July 20, 2020 BY ELECTRONIC SUBMISSION Via Federal eRulemaking Portal www.regulations.gov Attn: FWS-HQ-MB-2018-0090 U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service MS: JAO/lN 5275 Leesburg Pike Falls Church, VA 22041-3803 Re: Docket No. FWS-HQ-MB-2018-0090, Draft Environmental Impact Statement, Regulations Governing Take of Migratory Birds Please accept the following comments on behalf of over 35 undersigned organizations, which
Coalition Supports Legislation to End Non-Competitive Leasing
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
Coalition: NEPA Changes Are Unacceptable
This administration continues to prioritize the interests of oil and gas companies and industry over public health and the protection of our planet. This is unacceptable. The National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) is a critical tool that allows the National Park Service and other federal agencies to protect and preserve irreplaceable natural and cultural
Coalition Joins Partners in Comments on Upcoming Oil and Gas Lease Sale
Southern Utah Wilderness Alliance – Center for Biological Diversity – Coalition to Protect America’s National Parks – Great Old Broads for Wilderness – Living Rivers – National Parks Conservation Association – Natural Resources Defense Council – Old Spanish Trail Association – Partnership for the National Trails System – Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility – The
400+ Coalition Members Sign on To Letter in Support of Great American Outdoors Act
July 9, 2020 Dear Representatives, We are writing on behalf of over 1,800 members of the Coalition to Protect America’s National Parks (Coalition), a non-profit organization composed of retired, former, or current employees of the National Park Service (NPS). The Coalition studies, educates, speaks, and acts for the preservation of America’s National Park System. As
Coalition Files Joint Amicus Brief in Opposition to SAFE Rule
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
Success Story: An End to the Atlantic Coast Pipeline
In a tremendous victory for our national parks and public lands, two of the nation’s largest utility companies, Dominion Energy and Duke Energy, announced that they have canceled the proposed Atlantic Coast Pipeline project, which would have carried natural gas across the Appalachian Trail, as well as the Blue Ridge Parkway. In January, the Coalition
Coalition Submits FOIA Request Related to July 4 Events
July 2, 2020 Charis Wilson, FOIA Officer P.O. Box 25287 12795 W. Alameda Parkway Denver, CO 80225 Subject: Freedom of Information Act Request Dear Ms. Wilson: Pursuant to the Freedom of Information Act (“FOIA”), 5 U.S.C. § 552, et seq., and the regulations of the Department of the Interior, 43 C.F.R., Part 2, I
Member Oped: Leasing Plans Threaten Utah’s National Parks
The Salt Lake Tribune 7/1/2020 By Phil Brueck | Special to The Tribune As we continue to navigate the fallout from the pandemic and work to establish a “new normal,” many of us Utahns are still focused on balancing the demands of our personal and professional lives, providing for our families and thinking about
Member Oped: Mount Rushmore Fireworks A Bad Idea
Opinion by Cheryl Schreier July 1, 2020 at 4:20 p.m. EDT Cheryl Schreier was superintendent of the Mount Rushmore National Memorial from 2010 to 2019. It has been more than 10 years since fireworks were last seen at Mount Rushmore National Memorial. The fireworks were canceled in 2010, my first year as superintendent of the
Coalition Submits Another FOIA Request Related to COVID-19
July 1, 2020 Charis Wilson, FOIA Officer, P.O. Box 25287 12795 W. Alameda Parkway Denver, CO 80225 Subject: Freedom of Information Act Request Dear Ms. Wilson: This is a request under the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA). As background for this request: We submitted a previous FOIA request on April 20, 2020; it was
Coalition Signs on to Letter Regarding Air Quality Standards
June 29, 2020 Andrew Wheeler, Administrator Environmental Protection Agency 1200 Pennsylvania Avenue NW Washington, D.C. 20460 Submitted via regulations.gov RE: Secondary National Ambient Air Quality Standards for Particulate Matter; Proposed Rule; Docket No. EPA-HQ-OAR-2015-0072 Dear Administrator Wheeler, We, the undersigned public lands and conservation organizations, strongly oppose the proposal to retain the current, inadequate secondary
Coalition Submits Comments on NPS Jurisdiction in Alaska
June 29, 2020 Donald Striker, Acting Regional Director National Park Service Alaska Regional Office 240 West 5th Avenue Anchorage, AK 99501 Submitted via regulations.gov Subject: Comments on Proposed Rule – National Park Service Jurisdiction in Alaska RIN: 1024-AE63 Dear Mr. Striker: I am writing to you on behalf of over 1,800 members of the Coalition
Coalition Signs On to Support H.R. 2, the “Moving Forward Act.”
