Interior Secretary Doug Burgum confirmed Friday officials are reviewing boundaries for several national monuments. The administration is reportedly looking to shrink some.
“When we’re taking a look, we have an executive order from President Trump to review these, to say ‘are they the appropriate size?’” Burgum told Semafor during a Friday event.
“We’ll go through a thorough review,” he said, adding, “this is not a top priority for the administration.”
His comments come after The Washington Post reported that department aides are considering shrinking at least six national monuments across Arizona, California, New Mexico and Utah: Baaj Nwaavjo I’tah Kukveni-Ancestral Footprints of the Grand Canyon, Ironwood Forest, Chuckwalla, Organ Mountains-Desert Peaks, Bears Ears and Grand Staircase-Escalante.
Burgum did not explicitly say which monuments were under review. But, his comments came in response to a question about whether the department was considering removing protections for six monuments, as reported by The Post.
A spokesperson for the Interior Department said the review is ongoing but declined to provide additional details.
Welcome to The Hill’s Energy & Environment newsletter, I’m Rachel Frazin — keeping you up to speed on the policies impacting everything from oil and gas to new supply chains.
The Department of Transportation (DOT) has replaced the lawyers defending it in a case related to New York City’s congestion pricing, just after it was revealed lawyers with the Department of Justice (DOJ) accidentally filed a document questioning the legitimacy of the Trump administration’s case.
Federal corn crop insurers could see a 22 percent spike in claims filed by 2030 and a nearly 29 percent jump by midcentury, thanks to the impacts of climate change, a new study has found.
North Dakota Gov. Kelly Armstrong (R) has signed legislation that makes his state the first in the country to shield farm chemical manufacturers from lawsuits over safety concerns about their products, most notably the popular weed killer Roundup.
News we’ve flagged from other outlets touching on energy issues, the environment and other topics:
Biden administration acknowledges it can force Bitcoin mines to disclose pollution (The Verge)
An ‘inland tsunami’: 15 million people are at risk from catastrophic glacial lake outbursts, researchers find (CNN)
The U.N. Secretary-General’s Searing Message for the Fossil-Fuel Industry (The New Yorker)
On Our Radar
Upcoming news themes and events we’re watching next week:
The House is expected to vote to overturn California car and truck rules.
Here’s what else we’re watching:
Tuesday
The House Natural Resources Committee will hold a hearing on deep sea mining.
Wednesday
The Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee will hold a hearing on nominees for key roles at the Energy and Interior departments.
The House Science, Space and Technology Committee will hold a hearing on the Energy Department’s loan guarantee program.
The House Energy and Commerce Committee will hold a hearing titled “Assuring Abundant, Reliable American Energy to Power Innovation.”
The Senate Environment and Public Works committee will hold a hearing on water infrastructure programs.
Thursday
The Senate Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee will hold a hearing on President Trump’s nominee for the No. 2 role at the Commerce Department.
Friday
Rachel will be speaking about her new book on “forever chemicals” at Politics and Prose at the Wharf in Washington, D.C.
What We’re Reading
New science on climate harms could boost litigation (Axios)
Michigan nuclear plant set to restart, first for U.S. (Fox Business)
Milwaukee County Circuit Judge Hannah C. Dugan was arrested Friday, with federal authorities alleging the judge tried to impede with President Trump’s immigration agenda by helping a migrant illegally in the country avoid arrest in her courtroom. Read more
President Trump in an interview published Friday was adamant that he is serious about his talk of adding Canada as the 51st state, something Canadian leaders have outright rejected. Read more
Opinions in The Hill
Op-ed related to energy & environment submitted to The Hill:
