... It was good because we were able to sit down with the Mayor and some county judges there to reconfirm any gaps that there may be. I also put eyes on commodities that were moving forward.” Long added, “Unfortunately, this is going to call for urban planning, city officials, different things to rethink the way we redesign Houston after this. We already asking for a new normal.” The New York Times (8/28, Sullivan) reports that FEMA “is calling on Americans to help with the response to Hurricane Harvey through financial donations or by assisting with search and rescue efforts.” Acting DHS Secretary Elaine Duke said, “People need help, and we are working to provide it. Harvey is still a dangerous and historic storm.” The Houston Chronicle (8/28, Osborne, Diaz) reports that for now, FEMA “remains focused on assisting local authorities in rescue efforts and distributing emergency supplies. ... For an agency that many still remember for its struggles to manage Hurricane Katrina in 2005, the bigger test will come in managing the rebuilding efforts, experts say. But so far, the agency is winning early praise.” FEMA: 30,000 Expected To Need Shelter In Texas. USA Today (8/28, Jervis, Bacon) reports that “more than 5,500” Texans sought refuge in Houston’s convention center and other shelters Monday “as local, state and federal officials warned that the human crisis in southeast Texas was just beginning.” Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner said he expects the number of people seeking shelter “to rise sharply by Tuesday,” and Long “said more than 30,000 people ultimately could need shelter.” Said Long, “The sheltering mission is going to be a very heavy lift.” The New York Times (8/28, Healy) reports that most of those seeking refuge in shelters “have few clothes, no cars or way home, and are living in a haze of uncertainty, searching for answers from home as to what – and who – survived.” The CBS Evening News (8/28, story 2, 3:00, O'Donnell) reported, “FEMA estimates 30,000 evacuees would need shelter within a couple of days. More of Houston’s flood survivors left rooftops in a basket today: 20 Coast Guard helicopters have plucked more than 300 Harvey victims to safety. But officials admit there aren’t enough helicopters, boats, or high water vehicles to reach everyone. Emergency systems were overwhelmed. By this morning, 75,000 people had called 911, desperate for help.” ABC World News Tonight (8/28, story 3, 2:10, Llamas) spoke with some of the evacuees. ABC World News Tonight (8/28, story 8, 1:50, Llamas) also spoke with some evacuated families whose homes were destroyed. Michael Brown: Harvey “Worse Than Katrina” In Several Ways. The Houston Chronicle (8/28, Hlavaty) reports that ex-FEMA Director Michael Brown said in a Monday interview “that the devastation Houston is suffering from Hurricane Harvey was worse in his eyes than what was seen during Katrina.” Brown said, “There are several factors that make it worse than Katrina. For one there is the scope of the flooding. ... Also, the amount of damages will continue to grow. There will be mold and structural damages adding up. ... This will be easily the most expensive natural disaster in American history.” Coast Guard Playing “Major Role” In Search And Rescue Operations. The CBS Evening News (8/28, story 10, 1:40, O'Donnell) reported that the US Coast Guard is playing “a major role in search and rescue operations” in Texas with 150 Guard members “flown in from all over the country and more are on the way.” In addition, “15 to 20 aircraft are up in the air at any given time.” Army Corps Of Engineers Releasing Water From Reservoirs To Prevent Additional Flooding. The CBS Evening News (8/28, story 4, 2:20, O'Donnell) reported that the Army Corps of Engineers has begun releasing water from two reservoirs to prevent additional flooding in downtown Houston, “but that ended up sending flood waters pouring into some DOI-18-0489-000277 neighborhoods.” ABC World News Tonight (8/28, story 2, 1:35, Llamas) likewise reported that the Corps “released some of water, hoping the keep it under control, but tens of thousands of homes are under threat because of it.” ABC’s Clayton Sandell reported that residents of Houston’s Fleetwood