Newsroom
Press Releases
The U.S. House of Representatives today passed the second in a series of three fast-track drilling bills that imposes arbitrarily rushed permitting deadlines that would force the Secretary of the Interior to approve or deny drilling permits within 30 days. If a final decision is not made within 60 days, the bill requires that the permit automatically be approved.
The U.S. House of Representatives today passed the first in a series of three bills that mandates the acceleration of the offshore drilling permitting process and opens up new areas to oil and gas drilling, including offshore along the coasts of California, Massachusetts, North Carolina, Virginia and Florida and in the Arctic Ocean.
Laramie, Wyo.— The U.S. Department of the Interior withdrew a controversial legal opinion yesterday, which could restore much-needed protections for the Preble’s meadow jumping mouse.
WASHINGTON, D.C. (May 4, 2011) – The U.S. Department of the Interior announced today that it will be issuing a final rule to remove protections for gray wolves in the Northern Rockies.
WASHINGTON (May 2, 2011) -- Conservation groups from around the country today supported key aspects of the Bureau of Land Management's draft plan for developing solar power on America's western public lands. However, they add that a Modified Solar Zone Alternative is needed to build in important improvements that ensure protections for wildlife, water and other resources so that the final plan is truly Smart from the Start.
WASHINGTON, D.C. (April 28, 2011) – Rep. Steve Pearce is leading a rally today in Roswell, New Mexico opposing federal protection of endangered wildlife. Pearce, the former owner of an oil field service company, is pursuing legislation in Congress to eliminate protections for two species, the sand dune lizard and the lesser prairie chicken. On hand for the rally will be representatives for Big Oil, who stand to be the prime beneficiaries of Pearce’s legislation.
BOISE, Idaho (April 20, 2011) – Idaho Gov. “Butch” Otter approved legislation (House Bill 343) yesterday that directs him to issue an executive order declaring a statewide wolf “disaster emergency.”
In President Obama’s acknowledgment today of the one-year anniversary of the Deepwater Horizon explosion and resulting oil disaster, he failed to mention the enormous losses sustained by the Gulf ecosystem – not only to a fishing-dependent economy but to the thousands of animals killed or harmed by toxic oil and dispersants that persist in natural habitats even today.
An entire year has gone by since the monumental economic and environmental disaster began in the Gulf of Mexico – an entire year of lost opportunity for Congressional action. Instead of enacting any laws that would prevent the same thing from happening tomorrow, some members of Congress are actually pushing through legislation that opens virtually all of America’s coastline to a similar crisis.
MISSOULA, Mont. (April 14, 2011) – Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks is introducing a breakthrough plan today that will allow bison in Yellowstone National Park to travel north into Montana’s Gardiner Basin during winter months. The plan would likely end the annual capture and shipping to slaughter of many of the bison that leave the park each winter in search of food and may help set the stage for restoring the animals to other parts of the state. The eight partners of the Interagency Bison Management Plan are hosting an open house to discuss changes to the plan tonight at 5 p.m. in Gardiner, Mont.