Statement

July 27, 2020 Join us for a virtual discussion on oil and gas leasing and the impacts on our national parks and public lands. Learn about the leasing process, the Coalition’s advocacy efforts, and how you can become an advocate and help protect our parks. The event will feature Matt Kirby, the Director of Energy

  U.S. Senator Jon Tester introduced legislation requiring the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) to issue all oil and gas leases through competitive auction, ending noncompetitive leasing and encouraging government inefficiency. Noncompetitive leases are lands that the market has determined have little or no potential for oil and gas development. They are commonly purchased by

  The Coalition to Protect America’s National Parks joined the National Parks Conservation Association (NPCA) and filed an amicus brief with the DC Circuit Court of Appeals, a legal challenge to the Trump Administration’s attempt to eliminate California’s authority to apply its own automobile emission standards under the Clean Air Act. In the brief, we

  Contact: Liam Kelly, National Parks Conservation Association, 213-814-8666, lk****@**ca.org Landon Newell, Southern Utah Wilderness Alliance, 801.428.3991, la****@**wa.org   Salt Lake City, UT – The Trump administration has released its proposal to open up more than 110,000 acres of public land to oil and gas drilling, most of which lies in southern Utah near Canyonlands,

  Phil Francis from the Coalition to Protect America’s National Parks joins Nell and Chris on This Green Earth to talk about “The Great American Outdoors Act”, a bill designed to provide full and permanent funding for LWCF and help address the deferred maintenance backlog in national parks.

Statement of Philip A. Francis, Jr. Chair of the Executive Council Coalition to Protect America’s National Parks Subcommittee on National Parks, Forests, and Public Lands Committee on Natural Resources Virtual Forum House of Representatives “Not So Grand Opening: Examining Local Perspectives on the Department of the Interior’s Plan to Reopen National Parks During the Coronavirus

Coalition to Protect America’s National Parks Condemns President’s Use of Violence Phil Francis, Chair of the Coalition to Protect America’s National Parks, issued the following statement: The Coalition to Protect America’s National Parks condemns the recent and continued attacks on people of color in this country. We mourn the deaths of Ahmaud Arbery, Breonna Taylor,

  Over 140 organizations have signed a letter of support for S. Res. 372 and H. Res. 835, “Thirty by Thirty Resolution to Save Nature.” These resolutions call on the federal government to establish a national goal of conserving at least 30 percent of the land and 30 percent of the ocean of the United

  The comments were submitted by the Southern Environmental Law Center regarding the Trump administration’s proposal to rollback the protections of the Migratory Bird Treaty Act.  Click here to read the PDF file. The Coalition also joined the Audubon Society and other organizations in their sign-on letter opposing proposed changes to the MBTA. Click here to

  February 3, 2020 The Honorable Chris Holden and Laura Friedman Assembly Utilities and Energy and Natural Resources Committees State Capitol Sacramento, CA 95814 Re: Opposition to Eagle Crest Legislation Dear Chair Holden and Chair Friedman, We write to express our opposition to legislation directing the procurement by the Independent System Operator of expensive long-duration

Coalition Member Gary Davis recently served as a panelist for the session Parks in Peril: National Parks in a Changing Climate at Outdoor Retailer, a business-to-business outdoor sports show for those working in the industry. Several hundred people participated in the session, which included a lively discussion focused on the evolving role of science in

Coalition Joins “Amici curiae” Brief to The Supreme Court of the United States   Nos. 18-1584 & 18-1587 ================================================================================================================ In The Supreme Court of the United States • UNITED STATES FOREST SERVICE, ET AL., Petitioners, v. COWPASTURE RIVER PRESERVATION ASSOCIATION, ET AL., Respondents. • ATLANTIC COAST PIPELINE, LLC, Petitioner, v. COWPASTURE RIVER PRESERVATION ASSOCIATION, ET

  Senator Cortez Masto introduced legislation to end the leasing of land with low to no oil and gas potential. Coalition Chair Phil Francis issued the following short statement: “Our public lands leasing system prioritizes oil and gas development over everything else. Leasing lands with little to no potential for drilling, in many cases on the

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

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 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

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.

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 to Protect America’s National Parks Chair Phil Francis, stated in an email to the Washington Post, “The men and women of the National Park Service have been asked to do more with less for too long. Funds should be directed to the agency’s highest needs such as operation of the parks and the maintenance

Coalition Chair, Phil Francis, discusses how NPS superintendents are having to make tough decisions about what jobs to fill due to inadequate funding. https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2019/06/29/national-parks-rangers-vanishing-putting-visitors-risk/1503627001/

The Coalition to Protect America’s National Parks (CPANP) – in partnership with The Wilderness Society, the Natural Resource Defense Council, the National Parks Conservation Association and the Los Padres ForestWatch – has recently submitted comments regarding the Bureau of Land Management (BLM), Bakersfield Field Office Resource Management Plan, Hydraulic Fracturing Analysis – Draft Supplemental Environmental

May 14, 2019 Dear Chairman Murkowski and Ranking Member Udall: As organizations dedicated to the protection and preservation of the historic and cultural resources of our nation including but not limited to World Heritage Sites, we write in support of the United States’ engagement in the World Heritage Program. We urge you to appropriate $1.926

In a recent article about the pending departure of the Secretary of the Interior, Coalition Chair Phil Francis says “it is time for a change.” Click here to see the full article.

  The Coalition to Protect America’s National Parks along with the National Parks Conservation Association, the Defenders of Wildlife and the Sierra Club have submitted an appeal to the Interior Board of Land Appeals for the August 1, 2018 Decision issued by the California State Office, Bureau of Land Management which granted a right of

  The Coalition to Protect America’s National Parks along with the National Parks Conservation Association, the Defenders of Wildlife and the Sierra Club have submitted an appeal to the Interior Board of Land Appeals for the August 1, 2018 Decision issued by the California State Office, Bureau of Land Management which granted a right of

Sunday, August 26, 2018 Commentary: Oil and gas leases threaten national parks By Walt Dabney | For The Tribune As a former superintendent of Canyonlands National Park in Utah, I am honored to have served as an ambassador for the spectacular cultural and natural resources that are found in this iconic place. It was my

  Hear from Phil Francis, Chair of the Coalition, in the Washington Post, on the unprecedented scrambling of top NPS career executives. Click here to see the article.