neighborhood were “caught off-guard by rising floods overnight, supercharged when officials say they were forced to release water from the nearby Addicks and Barker Reservoirs.” Filing Insurance Claims After Friday Could Cost Texans Due To New Law. The Texas Tribune (8/28, Rocha) reports that a new Texas law intended “to crack down on frivolous insurance lawsuits” is set to take effect on Friday. The measure “also reduces the penalty interest rate insurance companies face for late payments if the policyholder files a lawsuit,” so for those affected by Harvey, “waiting to submit a claim past Friday could cost them big.” Gulf Coast Property Damage Could Reach $40 Billion. The Wall Street Journal (8/28, Zumbrun) reports that the Texas Gulf Coast is expected to suffer tens of billions of dollars in property damage. Reuters (8/28) reports, “Wall Street analysts estimated insured losses of up to $20 billion, making Harvey one of the costliest storms in history for US insurers.” USA Today (8/28, Davidson, Bomey) reports that Moody’s Analytics “estimates the storm will result in $30 billion to $40 billion in property damage and about $7 billion in lost economic output.” The region “plays an outsize role in the US economy. Its projected gross output of $441 billion this year represents about 2.4% of the nation’s economy,” and it is “among the top three hubs for oil refineries.” The Wall Street Journal (8/28, Page, Baskin) additionally reports that freight companies are working to reroute cargo and set up alternate supply lines in the wake of the storm. Trump Stands By Threat To Shut Down Government Over Border Wall. During a White House press conference with Finnish President Sauli Niinisto on Monday, President Trump stood by his threat to shut down the government if congressional Democrats block funds for a wall along the US-Mexico border. The Washington Times (8/28, Miller) reports that Trump “said he hoped a shutdown wouldn’t be necessary.” Politico (8/28, Conway) quotes Trump as saying, “I hope that’s not necessary. If it’s necessary, we’ll have to see, but I hope it’s not necessary.” CNN senior congressional reporter Manu Raju said on CNN’s Situation Room (8/28), “I can tell you, almost certainly...funding for the wall will not get approved in the United States Senate. The Democrats are almost universally opposed to this. A lot of Republicans opposed to it so what does the President do? A lot of Republicans think he will back down, but if he doesn’t, then we can have a stand-off, but we’ll see. He may be forced to back down given the situation in Texas.” Trump Insists Mexico Will Pay For The Wall. Reuters (8/28) says Trump “also said Mexico may pay for the wall by reimbursement. Mexico has adamantly said it will not pay for the wall.” Said Trump, “One way or the other Mexico is going to pay for the wall.” USA Today (8/28, Estepa) reports that the comment came after Mexico’s foreign ministry released a statement Sunday saying, “As the Mexican government has always stated, our country will not pay, under any circumstances, for a wall or physical barrier built on U.S. territory along the Mexican border. ... This statement is not part of a Mexican negotiating strategy, but rather a principle of national sovereignty and dignity.” Trump To Promote Tax Reform In Missouri Wednesday. The St. Louis Post-Dispatch (8/28, Raasch) reports that the White House announced Monday that President Trump will speak Wednesday at the Loren Cook Company in Springfield, Missouri. During a speech “aimed at promoting tax reform,” Trump “is expected to exhort Congress to move forward on cutting tax rates and simplifying the tax code, a top campaign promise of the president’s when he was elected in 2016.” The Dispatch adds that Trump will make the speech “at the company of a major Republican campaign donor.” According to Federal records, “since 2008, someone identified as Loren Cook or Loren Cook II and affiliated with the company has given more than $24,000, individually, to GOP candidates, including Trump, who got $2,800, according to the Center for Responsive Politics.” EPA Watchdog To Investigate Pruitt’s Travel. DOI-18-0489-000278 The Hill (8/28, Cama) reports the Environmental Protection Agency’s Office of the