There are still many ways to shut down major polluters — including some options the agency isn’t using.
Elizabeth Shogren
Interior ordered an end to science-forward parks policy
The Obama-era guidelines emphasized research and precaution in decision-making.
8 ways Scott Pruitt suppressed science before he resigned
Under the EPA administrator, neither climate change nor science was a priority.
Park Service releases complete climate change report
Following political pressure, references to humans’ role in sea level rise were restored.
House Democrats challenge Interior on altered report
Secretary Zinke said he hadn’t seen drafts omitting humans’ role in climate change.
Park Service report nixes humans’ role in climate change
Interior promised not to interfere with agency science. A long-awaited report shows otherwise.
‘I saw more dead birds in that one pit than hunters would poach’
Egged on by industry lobbyists, Interior Department weakens bird protections.
Interior cancels decades-old protections for migratory birds
The rollback prompts broad opposition from former officials from both political parties.
More prime sage grouse habitat is open for drilling
The Trump administration will allow oil and gas leasing in key sagebrush lands.
Interior revokes climate change and mitigation policies
Many regulations were axed because they are ‘burdens’ to energy development.
16 major environmental protections cut in 2017
Climate change initiatives were the most targeted by the Trump administration.
Lawsuits challenge Trump’s trim of Utah monuments
Reductions in Bears Ears and Grand Staircase-Escalante exclude thousands of significant objects.
What fire researchers learned from California’s blazes
In California, land managers use fire as a tool.
Interior Department’s Climate Science Centers persevere
As other initiatives get cut, these centers could ride out the Trump administration.
Fish and Wildlife retracts opposition to Arizona project
As Trump sidelines science, the agency flips on San Pedro River development.
Shrub-choked wildlands played a role in California fires
The deadly Wine Country blazes ignited and grew in forests and shrublands.
Senate opens a path to drill the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge
However, several more steps would have to happen for drilling to be authorized.
Trump’s BLM removes a hurdle for controversial Cadiz project
The Mojave Desert project moves forward without typical environmental review.
One race may tip Washington’s state Senate from red to blue
Campaign donations are flowing at record pace for a state Senate seat in the high-tech suburbs of Seattle.
What drove an Interior whistleblower to dissent?
Climate change official Joel Clement was one of the few current staffers to speak out.