DAVID BERNHARDT

An attorney for an Arizona real estate developer who was referred to the Department of Justice for a criminal investigation by congressional Democrats wants to publicly rebut the allegations.

The House Natural Resources Committee announced its first-ever criminal referral to the Department of Justice on Wednesday, asking it to investigate whether an. Arizona real estate developer and Trump campaign donor, Mike Ingram, bribed public officials during Trump’s tenure, including then-Deputy Secretary of the Interior David Bernhardt.

Democrats on the House Natural Resources Committee have asked the Justice Department to investigate whether a Trump administration interior secretary engaged in possible criminal conduct while helping an Arizona developer get a crucial permit for a housing project.

Democrats on the House Natural Resources Committee asked the Justice Departmen t on Wednesday to investigate whether a Trump administration interior secretary engaged in possible criminal conduct while helping an Arizona developer get a crucial permit for a housing project. The criminal referral says David Bernhardt pushed for approval of the project by developer Michael Ingram, a Republican donor and supporter of former President Donald Trump, despite a federal wildlife official's finding that it would threaten habitats for imperiled species.

The "designated survivor" is a person who is chosen to not attend the State of the Union so that they are able to take over the government if catastrophe strikes.

U.S. wildlife officials say political appointees in President Donald Trump's administration relied on faulty science to justify stripping habitat protections for the imperiled northern spotted owl.

A California judge has rejected a contract granting permanent access to U.S. government-controlled water for the nation’s largest agricultural water supplier.

A California judge has rejected a federal contract granting permanent access to U.S. government-controlled water for the nation’s largest agricultural water supplier, saying it lacked details on costs and appropriate public notice. Environmentalists had blasted the contract with Westlands Water District as a sweetheart arrangement designed to benefit corporate agricultural interests over environmental needs and taxpayers. It was crafted during the Trump administration under then-Interior Secretary David Bernhardt, a former lobbyist for Westlands, a public entity based in Fresno that supplies water to private farmers.

Interior Secretary Deb Haaland is moving the headquarters of the Bureau of Land Management back to the nation’s capital after two years in Colorado.

If confirmed, Sams will be the first Native American to lead the NPS. He’ll also run an agency besieged by extreme weather caused by climate change, a staff depleted by the Trump administration, and a surge in public visitation.

A federal judge in Anchorage has thrown out Trump administration approvals for a large planned oil project.

Interior Secretary Deb Haaland has revoked a series of Trump administration orders that promoted fossil fuel development on public lands and waters.

Wolf hunting policies in some states are taking an aggressive turn, as Republican lawmakers and conservative hunting groups push to curb their numbers and propose tactics shunned by many wildlife managers. AdThe timing of the Wisconsin hunt was bumped up following a lawsuit that raised concerns President Joe Biden’s administration would intervene to restore gray wolf protections. The states have been holding annual hunts since, and wildlife officials cite stable population levels as evidence of responsible wolf management. Ad“Too many wolves,” Republican state Sen. Bob Brown said of his mountainous district in northwest Montana. Ad“I’m not surprised we’re seeing hunting groups wrap themselves in the mantle of patriotism,” Winkler said.

Interior Department officials on Thursday canceled a Trump administration directive that gave local and state officials power to block purchases of land and water for conservation under a longstanding federal program. Trump administration officials had said the order would have allowed the government to fulfill goals that were set when conservation areas were created, by filling in missing pieces of them. Jon Tester of Montana and Joe Manchin of West Virginia and others for undermining the conservation program. They accused the Trump administration of using Bernhardt’s order to circumvent the intent of Congress and squandering the bipartisan goodwill created by passing last year's law. Daines welcomed the move to revoke the order and said in a Thursday statement that the program was a critical tool for conservation.

The U.S. government has approved routes for a system of pipelines that would move carbon dioxide across Wyoming in what could be by far the largest such network in North America, if it is developed. – The U.S. government has approved routes for a system of pipelines that would move carbon dioxide across Wyoming in what could be by far the largest such network in North America, if it is developed. In all, the U.S. Bureau of Land Management designated 1,100 miles (1,770 kilometers) of federal land for pipeline development through the Wyoming Pipeline Corridor Initiative, the Casper Star-Tribune reported. Energy markets drive development of carbon capture projects for oil development, said Matt Fry, state of Wyoming project manager for the pipeline initiative. Sage grouse numbers have dwindled substantially over the past century and much of their habitat in Wyoming carries development restrictions.