Inspector General “is launching a probe into Administrator Scott Pruitt’s ‘frequent’ travel to his home state of Oklahoma.” Officials with the office “notified agency leadership about the audit Monday, weeks after an environmental group said Pruitt was in Oklahoma or en route there for nearly half of his first three months in office, often using taxpayer funds.” According to the notification “auditors will examine the EPA’s ‘adherence to policies, procedures and oversight controls’ related to Pruitt’s travel.” E&E Publishing (8/28) reports the auditors wrote, “This assignment is being initiated based on congressional requests and a hotline complaint, all of which expressed concerns about administrator Pruitt’s travel — primarily his frequent travel to and from his home state of Oklahoma at taxpayer expense.” The Oklahoman (8/28, Wingerter) reports the IG’s office “has three objectives for its investigation: determining ‘the frequency, cost and extent’ of Pruitt’s travel to Oklahoma; determining whether EPA travel rules were followed by Pruitt and his staff; and determining whether existing EPA travel policies ‘are sufficiently designed to prevent fraud, waste and abuse.’” Editorial Wrap-Up New York Times. “As Harvey Rains Down Devastation, Houston Stands Together.” A New York Times (8/28) editorial says that “there are lessons to be learned, as there always are after disasters like this. Some of those lessons — like how unchecked urban sprawl and paving over of wetlands and prairies have increased the risk posed by floods in Houston and other cities — were evident long before Harvey and ought to become more urgent in the storm’s wake.” The Times argues that “when calamity strikes, this country always seems to be looking in the rearview mirror, lamenting its failure to heed long-ago warnings.” “‘The President Speaks For Himself.’” A New York Times (8/29, Board) editorial quotes Secretary of State Tillerson, who on Sunday said President Trump “speaks for himself,” and laments, “That disturbing truth was nowhere more evident than in Mr. Trump’s pardon, late Friday night, of the former Arizona sheriff Joe Arpaio, which he issued, in his cowardly way, as the nation was riveted to the impending landfall of Hurricane Harvey.” The Times argues that the move coincides with “Trump’s broader attitude toward law enforcement,” and concludes in saying the President’s “distorted understanding of justice is cleaving the nation between the majority who support the principles of American democracy and those who support only him.” Washington Post. “Harvey’s Heroes – The Inspiring Response To A Terrible Storm.” A Washington Post (8/28) editorial says that in “all the misfortune and misery of this storm, one positive note stands out: the stories of how first responders, neighbors, strangers and just plain folks threw their all into the rescue effort.” The storm, it says, “will also raise questions that deserve answers after such a disaster. One of the most consequential is to what degree superstorms are being made even more frequent and ferocious by global climate change.” Superstorms like Harvey, Sandy and Katrina “may be remembered as the wake-up calls of our age,” and “they must be heeded.” “The Arpaio Pardon Displays Trumps Disdain For The Rule Of Law.” In an editorial, the Washington Post (8/28) says that the pardon of former Sheriff Joe Arpaio “is not only a mark of Mr. Trump’s inclination to inflame rather than bind up the nation’s wounds. It is also a warning of his lack of respect for the independence of the courts and of law enforcement in a country governed by the rule of law – a worrying characteristic in a president facing an ongoing special counsel investigation. But Mr. Trump should take the outraged response to Mr. Arpaio’s pardon from across the political spectrum as a warning, too: a sign of the resistance he will encounter if he chooses to issue further pardons, particularly in the Russia affair, on the basis of political concerns rather than those of justice.” “The Purple Line Rises From The Dead.” In an editorial, the Washington Post (8/28) writes that despite an initial “rolling battery of existential threats,” the DC Metro’s Purple Line is now much closer to realization, as highlighted