Jimmy Tobias, Author at Pacific Standard

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Environment

New Documents Reveal More About Alleged Ethics Violations at the Department of the Interior

Public records reveal additional details about top political appointee Timothy Williams' meeting with his former employer, the Koch-backed group Americans for Prosperity.

Jimmy Tobias

Environment

A Top DOI Official Allegedly Violated Federal Ethics Rules. New FOIA Documents Shed Light on His Apparent Misdeeds.

Douglas Domenech's communications with his former employer, the Koch-backed Texas Public Policy Foundation, are more extensive than previously known.

Jimmy Tobias

A young gray fox takes cover on the side of the road during 108-degree heat as the Carr fire rages on in California on July 27th, 2018. Wildlife Services killed 1,784 gray foxes that same year.

Environment

The Government Agency in Charge of Killing Wild Animals Is Facing Backlash

Oregon has banned Wildlife Services' use of cyanide bombs, and some California counties have severed their contracts with the agency.

Jimmy Tobias

Environment

The Trump Administration’s Policies Are Fueling the Extinction Crisis

A new U.N. report finds one million species face extinction. The Department of the Interior and the Fish and Wildlife Service are adding to the problem.

Jimmy Tobias

Environment

Fish and Wildlife Is ‘Conserving’ Imperiled Animals by Denying Them Protection

New documents show how quotas to delist or downlist endangered species may be influencing conservation decisions.

Jimmy Tobias

Environment

Compromise With the Oil and Gas Industry Made the Sage Grouse Vulnerable to Extinction

Rather than list the bird as an endangered species, the Obama administration struck a compromise deal with energy companies—and now Trump is undoing it.

Jimmy Tobias

Environment

The Key Questions the Senate Should Ask Trump’s Nominee to Head the Department of the Interior

David Bernhardt, a former oil and gas lobbyist, is a behind-the-scenes operator who has positioned himself as an ardent opponent of conservation advocates.

Jimmy Tobias

A view of the border wall between Mexico and the United States, in Ciudad Juarez, Chihuahua state, Mexico, on January 19th, 2018.

Environment

The Little-Known Law That the Trump Administration Is Using to Build a Border Wall

Under the Real ID Act, Secretary of Homeland Security Kirstjen Nielsen has the power to bypass environmental safeguards, rendering any ecological downside to a border wall a moot point.

Jimmy Tobias

Montana’s Dark Money Detective

Jonathan Motl waged a fierce campaign against unaccountable election spending in the Big Sky state. His work carries lessons for other governments grappling with the same scourge.

Jimmy Tobias

Environment

Even Without Zinke, It’s Business-as-Usual at the Department of the Interior

Whether Ryan Zinke is in or out of office, a cohort of right-wing industry advocates still wield huge influence over the DOI.

Jimmy Tobias