The rule, which was made final in 2019, replaced the Clean Power Plan, the Obama administration's signature program to address climate change. The court decision came on the last full day in office for the Trump administration. The Clean Power Plan, one of President Barack Obama’s legacy efforts to slow climate change, was blocked in court before its 2017 repeal. The Trump administration substituted the Affordable Clean Energy plan, which left most of the decision-making on regulating power plant emissions to states. “It looks like we’re kicking off a new era of clean energy progress a day early,” Castor said.

It meant buying into “alternative facts” — a phrase that spurred sales of George Orwell’s dystopian book “1984” when it was coined by a Trump aide. “I’m shocked to hear that,” Trump told his crowd. “And we now have the greatest, most modern military in the history of our country,” Trump told his Georgia crowd. But the systematic deceptions of the “alternative facts” president were unlike anything before. Attempting to explain her phrase, Trump adviser Kellyanne Conway said there are alternative ways of arriving at the truth.

(Erin Schaff/The New York Times via AP, Pool)WASHINGTON – President Donald Trump and Vice President Mike Pence appear to have come to a détente after nearly a week of silence, anger and finger-pointing. “We are further calling on the vice president to respond within 24 hours after passage,” Pelosi wrote. After days of behind-the-scenes arm-twisting, Trump repeatedly singled out Pence during his pre-riot rally, wrongly insisting the certification could be halted as it got underway. Trump then continued to tweet that Pence “lacked courage" as the president's supporters stormed the Capitol. But Trump and Pence apparently chosen to bury the hatchet — at least for the time being.

Barr offered his resignation last Monday after weeks of tension with Trump brought about an early exit from his post. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci, File)NEW YORK – President Donald Trump’s administration is ending how it began, with over-the-top declarations of praise for the chief executive. Attorney General William Barr offered his resignation last Monday after weeks of tension with Trump brought about an early exit from his post. In the six weeks since his defeat by Biden, Trump has been increasingly disengaged from his job. But with Trump largely in hiding, it fell to Pence to make a public show of meeting with those distributing the vaccine.

American flags fly around the Washington Monument Friday, Dec. 18, 2020, in Washington. The Trump administration has closed the Washington Monument because of a recent visit by Interior Secretary David Bernhardt, who tested positive this week for the coronavirus. National park employees also have expressed concern at he and other Interior officials continuing to visit national parks and other federal sites during the pandemic, Brengel said. Goodwin said the Washington Monument, normally one of the capital's most visited sites, would reopen Monday, with tickets going on sale Sunday. In the photos, uniformed National Park Service employees often are the people standing nearest him, often without masks.

Both Bernhardt, 51, and Pompeo, 56, were absent from a Cabinet meeting the president held at the White House on Wednesday. A State Department spokesperson said Pompeo was "identified as having come into contact with someone who tested positive for COVID-19." Bernhardt, meanwhile, tested positive Wednesday and is asymptomatic, the Interior Department said. Bernhardt is the latest high-ranking member of the Trump administration to test positive for COVID-19. A slew of White House staffers and Mr. Trump's personal attorney, Rudy Giuliani, have, also tested positive for the coronavirus.

(AP Photo/Jim Mone)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. Interior spokesman Nicholas Goodwin said Bernhardt has no symptoms. Vice President Mike Pence is scheduled to receive the vaccine for the virus Friday. COVID-19 cases are on the rise in the United States, and more than 300,000 people have died nationally.

Both feared and revered by people, gray wolves have recovered from near extinction in parts of the country but remain absent from much of their historical range. Federal wildlife officials contend thriving populations in the western Great Lakes region, Rocky Mountains and Pacific Northwest ensure the species' long-term survival. “In the early part of the 20th century the gray wolf had essentially become a ghost throughout the United States," Bernhardt said. The decision keeps protections for a small population of Mexican gray wolves in the Southwest. Fish and Wildlife Service would have no say about moving ahead with the plan, if voters approve it.

