National Park Service finalizes air tour management plan for Smokies; group has concerns Ryan Oehrli Asheville Citizen Times The National Park Service announced Dec. 7 in a news release that it has completed its plan, along with the Federal Aviation Administration, to preserve “wilderness character” in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, but a
Coalition Applauds President Biden’s Pledge to Protect Avi Kwa Ame
Release Date: November 30, 2022 Coalition Applauds President Biden’s Pledge to Protect Avi Kwa Ame Today, President Biden pledged to protect Avi Kwa Ame at the Tribal Nations Summit, a commitment which takes the culturally and naturally significant landscape one step closer to a national monument designation. Mike Murray, Chair of the Coalition to Protect
Coalition Supports Increased Funding For Environmental Agencies and Programs in FY23 Omnibus Bill
November 30, 2022 Dear Chairman Leahy, Vice Chairman Shelby, Chairwoman DeLauro, and Ranking Member Granger: On behalf of our tens of millions of members and supporters across the country, we respectfully request that you support significantly increased funding for environmental agencies and programs in the FY23 omnibus. We also ask that you reject
Member Op-Ed: Congress should pass the CORE Act now
Nov 27, 2022 By BRUCE NOBLE So the election is over and the dust is beginning to settle. And yet so much remains unclear. For example, what will happen to the long-suffering CORE Act? Also of critical importance, what if the CORE Act fails to pass by the time this session of Congress ends
Coalition Continues to Take Action on Transmission Line Project Near Jamestown
November 23, 2022 Michael Connor Assistant Secretary of the Army, Civil Works U.S. Army Corps of Engineers 441 G Street, N.W. Washington, DC 20314 RE: NAO-2012-0080 Surry-Skiffes Creek-Whealton Proposal Meeting Request Dear Assistant Secretary Connor: We, the undersigned groups with special expertise on this matter, continue to have significant concerns about the Army Corps-managed environmental
NPT: NPS Must Take A Closer Look At Air Tours
Traveler’s View: NPS Must Take A Closer Look At Air Tours By Kurt Repanshek – November 21st, 2022 The National Park Service needs to do environmental studies on air tours/NPS file It’s not an understatement that the National Park Service frequently, if not continually, struggles with its original mandate: to conserve park resources and
Coalition Signs on In Support of Protection for Mature Forests
To: The Honorable John Kerry, U.S. Special Presidential Envoy for Climate Cc: The Honorable Ali Zaidi, Assistant to the President & National Climate Advisor The Honorable John Podesta, Senior Advisor to the President for Clean Energy Innovation and Implementation The Honorable Tom Vilsack, United States Secretary of Agriculture The Honorable Deb Haaland, United States Secretary
Coalition Signs on In Support of Additional Funding for Disaster Relief in FY23 Appropriations Omnibus Bill
November 14th, 2022 RE: Include public lands disaster relief in the next FY23 funding vehicle Dear Senators and Representatives: We, the undersigned organizations, representing millions of Americans, are dismayed by the devastation this year’s natural disasters have caused to communities throughout the country and commend the bipartisan aid you have provided for their needs to
Coalition Supports Reform to the Antiquated Federal Oil and Gas Leasing System
November 16, 2022 U.S. Department of the Interior 1849 C St., NW Washington, D.C. 20240 RE: Initiating a Rulemaking to Reform the Federal Oil and Gas Leasing System To the Honorable Secretary of the Interior Deb Haaland: The Department of the Interior’s Bureau of Land Management recently announced plans to offer more than 260,000 acres
Coalition Members Sign On In Support of the Antiquities Act
November 15, 2022 The Honorable Joseph R. Biden The White House 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue, N.W. Washington, DC 20500 Dear Mr. President, We are writing on behalf of over 2,200 members of the Coalition to Protect America’s National Parks, a non-profit organization composed of retired, former, or current employees of the National Park Service (NPS).
National Parks Traveler: News Roundup Looking At Air Tours, GAOA, And More
Is the National Park Service failing to adequately evaluate air tours over national parks, how is the Great American Outdoors Act performing in the National Park System, and continuing visitation issues in the parks are the topics that will be discussed in this coming Sunday’s podcast at the National Parks Traveler. Both the National Parks
Member Op-Ed: Yes, please stop building on the Mall
Washington Post OpEd November 11, 2022 I agree with Philip Kennicott’s Nov. 7 front-page Critic’s Notebook essay, “Stop building museums on the National Mall. Extend it.” When Congress established the Reserve — national park land on the cross-axis of the National Mall from the Capitol to the Lincoln Memorial and the White House to the
Coalition Joins Comments In Support of Guidance to Disallow Renewable Energy Tax Credits Near Japanese American Incarceration Sites
November 4, 2022 Notice 2022-49 — Certain Energy Generation Incentives Comments Submitted electronically via Federal eRulemaking Portal (www.regulations.gov) Internal Revenue Service U.S Department of Treasury P.O. Box 7604 Washington, DC 20044 Dear Internal Revenue Service: On behalf of our 20 respective organizations and 21 local and regional chapters of the Japanese American Citizens League, we
Bears Ears National Monument Monument Management Plan Scoping Comments October 2022
Grand Canyon Trust – Southern Utah Wilderness Alliance – The Wilderness Society – Western Watersheds Project – National Parks Conservation Association – Center for Biological Diversity – Conservation Lands Foundation – WildEarth Guardians – Coalition to Protect America’s National Parks – Wildlands Network – Natural Resources Defense Council Bears Ears National Monument Monument Management Plan
Coalition Signs Letter Opposing the Prince William Digital Gateway
October 31, 2022 Prince William County Board of Supervisors 1 County Complex Ct. Prince William, VA 22192 Dear Chair Ann Wheeler and Members of the Prince William County Board of Supervisors: We, the undersigned thirty (30) organizations, write to you today regarding Comprehensive Plan Amendment #CPA2021-00004, the PW Digital Gateway. On behalf of our millions
What Exactly Is The Antiquities Act?
