As the United States restarts fitfully following the peak of the COVID-19 pandemic, one source of controversy — and of numerous local or regional environmental stories — is what to do at the nation’s park system. The latest TipSheet explains why public access to these national treasures is so contentious, then provides numerous story ideas and reporting resources.
"The Trump administration is urging the U.S. Supreme Court to allow the government to keep certain endangered species records out of the public eye."
"The plan for a large proposed gold and copper mine in Alaska’s Bristol Bay has changed to include a two-lane, 82-mile access road along the northern shore of Lake Iliamna, alarming environmental opponents who say they weren’t informed of the change until late in the permitting process."
"Ohio yesterday [Thursday] unanimously approved the Icebreaker wind farm, North America's first offshore freshwater project, planned for just off the Cleveland shore in Lake Erie."
"Oil and gas companies have proposed more than 150,000 acres of federal land for potential development in the canyons of eastern Utah, some as close as a mile and a half from the famous Arches National Park."
"The Trump administration is urging the U.S. Supreme Court to allow the government to keep certain endangered species records out of the public eye."
"The coronavirus scuttled plans and forced officials to ask people to get out of the woods. Of the thousands who hoped to hike the trail this year, only a few hundred remain."
"A Canadian company has built the first piece of the disputed Keystone XL oil sands pipeline across the U.S. border and started work on labor camps in Montana and South Dakota. But it has not resolved a courtroom setback that would make it hard to finish the $8 billion project."
"The Interior Department will give the public four more months to comment on a plan to expand oil and gas development near New Mexico’s Chaco Culture National Historical Park."
"The Trump administration is urging the U.S. Supreme Court to steer clear of green groups’ complaints about environmental waivers for the U.S.-Mexico border wall."
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