An executive order from Trump put Interior Secretary David Bernhardt and Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Andrew Wheeler in charge of the interagency water body. Establishment of a water subcabinet “will streamline decision-making processes" across federal agencies, the EPA said in a statement. The first priority set out by the executive order is increasing dam storage and other water storage, long a demand of farmers and farm interests in the West in particular. That includes California’s Westlands Water District, the nation’s largest agricultural water district. Westlands was one of Bernhardt’s main lobbying and legal clients before his appointment to the Interior Department under Trump.

The Democratic governor is asking a federal judge to oust the Trump administration official responsible for overseeing more than quarter-billion acres of public lands. The agency oversees almost a quarter-billion acres of land, primarily in the U.S. West. Pendley, a former oil industry and property rights attorney from Wyoming, had called for selling off public lands until he joined the administration and disavowed that stance. He's helped usher the land bureau through a series of moves that eased rules for industry but seen pushback from federal judges. Interior officials argued that none of the bureau's actions should be overturned because Bernardt had the legal authority to delegate decision-making.

President Donald Trump and his Democratic opponent, Joe Biden, will both be traveling to rural Shanksville, Pennsylvania, Friday, where the hijacked Flight 93 crashed in a field, killing everyone on board. While Trump will speak at the site's annual memorial ceremony held Friday morning, Biden will visit later, in the afternoon, after attending the 9/11 Memorial & Museum’s annual commemoration at Ground Zero in New York, along with Vice President Mike Pence. Still, Biden insisted that he would steer clear of politics on a national day of mourning. In 2016, the 9/11 memorial events became a flashpoint in the campaign after then-Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton abruptly left the Ground Zero 9/11 ceremony and was caught on tape stumbling and then falling as she tried to get into a van. The 2,200-acre Flight 93 National Memorial marks the spot in rural Pennsylvania where the hijacked flight crashed, killing all 40 people on board.

That is not a recipe for creating the kind of meaningful and positive change needed to sustain the Colorado River in the coming decades, they wrote. The Lake Powell Pipeline project would divert 86,000 acre-feet (106 billion liters) of water to Washington County, Utah. Under the agreements between the seven states, cuts would hit Arizona, California and Nevada before affecting Colorado, New Mexico, Utah and Wyoming. Although the project isolates Utah from the other states that rely on the river, it would keep pushing for the pipeline, said Todd Adams, director of the Utah Division of Water Resources. The states are contending with a drier future as they renegotiate agreements that detail how Colorado River water is doled out.

She attended the opening of a Lady Justice Task Force cold case office in Anchorage, which will investigate missing and murdered Indigenous women. These women are among the hundreds of Alaska Native or American Indian women who have gone missing over the years, and in many instances, their cases have gone cold. Now the Bureau of Indian Affairs Office of Justice Services is opening seven Operation Lady Justice Task Force cold case offices across the country to concentrate on the number of missing and murdered Indigenous women. In late July, when the first cold case office opened in Bloomington, Minnesota, the database indicated there were more than 1,500 unsolved cases of missing or murdered Indigenous women. Arizona has the second highest count of cold cases, at about 240.

A forklift has damaged a brick walkway at the iconic national monument Fort McHenry, where Republicans were building a stage for Vice President Mike Pences appearance for the partys national convention, a National Park Service spokeswoman said Monday. National Park Service spokeswoman Stephanie Roulett confirmed the damage in an email Monday. The scene inspired Francis Scott Key to write The Star Spangled Banner. The U.S. designates the fort as a national monument and historic shrine. The National Park Services website says the fort is closed to the public for the coronavirus pandemic. The National Park Service, whose acting chief Bernhardt recently replaced, also authorized Republicans to set off fireworks at the Washington Monument on Thursday for Trumps speech accepting the partys nomination.

