Environmental groups sue to overturn last-minute granting of grazing permit to Hammond Ranches
Updated Feb 25, 2021;
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Four environmental advocacy groups on Thursday sued the U.S. Interior secretary and federal Bureau of Land Management seeking to overturn the Jan. 19 decision to grant a 10-year grazing permit Hammond Ranches Inc. on the final day of former President Donald Trump’s administration.
The suit alleges the decision was “tainted by political influence” and that a “rushed and truncated public process” cut out opportunities for public participation required by law. It further accuses the federal government of granting the permit to the Hammonds over other applicants who were qualified and bypassing an administrative appeal process.
Center for Biological Diversity: PORTLAND, Ore. Conservation groups sued federal officials today to overturn an eleventh-hour Trump administration decision to allow an unqualified ranching company to graze cattle on four federal allotments, known as the Bridge Creek allotments, on Steens Mountain in southeastern Oregon.
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Government watchdog groups are calling on congressional committees to release the names of Trump political appointees who have burrowed into career civil service positions over concerns they may attempt to sabotage the Biden administration.
Former President Donald Trump signed an executive order in October that stripped career civil servants of employment protections and opened the door for political appointees to burrow into career positions inside the government. The move came as Trump Cabinet members like Education Secretary Betsy DeVos urged staffers to be the resistance to the incoming Democratic administration. President Joe Biden rescinded the order in his first days in office, but it remains unclear how many such appointees may have burrowed into career positions inside their departments.
PUBLIC LANDS: Tribes flex political muscle in quest to co-manage parks eenews.net - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from eenews.net Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
Wed, 02/24/2021 - 9:28am
ConocoPhillips is asking for a ruling on lawsuits targeting its Willow project by July 1.(Photo/Judy Patrick/ConocoPhillips)
ConocoPhillips is asking the federal judge overseeing both of the lawsuits seeking to stop one of the largest North Slope oil developments in decades to determine the near-term fate of the project by the summer.
Attorneys for the Houston-based major that has grown its presence on the Slope in recent years proposed to U.S. District Court of Alaska Judge Sharon Gleason that she rule by July 1 on the merits of the nearly identical lawsuits challenging the federal permits for its Willow oil project. A midsummer decision would hopefully allow ConocoPhillips and Interior agencies time to remedy any issues ahead of the 2021-22 winter construction season, they wrote in motions filed Feb. 22.