WASHINGTON — Interior Secretary David Bernhardt has tested positive for the coronavirus, an agency spokesman said. Bernhardt’s test results Wednesday make him the latest administration official, including President Donald Trump, to test positive for the virus. Trump was hospitalized for three days in October. Interior spokesman Nicholas Goodwin said Bernhardt has no symptoms. He “will […]
U.S. Department of the Interior
Posted inOpinion, Opinion Columns
Opinion: Passage of landmark Great American Outdoors Act now looks like an election-year show
For all the hype and excitement with which the Great American Outdoors Act (GAOA) was advertised by U.S. Sen. Cory Gardner, Interior Secretary David Bernhardt and President Trump, it appears their signature conservation legislation was nothing more than an election-season façade. Signed into law in August, the GAOA was sold to the American public as […]
Posted inBusiness, Environment, News, Outdoors, Politics and Government
U.S. Forest Service approves protection of Colorado’s Sweetwater Lake, but big questions remain
The White River National Forest’s request for Land and Water Conservation Fund money to permanently protect Garfield County’s Sweetwater Lake — a pristine oasis surrounded by public lands — has been granted. But the agency did not say how much of the requested $8.5 million from the fund will be distributed. That’s just one of […]
Posted inOutdoors, Politics and Government
Cory Gardner touts public lands but won’t say if he supports Trump’s pick to oversee them
U.S. Sen. Cory Gardner helped lead a push to move the Bureau of Land Management headquarters to Colorado. And he is the sponsor of a bill to provide money to acquire public lands and improve national parks. But the Republican is refusing to discuss how the nation’s public lands should be managed. President Donald Trump […]
Posted inOpinion, Opinion Columns
Opinion: Relocating the BLM headquarters has been an utter barn fire
You may have seen that Sen. Cory Gardner has recently embarked on engorgement of public land op-eds around Colorado. It’s a remarkable pivot given his aversion to the widely popular CORE Act and legacy of waffling on LWCF. Gardner says that what’s good for public lands is also good for Colorado while highlighting his role […]
Posted inOpinion, Opinion Columns
Opinion: The Interior Department has turned its back on Rocky Mountain big game
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 […]
Posted inBusiness, Energy, Environment, News, Politics and Government
Wyoming and Idaho join Interior Department to appeal court ruling blocking rollback of sage grouse protections
By Keith Ridler, The Associated Press The Interior Department, Idaho and Wyoming are appealing a court ruling that halted a Trump administration plan to ease land-use restrictions in seven Western states that protect struggling sage grouse. The notices filed Monday say the agency and states will seek a review by the 9th U.S. Circuit Court […]
Posted inEnvironment, News, Politics and Government, Water
Interior Department proposes coveted water deal to ex-client of Secretary David Bernhardt
By Ellen Knickmeyer, The Associated Press WASHINGTON — The Interior Department is proposing to award one of the first contracts for federal water in perpetuity to a powerful rural water district that had employed Secretary David Bernhardt as a lawyer and lobbyist. Environmental groups and a California Democratic lawmaker oppose giving the contract to the […]
Posted inColoradans, Energy, Environment, News, Outdoors, Politics and Government
Scattering BLM will be good for policy, boss William Pendley says. Not with him at the helm, advocacy groups argue.
Colorado will get more of the Bureau of Land Management’s Washington staff under the Trump administration’s proposed agency reorganization than any other Western state — but whether those employees will have decision-making authority is a hotly contested point. The plan involves scattering almost 300 positions, some currently unfilled, across 11 Western states. Of the 222 […]
Posted inColoradans, Energy, Environment, News, Outdoors, Politics and Government
Interior Secretary Bernhardt came home to Colorado — and the swamp monsters were waiting for him in Vail
VAIL — Interior Secretary David Bernhardt is looking at every job in the Bureau of Land Management to determine two things: Is the role essential? And does it need to be based in Washington, D.C.? Once the newly confirmed secretary finishes answering those questions, he said, he can support the push to relocate the land […]