Fish and Wildlife Service, caribou from the Porcupine Caribou Herd migrate onto the coastal plain of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge in northeast Alaska. Environmental groups wasted no time challenging the Trump administration's attempt to open part of an Alaska refuge where polar bears and caribou roam free to oil and gas drilling. Fish and Wildlife Service via AP, File)ANCHORAGE, Alaska Environmental groups wasted no time challenging the Trump administrations attempt to allow oil and gas drilling in an Alaska refuge where polar bears and caribou roam. This is an all-hands-on-deck moment to defend the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge and protect Americas bird nursery from drilling, David Yarnold, president and CEO of the National Audubon Society, said in a statement. The Bureau of Land Management in December 2018 concluded that drilling could be conducted within the coastal plain without harming wildlife.

Steve Bullock said William Perry Pendley's continuing leadership of the U.S. Bureau of Land Management undermines conservation efforts and is illegal because he's never had a Senate confirmation hearing. The Associated Press reported earlier this week that Pendley remains in charge of the bureau under an arrangement that Pendley himself set up months ago. In a May 22 order, Pendley made his own position, deputy director, the bureau's top post while the director's office is vacant. William Perry Pendley is breaking the law, and at stake are over 27 million acres of public lands in Montana, Bullock said in a statement. Officials with the Interior Department, which includes the Bureau of Land Management, have said previously that Bullock's lawsuit is frivolous.

That's not how it works," Sen. Jon Tester, a Montana Democrat, said of the May order in an interview. Prior to joining the Trump administration, he had called for the government to sell its public lands. Interior Department spokesperson Conner Swanson confirmed that the arrangement outlined in Pendley's order means he will continue to lead the bureau. After joining the government, he declared that his past support for selling public lands was irrelevant because his boss, Interior Secretary David Bernhardt, opposes the wholesale sale of public lands. Under Trump, the land bureau has sought to scale back some protections for public lands, including proposals to ease restrictions on oil and gas exploration, mining and grazing.

ANCHORAGE, Alaska The Trump administration gave final approval Monday for a contentious oil and gas leasing plan on the coastal plain of Alaska's Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, where critics worry about the industry's impact on polar bears, caribou and other wildlife. Environmentalists have promised to fight opening up the coastal plain, a 1.56-million acre swath of land along Alaskas northern Beaufort Sea coast after the Department of the Interior approved an oil and gas leasing program. Secretary of the Interior David Bernhardt signed the Record of Decision, which will determine a program for where oil and gas leasing will take place. President Trump insisted Congress include a mandate providing for leasing in the refuge in a 2017 tax bill. The Interiors Bureau of Land Management in December 2018 concluded drilling could be conducted within the coastal plain area without harming wildlife.

Democrats alleged the temporary orders were an attempt to skirt the nomination process, and Montana Gov. Trump announced Pendley's nomination to become the bureau's director in June. A senior administration official, speaking on the condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss the matter, confirmed Saturday that the president intended to withdraw that nomination. William Perry Pendley wants to sell off our public lands and has no business being in charge of them.The bureau oversees nearly a quarter-billion public acres in the U.S. West and much of the nations onshore oil and gas development. The agency has also sought to ease rules for oil and gas drilling that were adopted under the Obama administration.

The Interior Department withheld public documents related to Interior Secretary David Bernhardt ahead of his Senate confirmation, an agency watchdog office concluded in a report made public Tuesday. Not since the Teapot Dome scandal have we seen a more corrupt Interior Department," Democratic Sen. Ron Wyden of Oregon and Rep. Ral Grijalva of Arizona said in a statement, referencing the 1920s corruption scandal. The report didn't identify the court case or detail what was in the withheld documents. A counselor to the secretary, Hubbel Relat, had directed the staffers in Interiors Office of the Solicitor legal office and FOIA office to withhold documents related to Bernhardt, the report says. The attorney also remembered that this direction from Relat was to remain in place until after Bernhardts confirmation, the report says.

Supporters say the measure, known as the Great American Outdoors Act, would be the most significant conservation legislation enacted in nearly 50 years. Supporters say the measure, known as the Great American Outdoors Act, would be the most significant conservation legislation enacted in nearly half a century. Supporters say the bill will create at least 100,000 jobs, while restoring national parks and repairing trails and forest systems. Gardner and Daines are among the Senates most vulnerable incumbents, and each represents a state where the outdoor economy and tourism at sites such as Rocky Mountain and Yellowstone national parks play an outsize role. Visitors cannot enjoy national parks such as Yellowstone and Yosemite if the bathrooms dont work, if the trails and campgrounds arent open, or if the roads are in disrepair, Heinrich said.

