Mike Lee's Myths
Senator Mike Lee of Utah wants to take away public lands. His reasons are all wrong.
Jimmy Tobias
Jimmy Tobias is a contributing writer for Pacific Standard and a freelance reporter. His work has appeared in The Nation, Outside, High Country News, and others. He is a former staff reporter for the Missoula Independent, Montana's largest newsweekly.
A Top DOI Official Had at Least Six Meetings With the Mining Industry. She Then Helped Cancel a Study on the Public-Health Effects of Mining.
Records obtained by Pacific Standard reveal that a top official at the DOI had a hand in nixing a government-funded public-health study in Appalachia—after a series of meetings with some of the most powerful mining players in the country.
Could California Become a Zero-Extinction State?
California plant lovers are finding—and nurturing—species once presumed to be extinct in the wild.
In Idaho, the Gubernatorial Primaries Gave Public Lands Advocates a Reason for Optimism
The results of Idaho's gubernatorial primaries suggest a positive shift for conservation.
Records Show a Top DOI Official Met With His Former Employer—a Koch Brothers-Linked Foundation
A high-level official at the Department of the Interior held meetings with a previous employer, the Koch-linked Texas Public Policy Foundation, while it was involved in legal action against the department, according to newly obtained documents.
Emails Suggest the Department of the Interior Is Prioritizing Fossil Fuel Interests Over Wildlife Well-Being
Records reveal that, following requests by fossil fuel industry groups, a top official at the Department of the Interior appeared to take credit for helping to delay new federal protections for a once-endangered species.
A Top Adviser at the Department of the Interior Is Under Fire After Meeting Extensively With Oil and Mining Representatives
Public records show that a senior DOI adviser has met with mining and fossil-fuel representatives far more than she has with environmentalists.
At the Department of the Interior, Industry Lobbyists and Revolving-Door Operatives Shape Sage Grouse Policy
Public records show that industry groups and conservative politicians have had the ear of top Department of the Interior officials as they seek to dismantle conservation protections for the imperiled species.
Meet the Former Koch Adviser Slashing Conservation Safeguards at the Department of the Interior
Daniel Jorjani, the Department of the Interior's principal deputy solicitor, once advised Charles Koch. Now, he takes meetings with industry representatives and rolls back conservation protections.
The Turtle Liberation in El Salvador
The Mangrove Association and its allies in El Salvador are showing that conservation works best if it has grassroots organizing behind it.
How to Create a 21st-Century Civilian Conservation Corps
Representative Marcy Kaptur, the dean of Ohio's congressional delegation, has a plan to fix the public lands.
Backed by Industry Cash, the House Committee on Natural Resources Hands the Public Lands to Oil and Gas Interests
Nineteen Republicans voted the Secure American Energy Act out of committee this month. They've collectively received millions from oil and gas interests.
Why Ryan Zinke's Plan to Raise Entrance Fees to National Parks Will Do Little to Actually Benefit National Parks
The secretary of the interior wants to raise user fees at the national parks. His proposal will hurt all but the wealthiest Americans, and it won't work.
Congress' Latest Attack on the Antiquities Act Is Not About National Parks
Exaggeration and misdirection can only damage the conservation movement's credibility.
Burdened by Austerity, the National Park Service Breaks the Law
The NPS is legally obligated to better manage its enormous crowds, but it is crippled by budget cuts and maintenance backlogs.
Trump's Park Service Embraces Plastic Pollution
The beverage industry spent millions trying to get its way in Washington, D.C.—and it worked.
The Coming Congressional Attack on the Antiquities Act
For the far right, Ryan Zinke's national monument review is just the beginning.
The Perilous Future of Earth's Parasites
Climate change may drive as many as one in three parasite species extinct by 2070. That's very bad.
The Oil and Gas Industry's Latest Scheme Would All but Privatize Public Lands
The Federal Land Freedom Act has nothing to do with freedom, and everything to do with avarice.
Of Course Ryan Zinke Wants to Shrink Our National Monuments
A new report by Democrats on the House Natural Resources Committee outlines the partisan, industry-friendly nature of Trump's national monument review.
Stop With the 'Catastrophic Wildfire' Scare Tactics
It's an alarmist, politically driven catchphrase. And, from a scientific perspective, it has little credibility.
The Mass Panic Over Russian Political Interference Threatens Progressives Too
Armed with potent propaganda, House Republicans are targeting the environmental movement over alleged Kremlin ties.
A Brief Survey of Trump's Assault on Science
In a new report, the Union of Concerned Scientists strives to document and detail all of the Trump administration's anti-science actions.
Utah's Anti-Conservation Crusade Is About to Become Very Costly
With Outdoor Retailer's departure, Utah pays dearly for its attack on public lands.
Flush With Timber Money, Congressman Works to Loosen Forest Protections
Representative Bruce Westerman has received more than $100,000 in timber industry campaign donations. Now, he is pushing a bill that relaxes environmental regulations on the same industry.
Tax the Rich and Build the Trails
User fees and other pay-to-play policies are a regressive scheme that won't fix our public lands. We should resist them.
Will Trump Try to Sink Sage Grouse Conservation?
The Department of the Interior's sage grouse review is a big win for fossil fuel interests.
The Unprecedented Dismantling of a National Monument
After recommending that Bears Ears National Monument be reduced in size, one thing is clear: Ryan Zinke is nothing like Teddy Roosevelt.
This Native Tribe Is Reintroducing a Disappeared Species on Its Own Land
And the federal government can't do much about it.
Another Loss for the Land-Grab Campaign
Amid vigorous public lands activism, Representative Mark Amodei, a leader of the right-wing land transfer movement, retreats.
Did a Top-Level Department of the Interior Nominee Commit Scientific Fraud?
David Bernhardt, President Trump's pick for the No. 2 position at the Department of the Interior, has some explaining to do.
The Western Think Tank Leading the Charge Against the Antiquities Act
With more than $1.6 million from groups backed by shadowy billionaires, the Sutherland Institute, based in Utah, has set its sights on the Bears Ears National Monument.
Public Lands in Populist Times: An Interview With Raúl Grijalva
Representative Raúl Grijalva of Arizona is staunchly progressive and deeply committed to protecting public lands.
Fossil Fuel Companies Are Smearing Environmentalists as Putin Puppets
Dig behind the headlines, and you'll find powerful propaganda at play.
If You Support Public Lands, Steer Clear of Utah
The state’s government has helped lead the war on national forests and other federal land. The outdoor recreation community is pushing back.
How the California Department of Transportation Drove a Rare Flower to the Edge of Extinction
When it comes to imperiled species, sometimes carelessness kills.
On Its 100th Birthday, a Prohibitively Popular Park Service
As many millions of tourists descend on the national parks this season, is the agency overlooking its obligations under the law?
A Wake Up Call for the Wolf Killers
Wildlife Services, an infamous federal agency that kills tens of thousands of native predators a year, is reviled by conservationists around the country. Is reform looming?
The Last of the California Quail
Why San Francisco, a city known for its innovative thinking and environmental leadership, has been unable to save its official bird.
Fair Chase and the Fight Against Drones
A scrappy group of backcountry hunters wants to keep drones away from wildlife—and they're winning.
Murdering the Movement
How can conservation possibly succeed on a planetary scale if key green leaders and allies keep getting gunned down?
The Far Right and the Future of Conservation
Legislators in both Capitol Hill and the high country, awash in Big Oil campaign contributions, are rapidly dismantling the pillars of American conservation.