Colorado’s majestic landscapes and bountiful wildlife are not only our state’s greatest treasure, but also one of our most valuable resources. Our public lands provide Coloradans, as well as countless visitors, with world-class opportunities to fish, camp, hunt, hike and recreate. Our outdoor industry generates $28 billion in consumer spending, $2 billion in state and […]
Ryan Zinke
Posted inEnergy, Environment, News, Politics and Government
Trump administration says its decision to lift moratorium on coal sales from public lands won’t increase emissions
By Matthew Brown, The Associated Press BILLINGS, Mont. — The Trump administration’s decision to lift a moratorium on coal sales from public lands could hasten the release of more than 5 billion tons of greenhouse gases, but officials concluded Wednesday it would make little difference in overall U.S. climate emissions. That conclusion from the Bureau […]
Posted inEnergy, Environment, News, Outdoors, Politics and Government
Bureau of Land Management to decide on Western city — potentially one in Colorado — for its new headquarters by October
By Dan Elliott, The Associated Press The U.S. Interior Department said Tuesday it plans to choose a Western city as the new headquarters for its vast public lands holdings by the end of September. The department also said it may move the headquarters of its U.S. Geological Survey — best known for monitoring earthquakes and […]
Posted inEnvironment, News, Outdoors, Politics and Government
Colorado native David Bernhardt confirmed as Interior secretary
The U.S. Senate on Thursday confirmed Colorado native David Bernhardt as secretary of the Interior Department. Colorado’s Republican U.S. Sen. Cory Gardner was a “yes” vote while Michael Bennet, his Democratic counterpart, was a “no.” Bernhardt’s nomination cleared the chamber by a 56-41 vote. Bernhardt, from Rifle, worked as an oil and gas lobbyist before […]
Posted inEnvironment, News, Politics and Government
Interior boss David Bernhardt issues order aiming to protect public land access
By Matthew Brown, The Associated Press Acting U.S. Interior Secretary David Bernhardt ordered federal land managers on Thursday to give greater priority to access for hunting, fishing and other kinds of recreation when the government considers selling or trading public land. The secretarial order comes amid longstanding complaints that millions of acres of state and […]
Posted inNews, Politics and Government
Colorado native David Bernhardt tapped by Trump to be Interior secretary
Colorado native David Bernhardt was tapped Monday by President Donald Trump to be secretary of the U.S. Department of the Interior, prompting praise from Republicans and quick condemnation from Democrats and environmentalists. Bernhardt has been serving as the agency’s acting head since the resignation of former Secretary Ryan Zinke, who was facing ethics investigations. Bernhardt […]
Posted inOpinion, Opinion Columns
Opinion: When the sage-grouse deal is broken for special interests, we all lose
The administration came in with an agenda to break the deal and drastically undermine the 11 state sage-grouse management plans Only a short time into Secretary of the Interior Ryan Zinke’s scandal-plagued tenure, Westerners had a hunch that the sage-grouse management plans that took nearly a decade to make — in a collaborative public process […]
Posted inEnvironment, News, Outdoors, Politics and Government
Interior Department sets July 1 goal for reorganization that could preempt Bureau of Land Management headquarters move to Colorado
By Dan Elliott, The Associated Press The U.S. Interior Department said Thursday it wants to have its newly reorganized regions up and running by July 1. Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke’s plan calls for realigning the department into 12 unified regions and relocating many decision-makers from Washington to field offices. The department has nine major sub-agencies […]
Posted inOpinion, Opinion Columns
Opinion: The Interior Department is hurting Colorado’s air quality
The U.S. Department of Interior recently finalized rollbacks to the Bureau of Land Management Methane and Waste Prevention Rule. The rule effectively reduces the waste of energy resources on federal and tribal lands, ensures a fair return to local governments and American taxpayers and mitigates air pollution. To gut the rule, as Interior Secretary Ryan […]
Posted inEnvironment, News, Outdoors, Politics and Government
Clash over wild horses heats up as herds reach highest numbers in program history
GRAND JUNCTION — The trap is set. Jim Dollerschell hides up the pink-dirt hill behind the sagebrush and the pinyon pine, not visible from the corral. A trough of fresh water and piles of grass-hay strewn along the ground will lure the wild horses he is capturing into a ring of metal fencing. And when […]