With President Donald Trump confronted by skyrocketing joblessness and the coronavirus pandemic as he campaigns for reelection against Democrat Joe Biden, members of his Cabinet are busy making time in pivotal states. They are carrying a message to voters about what the Trump administration is doing for them. A Trump campaign spokesperson did not respond to questions about the Cabinet members' trips. Biden campaign spokesperson Michael Gwin accused the Trump administration of focusing on "scoring political points, not delivering for the people they work for. It was unclear whether the Trump campaign or the federal government paid for Bernhardt's costs on the trip.

The celebration comes one day after Trump kicked off the holiday weekend by travelling to Mt. Rushmore for a fireworks display near the iconic mountain carvings George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Abraham Lincoln and Theodore Roosevelt. Still, Trump insisted on moving forward on holding big gatherings--including the Mt. Kristi Noem, a Trump ally, insisted social distancing wasnt necessary and masks were optional. Pritzker warned he wont hesitate to close down businesses that dont abide by capacity requirements, and he encouraged people to avoid large crowds and wear face coverings.

A mile-long firing of 10,000 fireworks would be the largest in recent memory, Bernhardt said. The Trump administrations Salute to America comes as Americans are dealing with surging cases of COVID-19 and a resulting recession and wave of unemployment. Bernhardt said authorities planned to have 300,000 face coverings on hand to give away at the National Mall. The Interior Department said visitors would be encouraged to wear masks and keep a six-foot distance from one another. Like last year, donations are helping support part of the cost of the July 4th events, Bernhardt said.

The White House, however, trumpeted the administration's continuing support of law officers in the now subsiding protests. If there was a shred of evidence, the administration would have presented fact witnesses to support this gaslighting, Rep. Jared Huffman, a California Democrat, said. The clearing of Lafayette Square is the subject of an Interior Department inspector-generals review and at least one lawsuit brought by those wounded. At a separate briefing Monday, a House Oversight subcommittee addressed the treatment of protesters and journalists at demonstrations across the country, including Lafayette Square. The administration has denied that authorities forced protesters from the square that day so Trump could stage a law-and-order photo op nearby, clinching an upheld Bible.

An Interior Department watchdog office will investigate law enforcement and security forces violent clearing of protesters from a square in front of the White House earlier this month. Greenblatt agreed late last week, telling the lawmakers that Interior Secretary David Bernhardt had also asked for the review. Authorities have given at times conflicting accounts about who oversaw and ordered the forceful routing of protesters from Lafayette Square. Bernhardt, the interior secretary, has said violent attacks by the crowd warranted clearing the protesters. Reporters and other witnesses and Democratic lawmakers say they saw little sign of that scale of violence by the crowd.

The violent clearing of demonstrators from the nation's premier protest space in front of the White House is spotlighting a tiny federal watch force created by George Washington. Democratic lawmakers want answers about the clubbing, punching and other force deployed by some Park Police in routing protesters from the front of the White House on Monday. The First Amendment rights to free speech, peaceful assembly, and free press are the building blocks of all other rights, the three lawmakers said. The three lawmakers letter, sent Monday, asks Interiors internal watchdog whether the force used by Park Police was lawful and in line with rules, policies and training standards for the force. Lawmakers also asked the investigators to determine who was giving orders to the Interior Department in the squares clearing.

Democratic lawmakers want answers about the clubbing, punching and other force deployed by some Park Police in routing protesters from the front of the White House on Monday. Bernhardt in the letter took responsibility for asking for the National Guard deployment at federal monuments in the Washington protests. White House officials and others in the administration had pinned the decision on Barr. The White House and the Park Police have emphatically denied that tear gas was used to clear the demonstrators Monday. Theres millions of people who come to the White House every year, Thomas said of the protest space.

As President Trump has said, there will be an Independence Day celebration this year and it will have a different look than 2019 to ensure the health and safety of those attending, Deere said. Last year's July Fourth event featured tanks, a military flyover and a Trump speech at the Lincoln Memorial. Under recommendations by the mayors Reopen DC task force, large gatherings are prohibited during the first phase of reopening. In Phase Three, gatherings would cap at 250 people, with physical distancing. Large gatherings, like the Independence Day event, would not occur until the District enters Phase Four, "when a vaccine or other cure has been widely administered, or the disease has effectively disappeared.