This week, President Biden used his authority under the Antiquities Act to designate the Camp Hale-Continental Divide National Monument. This new monument will protect the stories and experiences of the U.S. Army’s famed 10th Mountain Division, who trained at Camp Hale and distinguished themselves in combat during World War II. It will also help to
Coalition Joins Request for Surry-Skiffes Creek-Whealton James River Transmission Line Pre-decisional Referral
Dear Deputy Secretary Beaudreau: The Coalition to Protect America’s National Parks, Cultural Heritage Partners, Duke Environmental Law and Policy Clinic, the National Parks Conservation Association, the National Trust for Historic Preservation, and Preservation Virginia have requested that the U.S. Department of Interior and the National Park Service file a pre-decisional referral to the Council on
What is the Antiquities Act?
This week, President Biden used his authority under the Antiquities Act to designate the Camp Hale-Continental Divide National Monument. This new monument will protect the stories and experiences of the U.S. Army’s famed 10th Mountain Division, who trained at Camp Hale and distinguished themselves in combat during World War II. It will also help to
Coalition Celebrates Camp Hale-Continental Divide National Monument Designation
October 12, 2022 Coalition Celebrates Camp Hale-Continental Divide National Monument Designation Today, President Biden used his power under the Antiquities Act to create the Camp Hale-Continental Divide National Monument. The site, located in Colorado, protects a World War II-era military training ground, as well as striking landscapes and wildlife habitat along the Continental Divide
Coalition Joins E-bike Letter Sent to Secretary Haaland
American Hiking Society, Back Country Horsemen of America, Backcountry Hunters and Anglers, California Wilderness Coalition, Coalition to Protect America’s National Parks, Colorado Mountain Club, Colorado Wildlands Project, Conservation Lands Foundation, Conservation Northwest, Environmental Action Committee of West Marin, Friends of the Bitterroot, Great Old Broads for Wilderness, High Country Conservation Advocates, Idaho Conservation League, Keep
Comments on Minnesota’s Draft Plan for Regional Haze
October 7, 2022 Submitted electronically via MPCA webpage Minnesota Pollution Control Agency c/o Maggie Wenger 520 Lafayette Road St. Paul, Minnesota 55155 Re: Minnesota’s Draft State Implementation Plan for Regional Haze Round II Dear Ms. Wenger: The Coalition to Protect America’s National Parks, Environmental Law & Policy Center, Minnesota Center for Environmental Advocacy, National Parks
Comments on the 2023-2028 Proposed Outer Continental Shelf Oil and Gas Leasing Program and Draft EIS
October 6, 2022 Ms. Kelly Hammerle Chief, National OCS Oil and Gas Leasing Program U.S. Bureau of Ocean Energy Management 45600 Woodland Road Sterling, VA 20166 Re: Comments on the 2023-2028 Proposed Outer Continental Shelf Oil and Gas Leasing Program and Draft Programmatic Environmental Impact Statement (Docket ID: BOEM-2022-0031) Ms. Hammerle: The Southern
Coalition Comments on Ongoing Use of Lead Ammunition and Fishing Tackle in Units of The National Park System
October 6, 2022 Ms. Shannon Estenoz Assistant Secretary for Fish and Wildlife and Parks U.S. Department of the Interior 1849 C Street, N.W. Washington, DC 20240 Subject: Ongoing use of toxic lead ammunition and fishing tackle in units of the National Park System Dear Assistant Secretary Estenoz: I am writing to you
Coalition Comments on Ruling Regarding Alaska Hunting Practices
Oct. 3, 2022 District Court concludes that rule allowing destructive hunting practices on national preserves in Alaska is arbitrary, sends it back to agencies to revise A federal District Court in Alaska ruled on Sept. 30 that a National Park Service rule allowing hunting practices like baiting brown bears in national preserves in Alaska
Potential Air Tour Management Plan (ATMP) Alternatives for Mount Rushmore National Memorial
October 3, 2022 Ms. Michelle Wheatley, Superintendent Mount Rushmore National Memorial 13000 Highway 244 Building 31, Suite 1 Keystone, SD 57751 Subject: Potential Air Tour Management Plan (ATMP) Alternatives for Mount Rushmore National Memorial Dear Superintendent Wheatley: I am writing on behalf of over 2,200 members of the Coalition to Protect America’s National Parks (Coalition), who