TRUMP IS THREATENING AMERICA’S CORNERSTONE OF ENVIRONMENTAL LAW TO ALLOW FOR BACKROOM DEALS | NEWSWEEK OPINION JUDITH HAZEN CONNERY The Trump administration’s proposal to exempt some of the nation’s most controversial developments, such as pipelines and mines, from scrutiny under the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) is more than just a bone thrown to corporate
Coalition Condemns Proposed Changes to NEPA
For Immediate Release: 1/9/20 “We strongly condemn the administration’s proposed changes to the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA). The National Park Service (NPS) is charged by law to protect our nation’s irreplaceable natural and cultural resources and NEPA is acritical tool that allows the NPS to meet their fundamental mission of protecting and preserving our
Coalition Comments – Ebike Use on Trails
January 4, 2020 Superintendent Craig Kenkel National Park Service Cuyahoga Valley National Park 15610 Vaughn Road Brecksville, OH 44141 Dear Superintendent Kenkel: I am writing to you on behalf of over 1,700 members of the Coalition to Protect America’s National Parks (Coalition).The Coalition is a non-profit organization composed of retired, former, or current employees of the
Coalition Participates in Telepresser
Coalition Executive Council member Mark Butler recently participated in a telepresser about the fourth consecutive oil and gas lease sale in Nevada. This sale involves approximately 775,000 acres of public lands located in Lincoln and White Pine Counties, within the scenic vistas and views of Great Basin National Park. The call was set up to
Coalition Statement on House Spending Packages
Coalition Statement on House Spending Packages For Immediate Release: 12/18/19 “We are pleased to see the increase to the National Park Service budget and appreciate the bipartisan investment in our national parks and public lands. Our national parks and national park service employees help to ensure that irreplaceable natural and cultural resources are preserved for
Coalition Joins Partners in Opposing BLM Move in Politico Ad
The Coalition joined 11 other partner organizations and signed on to an ad from the Public Lands Foundation, opposing the relocation of Bureau of Land Management (BLM) headquarters and employees from Washington, D.C. to locations out west. The full page ad ran in Politico on December 10, 2019.
OP-ED: Maine needs a fully funded LWCF
Op-ed by Mike Murray: Maine needs a fully funded LWCF The Land and Water Conservation Fund is our nation’s most important program to conserve irreplaceable landscapes and cultural heritage sites. The fund has received bipartisan support throughout 10 administrations, protected more than 7.6 million acres of land, and supported more than 41,000 parks, ballfields
Op-ed: For the good of Maine, the Land and Water Conservation Fund must be fully funded.
By Sheridan Steele, Opinion guest column • December 7, 2019 10:39 am One of the greatest gifts Maine could receive this holiday season is full and dedicated funding for the Land and Water Conservation Fund to be included in the fiscal year 2020 federal budget. LWCF enjoys wide bipartisan backing and is our nation’s most important program to conserve
Coalition Chair Speaks with NPT on E-bikes in National Parks
A lawsuit filed to overturn the Interior Department’s move to expand e-Bike access in the National Park System also takes aim at the Trump administration’s preference for appointing “acting” officials rather than submitting nominees for Senate confirmation. PEER Sues To Overturn Expanded E-Bike Access In National Parks
Coalition Meets with Portland Press Herald Editorial Board
Coalition Executive Council member Mike Murray recently met with the editorial staff at the Portland Press Herald to discuss the importance of the Land and Water Conservation Fund. The Herald published this editorial following their conversation. Editorials Published – December 2, 2019 Our View: Land and Water Conservation Fund needs protecting The federal program has purchased
The National Park System Deserves Better
The National Park System Deserves Better Release Date: 11/7/19 Phil Francis, Chair of the Coalition to Protect America’s National Parks, released a statement in response to the recent report by Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility (PEER) on evaporating staff levels at the National Park Service (NPS). “The agency figures released by PEER are incredibly concerning.