Visitors to Yellowstone National Park often leave common sense and situational awareness at home, as those examples in the past year show. Were out there.Other national parks that have reopened include Great Smoky Mountains in Tennessee and North Carolina, where park officials urge visitors to arrive early at popular spots. We're expecting there to be less people on the trails than being open all day, said Grand Canyon spokesperson Lily Daniels. A lot of it is self-governance.That's not a good idea, said former Grand Canyon National Park Superintendent Rob Arnberger in an opinion piece Friday in The Arizona Republic. No ones an expert at reopening national parks in a pandemic, Sholly said.

WASHINGTON Many Americans may be staying in this Memorial Day weekend, but President Donald Trump is hitting the road, set to visit Baltimores Fort McHenry National Monument and Historic Shrine. The Trumps are to be joined by Defense Secretary Mark Esper; Interior Secretary David Bernhardt; Gen. Mark Milley, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff; and military ceremonial units. Trump was also considering travel next week to Florida to view the launch of the first U.S. manned spaceflight since the retirement of the space shuttle, Florida Gov. I think the big guy is going to be there.Trump marked Memorial Day last year aboard a U.S. aircraft carrier in Japan, where he was on a state visit. He participated in ceremonies at Arlington National Cemetery in his first two years in office.

The designated survivor would ensure continuity of government by taking over the presidency in that case. Here are a couple of other things to know about the designated survivor:Who is the designated survivor this year? Why is there a designated survivor? What happens when you're the designated survivor? For complete coverage of the State of the Union address, download the CBS News app.

The Department of Justice, the Department of the Interior and the Department of Health and Human Services today held the first meeting of a White House task force to address the incidence of missing and murdered American Indians and Alaska Natives. The task force, co-chaired by Attorney General Barr and Secretary of the Interior Bernhardt, is composed of federal officials charged with enhancing the criminal justice response, consulting with tribal governments on potential solutions, and empowering native communities with information. We are committed to addressing this challenge, to reducing the violence and protecting the vulnerable from exploitation and abuse. The year 2020 marks the 150th anniversary of the Department of Justice. Learn more about the history of the Department of Justice at www.Justice.gov/Celebrating150Years.

FILE PHOTO: Interior Secretary David Bernhardt testifies before a House Appropriations Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies Subcommittee hearing on the Interior Department's FY2020 budget request on Capitol Hill in Washington, U.S., May 7, 2019. REUTERS/Aaron P. BernsteinWASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. Interior Department is grounding its fleet of about 800 Chinese-made drones but will allow their use for emergency situations, the department said. Interior Secretary David Bernhardt issued an order Wednesday affirming a temporary cessation of non-emergency operations that was adopted in October as it ensures cybersecurity, technology and domestic production concerns are adequately addressed, the department said. The order allows for approved situations for emergency purposes, such as fighting wildfires, search and rescue, and dealing with natural disasters that may threaten life or property. Bernhardt also ordered in October a halt to additional Interior purchases of Chinese-made drones.

(Reuters) - The U.S. government is planning to permanently halt its civilian drone program due to the devices being made at least partly in China, the Financial Times reported on Sunday. on.ft.com/3a4NuZeSources also told FT that the Secretary of the Interior David Bernhardt has not signed an official policy but is planning to pull the fleet from action, with exceptions for emergencies such as fighting wildfires and training. The Department of the Interior was not immediately available for comment. Chinas SZ DJI Technology Co Ltd, the worlds largest commercial drone maker, said on Monday that while it has not seen the new policy, it is looking forward to reviewing the U.S. departments findings, given the lack of credible evidence to support a broad country of origin restriction on drone technology. We urge policymakers and industry stakeholders to come together to create clear standards that will give commercial and government drone operators the assurance they need to confidently evaluate drone technology no matter where it is made, the company added.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Florida Republican Senator Marco Rubio has placed a hold on the Senate confirmation of President Donald Trumps pick to become the deputy secretary of the Interior Department over concerns about the agencys plans to expand offshore drilling, his office said on Wednesday. REUTERS/Erin ScottThe move underscores opposition in most U.S. coastal states to a stalled Trump administration plan to open up nearly all U.S. offshore waters to drilling. When it comes to offshore drilling and exploration, the Florida delegation is united in opposition to allowing our shores to be subjected to new leases, Rubio spokesman Nick Iacovella told Reuters by e-mail. 2 position at Interior after Secretary David Bernhardt, will continue until our office is able to discuss our concerns regarding offshore drilling with her directly, Iacovella said. In an interview with Reuters last month here Bernhardt said he does not plan to move ahead with offshore drilling until the legal process is "further along."

