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.
The NPS lost an estimated $10 to $11 million in revenue during the partial government shutdown, taking critical funding away from things like park maintenance and visitor services.
David Bernhardt, who will step in to fill the role, is a lawyer and lobbyist with strong fossil fuel and water industry ties.
Whether Ryan Zinke is in or out of office, a cohort of right-wing industry advocates still wield huge influence over the DOI.
A Park Service Board gets new members, mudflows follow California fires, and a big company commits to clean energy.
Advocacy groups say that's an unprecedented show of public interest.
A new report assesses the greenhouse gas emissions attributable to coal, oil, and gas on public lands.
Here's what you need to know about the young people suing the U.S. government over climate change.
An investigation by Pacific Standard and the Guardian revealed the full extent to which Ryan Zinke's Department of the Interior favored industry over conservation.
"They are undermining the department's mission at every turn": New documents reveal just how much the Department of the Interior favored industry over conservation.
With the mid-term elections looming, some have speculated that Zinke will be among the next spate of cabinet members to leave their posts.
Several non-profit groups have lambasted the new rule as a handout to the extractive industry.
News and notes from Pacific Standard staff and contributors.
Secretary of the Interior Ryan Zinke didn't see the Bureau of Land Management's draft plan beforehand; he only learned the details when he read about them in the news.
A collection of some of our most important and timely stories, from a profile of Billie Sutton, the former rodeo star running for governor of South Dakota, to a report on the growing trend of girls-only trade classes.
An exclusive newsletter that gives premium members greater access to Pacific Standard stories, staff, and contributors in their inbox every Sunday morning
Documents accidentally shared by the Department of the Interior reveal the prioritization of energy, ranching, and logging in the monuments review.
Ethiopia and Eritrea enter a new era, Ireland makes a big climate change move, and a sock scandal strikes the Department of the Interior chief.
A collection of some of our most important and timely stories, from a new cover story on efforts to reintroduce the grizzly to California to a FOIA-based investigation into the Department of the Interior's current priorities.
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.
Anatomy of a Fact is a recurring series exposing how the Pacific Standard research and fact-checking process works.
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.
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.
The lawsuit alleges that the DOI's decision to allow Americans to bring their hunting trophies back home violates the Endangered Species Act.