Coalition Comments on the Ambler Road Draft Environmental Impact Statement
October 29, 2019 Ted A. Murphy, Associate State Director Bureau of Land Management Ambler Road Draft EIS Comments, BLM Public Room 222 West 7th Avenue Anchorage, Alaska 99513 Subject: Comments on the Ambler Road Draft Environmental Impact Statement (DEIS) Dear Mr. Murphy: I am writing to you on behalf of over 1,700 members of
Coalition Comments on the Draft Environmental and Economic Analysis for the Ambler Mining District Industrial Access Project
October 29, 2019 Gregory Dudgeon, Superintendent Gates of the Arctic National Park and Preserve 4175 Geist Road, Fairbanks, AK 99709 Subject: Comments on the Draft Environmental and Economic Analysis (EE) for the Ambler Mining District Industrial Access Project Dear Superintendent Dudgeon: I am writing to you on behalf of over 1,700 members of the
Coalition to Protect America’s National Parks Denounces Attempts to Privatize More NPS Campgrounds
For Immediate Release: 10/26/2019 An advisory panel created by former Secretary of the Interior Ryan Zinke is recommending that the Interior Department privatize more campgrounds and allow services such as Wi-Fi and food trucks, in addition to other commercialized services, at national park campgrounds. “The recommendations put forward by the ‘Made in America’ Outdoor
Coalition Joins Partners in Expressing Concern Over Proposed Off-Road Vehicle Use in Utah Parks
October 9, 2019 The Honorable Rob Wallace Assistant Secretary of Fish, Wildlife and Parks Department of the Interior 1849 C Street, N.W. Washington DC 20240 Dear Assistant Secretary Wallace, On behalf of the National Parks Conservation Association, Southern Utah Wilderness Alliance, The Wilderness Society, Sierra Club, Natural Resources Defense Council, Grand Canyon Trust, and Coalition
Statement of support for Restoring Community Input and Public Protections in Oil and Gas Leasing Act (H.R. 3225) by Phil Francis, Chair of the Coalition to Protect America’s National Parks.
Statement of support for H.R. 3225, Restoring Community Input and Public Protections in Oil and Gas Leasing Act by Phil Francis, Chair of the Coalition to Protect America’s National Parks. Release Date: 10/15/19 “Oil and gas development damages national parks across the country. And the threats posed to our National Park System have only
Comments on Proposed Closure of Target Shooting on Certain Lands within Bears Ears National Monument
September 24, 2019 BLM, Canyon Country District Bears Ears Management Plans Attn: Lance Porter Canyon Country District Office 82 East Dogwood, Moab, Utah 84532 Re: Comments on Proposed Closure of Target Shooting on Certain Lands within the Monument Dear Mr. Porter, Please accept and fully consider these comments regarding the proposed target-shooting closure within Bears
Statement by Phil Francis, Chair of the Coalition to Protect America’s National Parks on the Senate Fiscal Year 2020 Appropriations bill for Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies
9/30/19 Statement by Phil Francis, Chair of the Coalition to Protect America’s National Parks on the Senate Fiscal Year 2020 Appropriations bill for Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies: “We are pleased with many of the provisions in the Senate’s FY2020 Appropriations bill for Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies. And we are particularly encouraged to see
Coalition Files Joint Letter of Protest on Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument
The National Parks Conservation Association (NPCA) and the Coalition to Protect America’s National Parks (Coalition), submitted this protest to the August 2019 Proposed Resource Management Plans (RMPs) and Final Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) for the three units of Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument (GSENM) – the Grand Staircase, Kaiparowits, and Escalante Canyon Units – and the
Coalition Signs-on to FY20 Appropriations Letter
September 18, 2019 Dear Chairman Murkowski and Ranking Member Udall: We, the members of the National Parks Second Century Action Coalitioni, write to commend you for investing in the National Park Service (NPS) in recent years and ask that you capitalize on your recent 302(b) subcommittee allocation to improve the NPS budget in FY20. We
Coalition Comments on NPS Memo Regarding External Review and Comments
Coalition Chair Phil Francis spoke with The Washington Post about a recent NPS memo directing superintendents to notify Washington supervisors before issuing comments to other parts of the federal government when they are worried about drilling and other proposed developments near national parks. “It makes me wonder what the motive really is,” said Francis. Read
Coalition Submits Letter Opposing DOI Reorganization
September 4, 2019 Honorable Raul Grijalva Chairman Committee on Natural Resources House of Representatives Washington, D.C. 20510 Dear Mr. Chairman: On behalf of the Coalition to Protect America’s National Parks, I am writing concerning the September 10, 2019, hearing about the proposed reorganization of the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) and its effect on the
Protest of Bears Ears National Monument Proposed Monument Management Plan
The Coalition along with several partners submitted comments protesting the Bears Ears National Monument Proposed Monument Management Plan and Final Environmental Impact Statement. Read the document here.
Coalition Comments on DOI-BLM Federal Pipeline Unit Wells
The Southern Utah Wilderness Alliance, National Parks Conservation Association, Coalition to Protect America’s National Parks, and Center for Biological Diversity (collectively “SUWA”) submitted comments on the DOI-BLM Federal Pipeline Unit Wells located in the Colorado Plateau. In short, the Environmental Assessment failed to analyze cumulative impacts of reasonably foreseeable oil and gas wells in the Uinta
Coalition Joins Partners in Opposition to DOI Reorganization
The Coalition recently signed on to a letter, written in partnership with other conservation groups and sent to Congressional leadership, expressing deep concern about the administration’s reorganization of the Department of the Interior, the threat of which has become even more ominous with the announcement of the relocation of the Bureau of Land Management headquarters