by a groundbreaking ceremony on DOI-18-0489-000279 Monday attended by Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan and Transportation Secretary Chao. The Post argues that, should the Purple Line move on past current considering in a federal appeals court, its construction “would be a striking success story, a rare example of broad cooperation across party lines, and among federal, state and local government partners in coordination with the private sector.” Wall Street Journal. “Our Political Central Bankers.” In an editorial, the Wall Street Journal (8/28) writes that Federal Reserve officials demonstrated a markedly political tone during their recent Jackson Hole retreat by speaking out in defense of post-2008 financial crisis regulation. The Journal argues that the Fed holds tightly, and foolishly, to the notion that its current regulatory regime can prevent the next crisis while overlooking the costs of intervention, and the Journal concludes that the Federal Reserve needs a less political leader when Janet Yellen’s term expires in February. “Behind The Bedlam In Berkeley.” In an editorial, the Wall Street Journal (8/28) writes that politically charged street fights prompted by Antifa activists that resulted in 13 arrested in Berkeley on Sunday highlight an increasingly violent element among the radical left that has received far less media coverage and criticism than has the far right violence in Charlottesville. The Journal argues that the mainstream left must denounce Antifa as the right should denounce white nationalists. “Labour’s Brexit Pains.” In an editorial, the Wall Street Journal (8/28) writes that the recent proposal by Britain’s Labour Party to support a so-called soft Brexit under which Britain would remain within the single market and customs union after March 2019 has demonstrated that the Labour Party is beginning to reconcile the competing tensions in its ranks and present a potentially effective opposition to Theresa May’s government. The Journal warns that Britain’s Conservatives should take the proposal as a warning that they should craft a Brexit that offers greater free trade and economic reform. Big Picture Headlines From Today’s Front Pages. Wall Street Journal: Harvey To Hit Flooded Houston Again Freight Companies Scramble To Reroute Goods In Wake Of Harvey North Korea Launches Ballistic Missile Over Japan Gilead Bets $11 Billion On New Cancer Therapy New York Times: Texas Governor Warns Of A Long, Slow Recovery Coffee And Cots As Houston Houses Thousands In A Convention Center Houston’s Hospitals Treat Storm Victims And Become Victims Themselves Trump Associate Boasted That Moscow Business Deal ‘Will Get Donald Elected’ North Korea Fires Missile Over Japan Uber’s CEO Pick, Dara Khosrowshahi, Steps Into Brighter Spotlight Washington Post: How NAFTA Changed Mexico N. Korean Missile Flies Over Japan Top Trump Aide Sought Russia Help On Project At Least 9 Dead Amid Harvey’s Havoc Rescue Officials Say There Was No Way To Plan For Deluge’s Ferocity Thousands Pile Into Makeshift Shelters Set Up Across Texas Financial Times: Insurers And Energy Companies Count The Cost Of Harvey UK Hopes Dashed For Swift Japan Trade Talks DOI-18-0489-000280 Kenyans Risk 4 Years In Jail For Selling Or Using Plastic Bags Washington Times: Trump Reverses Obama, Reinstates Program Sending Military Surplus To Local Police Democrats Hype Up Leftist Base, Remain Silent After Violent Antifa Attack In Berkeley Trump, Lawmakers Promise Tens Of Billions Of Federal Dollars For Harvey Recovery Dreamer Applications Dwindle As Trump Considers Renewal Of Illegal Immigrant Amnesty Program Iraq’s Next Tough Moves: Finishing Off Islamic State And Establishing Political Stability Story Lineup From Last Night’s Network News: ABC: Hurricane Harvey; Hurricane Harvey-Reservoir Release; Hurricane Harvey-Evacuees; Hurricane Harvey-Medical Crisis; Hurricane Harvey-Forecast; Hurricane Harvey-White House; North Korea-Missile Test; Hurricane Harvey-Home Wrecks; Tropical Storm-East Coast; Hurricane Harvey-Gasoline Price; Hurricane Harvey-Volunteers. CBS: Hurricane Harvey; Hurricane Harvey-Evacuees; Hurricane Harvey-Volunteers; Hurricane Harvey-Reservoir Release; Hurricane Harvey-Forecast; Hurricane