June 29, 2020 Dear Speaker Pelosi, Minority Leader McCarthy, Chairman DeFazio, Ranking Member Graves, Chairman Grijalva, and Ranking Member Bishop: On behalf of our organizations and our millions of members and supporters, we want to thank you for the positive wildlife and public lands conservation provisions in H.R. 2, the “Moving Forward Act.” We appreciate
Coalition: Fireworks at Mount Rushmore a Bad Idea
Firework Celebration at Mount Rushmore is A Bad Idea The National Park Service has announced it will resume Fourth of July fireworks at Mount Rushmore National Memorial. The event this year will be held on July 3, 2020, and President Trump has indicated he plans to attend. The Coalition to Protect America’s National Parks
Coalition Member Comments on Mount Rushmore Fireworks Demonstration
Trump is headlining fireworks at Mount Rushmore. Experts worry two things could spread: virus and wildfire. National Park Service and local fire marshal officials have warned for years about dangers in resuming fireworks at the memorial. By Juliet Eilperin, Darryl Fears and Josh Dawsey Published in The Washington Post – June 25, 2020 President Trump
Letter to Appropriators: NEPA EO Will Harm Parks
June 23, 2020 Dear Chairwoman Lowey and Chair McCollum, We are writing on behalf of over 1,800 members of the Coalition to Protect America’s National Parks (Coalition), a non-profit organization composed of retired, former, or current employees of the National Park Service (NPS). The Coalition studies, educates, speaks, and acts for the preservation of
Former NPS Alaska Managers Submit Letter to DOI Opposing NPS Final Rule on Hunting and Trapping in Alaska
June 19, 2020 The Honorable Rob Wallace Assistant Secretary for Fish and Wildlife and Parks U.S. Department of the Interior 1849 C Street, N.W. Washington, DC 20240 Subject: National Park Service Final Rule on Hunting and Trapping in National Preserves in Alaska (RIN 1024-AE38) Dear Assistant Secretary Wallace: We write to you on behalf
Yellowstone National Park’s Reopening Protocol is Commendable
June 18, 2020 Dear Acting Director Vela: I am writing to you on behalf of the Coalition to Protect America’s National Parks to commend Yellowstone National Park Superintendent Cam Sholly, his staff, and local public health partners for their outstanding management and implementation of the park’s COVID-19 reopening plan. We are impressed and greatly
Coalition to Protect America’s National Parks Applauds Momentous Movement on Great American Outdoors Act
WASHINGTON, DC — Earlier today, the United States Senate passed the Great American Outdoors Act by a vote of 73-25. The bill now moves to the House for final passage. This act would fully fund the Land and Water Conservation Fund (LWCF), a popular program that invests in national parks, public lands, and communities across
Coalition Joins Partners in Support of INVEST in America Act
June 16, 2020 Dear Members of the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, We, the members of the National Parks Second Century Action Coalition, write in support of the Investing in a New Vision for the Environment and Surface Transportation in America Act (INVEST in America Act), especially the increased funding levels for federal lands to help
Coalition to Protect America’s National Parks Reacts to President’s Order on NEPA
On June 4, 2020, the President released an executive order waiving the environmental review process for some infrastructure projects and using the pandemic as justification, writing, “as agencies respond to situations involving immediate threats to human health or safety, or immediate threats to valuable natural resources, they must consider whether there is sufficient time
Amid pandemic, Interior moves forward with enormous oil and gas drilling plan on public lands near National Parks
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,
Coalition Chair Talks Great American Outdoors Act on This Green Earth
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.
Coalition Comments on New DOI Acting Orders
Posted to The Hill – 06/09/20 06:00 AM EDT By Rebecca Beitsch and Rachel Frazin A new Interior Department move to leave controversial temporary leaders in place indefinitely may violate laws on filling vacancies, legal experts say, and skirts requirements for Senate confirmation. In a statement provided to The Hill on Friday, Interior said