"The best way to uphold the Endangered Species Act is to do everything we can to ensure it remains effective in achieving its ultimate goal recovery of our rarest species," Bernhardt said. The Endangered Species Act currently protects more than 1,600 species in the United States and its territories. "The Endangered Species Act exists to identify struggling species and help them recover. "This effort to gut protections for endangered and threatened species has the same two features of most Trump administration actions: it's a gift to industry, and it's illegal. We'll see the Trump administration in court about it," Drew Caputo, a vice president of litigation for the conservation advocacy group Earthjustice.

ANCHORAGE (Reuters) - Environmentalists on Wednesday filed a lawsuit challenging a new Trump Administration plan to build a road through a national wildlife refuge in Alaska. The lawsuit, filed in U.S. District Court in Anchorage, targets a land-trade deal struck last month between Interior Secretary David Bernhardt and a Native-owned corporation to remove up to 500 acres (202.34 hectares) of land from Izembek National Wildlife Refuge, a migratory bird haven in southwestern Alaska. A federal judge in March quashed an earlier version of the road deal approved by Bernhardts predecessor, former Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke, in 2018. In 2013, after nearly four years of analysis, Obama Interior secretary Sally Jewell rejected the land trade, saying the environmental costs of the swap and road outweighed its benefits. The Department cannot comment on ongoing litigation, Interior press secretary Molly Block said in an email.

Interior Department over its latest proposed land trade that could lead to a road through a national wildlife refuge in Alaska. The Izembek National Wildlife Refuge near the tip of the Alaska Peninsula contains internationally recognized habitat for migrating waterfowl. Interior Secretary David Bernhardt in a statement last month said the needs of King Cove residents were more important. Fish and Wildlife Service with three village corporations within Yukon Delta National Wildlife Refuge. The other groups suing are Friends of Alaska National Wildlife Refuges, The Wilderness Society, National Audubon Society, Wilderness Watch, Defenders of Wildlife, National Wildlife Refuge Association, Alaska Wilderness League and Sierra Club.

Interior Department on Wednesday, claiming its agencies withheld information regarding preparations for the sale of oil and gas leases in the massive Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. Fish and Wildlife Service did not provide public information in response to Freedom of Information Act requests. The groups sought information on an application by a company to conduct three-dimensional seismic exploration using 90,000-pound (40,825-kilogram) vibrator trucks and mobile camps that could disturb denning polar bears. The Arctic National Wildlife Refuge was created in 1960 during President Dwight Eisenhower's administration. The lawsuit asks a judge to order the Interior Department to deliver the information sought by the groups.

ANCHORAGE (Reuters) - The Trump administration has resurrected a plan to carve a road through a national wildlife refuge in Alaska, less than four months after a federal judge struck down an earlier plan as illegal. FILE PHOTO: Pacific black brant fly past Mount Dutton over the Izembek Lagoon in the Izembek National Wildlife Refuge in Alaska's Aleutian Islands, in this U.S. I choose to place greater weight on the welfare and well-being of the Alaska Native people who call King Cove home. The trade, if carried out, would not authorize a road, but it would create a corridor on which a road could be built. A road would provide adequate opportunity for satisfaction of the economic and social needs of the State of Alaska, it says.

This holiday has always been for the people to celebrate our founding, including the immigrants both forced and voluntary who make up our country along with the indigenous peoples who preceded us, he said. The military should not be the focus of this day, and its absolutely inappropriate to have tanks riding down our local streets to support a political rally.