Harvey-San Antonio Shelters; Hurricane Harvey-White House; Russia Meddling Investigation-Trump Business Ties; North Korea-Missile Test; Hurricane Harvey-Coast Guard. NBC: Hurricane Harvey; Hurricane Harvey-Evacuees; Hurricane Harvey-Mandatory Evacuation Order; Hurricane Harvey-Forecast; Hurricane Harvey-White House; TrumpSheriff Arpaio Pardon; Russia Meddling Investigation-Trump; North Korea-Missile Test; Hurricane Harvey-Gasoline Price; Amazon-Whole Foods Merger; Hurricane HarveyVolunteers. Network TV At A Glance: Hurricane Harvey – 40 minutes, 50 seconds Russia Meddling Investigation-Trump – 3 minutes, 10 seconds Hurricane Harvey-White House – 3 minutes North Korea-Missile Test – 2 minutes, 40 seconds Hurricane Harvey-Gasoline Price – 2 minutes, 10 seconds Story Lineup From This Morning’s Radio News Broadcasts: ABC: Hurricane Harvey; Hurricane Harvey-White House; New Mexico-Library Shooting; North Korea-Missile Test. CBS: Hurricane Harvey; Hurricane Harvey-FEMA Budget; Hurricane Harvey-White House; North Korea-Missile Test; New Mexico-Library Shooting; Wall Street News. FOX: Hurricane Harvey; Hurricane Harvey-White House; North Korea-Missile Test; New Mexico-Library Shooting. NPR: Hurricane Harvey; Hurricane Harvey-White House; Russia Meddling InvestigationTrump Business Ties; Chicago Police Violence Trial; Wall Street News. Washington Schedule Today’s Events In Washington. White House: PRESIDENT TRUMP — Speaks with Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong of Singapore by telephone; receive a briefing on Hurricane Harvey relief efforts with local leadership and relief organizations; participate in a tour of the Emergency Operations Center; receive a briefing on Hurricane Harvey with State leadership. VICE PRESIDENT PENCE — Has lunch with Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue. US Senate: 2:30 PM Senate convenes for pro forma session On recess until 5 September. US House: 11:30 AM House Committee on Education and the Workforce Ranking Member Bobby Scott tours the EHS Abrasives plant in Norfolk, VA Location: 3306 Peterson St, Norfolk, VA Norfolk http://edworkforce.house.gov/ 12:00 PM House of Representatives convenes for pro forma session On recess until 5 September. DOI-18-0489-000281 Other: Congressional Budget Office releases report on ‘Options for changing the federal retirement system for civilian workers’ Location: TBD www.cbo.gov/ https://twitter.com/USCBO Last Laughs Late Night Political Humor. Trevor Noah: “Obviously the situation in Texas is still unfolding, so I urge you, please send the people of Texas your thoughts and your prayers. But first send them money. ... Because it goes money, then thoughts, then prayers.” Trevor Noah: “Paul Ryan has never really [stood] up to Trump. Paul Ryan stands up to Trump the same way you stand up to a waiter at a restaurant. You’re all confident when he’s not there, like, ‘This food is horrible.’ ‘What’s that?’ ‘Oh no, everything’s great, thank you.’” Trevor Noah: “You know, for a guy who’s not racist, Donald Trump sure has a lot of racist friends. He’s like the straight guy at the gym that all the gay guys hit on.” Copyright 2017 by Bulletin Intelligence LLC Reproduction or redistribution without permission prohibited. Content is drawn from thousands of newspapers, national magazines, national and local television programs, radio broadcasts, social-media platforms and additional forms of open-source data. Sources for Bulletin Intelligence audience-size estimates include Scarborough, GfK MRI, comScore, Nielsen, and the Audit Bureau of Circulation. Data from and access to third party social media platforms, including but not limited to Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and others, is subject to the respective platform’s terms of use. Services that include Factiva content are governed by Factiva’s terms of use. Services including embedded Tweets are also subject to Twitter for Website's information and privacy policies. The Department of the Interior News Briefing is published five days a week by Bulletin Intelligence, which creates custom briefings for government and corporate leaders. We can be found on the Web at BulletinIntelligence.com, or called at (703) 483-6100. DOI-18-0489-000282