Today, the Trump administration published its final rule to gut protections for migratory birds. The move finalizes major rollbacks to the Migratory Bird Treaty Act (MBTA) of 1918 before the Biden administration comes into office. In response, Western Values Project Director Jayson O’Neill issued the following statement: 

A recent New York Times story found that the Trump administration is rushing to approve several controversial special interest projects, despite opposition from local and Indigenous communities. New research conducted by Western Values Project shows how the Trump administration is using the coronavirus pandemic in order to fast-track long-desired special interest projects, some with direct ties to officials within the administration. 

U.S. Representative Deb Haaland has been nominated by President-elect Joe Biden to be the 54th secretary of the Interior. New Mexico Congresswoman Haaland is an historic pick who is extremely qualified to lead the Interior Department with a diverse coalition of support backing her nomination. She would be the first Native American to lead the Interior Department and to serve in a presidential Cabinet if confirmed by the Senate.

Late last week, the Washington Post reported that the Trump administration published its final analysis of a rule to gut protections for migratory birds. The move paves the way for major rollbacks to the Migratory Bird Treaty Act (MBTA) of 1918 before the Biden administration comes into office. The effort to gut the act has been fueled by Big Oil special interests tied to former oil lobbyist-turned Secretary of the Interior David Bernhardt and Trump’s political appointees. In four short years, this administration has weakened or rolled back more than 125 environmental protections, with dozens more still in progress.  

The Associated Press recently reported President Trump’s plans to roll back essential protections for sage grouse. The plans are set to ease drilling and mining rules in greater sage grouse habitat and across several states of pristine public lands. Following Trump’s lame duck attack on public lands, Western Values Project director Jayson O’Neill issued the following statement: 

“Anti-public lands members of Congress seem to only be worried about pushing through harmful legislation during the lame duck session, instead of battling the pandemic. Meanwhile, Trump and his corrupt associates at Interior are trying to ram through as many special interests favors as they can before they leave office. The detrimental impacts of these favors are bound to harm our wildlife and public lands in the West for years to come.” 

Tomorrow, the lame-duck Senate will likely vote to confirm Trump’s controversial Federal Reserve nominee Judy Shelton. The move is seen as another desperate attempt by the Trump administration to shape the makeup of the board before leaving office. Shelton’s views on economic policy so are outdated, controversial, and extreme that her nomination had been viewed as all but dead until Alaskan Senator Lisa Murkowski inexplicably flipped her position despite Shelton’s suggestion that America’s public assets, including our public lands, be sold off to pay down the national debt.  

This week, E&E reported that federal wildlife officials’ hands would again be tied in their attempts to protect the iconic Western sage grouse. The sage grouse – a ground-dwelling bird known for its unique mating dance – is a critical indicator species that has seen protections rolled back, habitat evaporate, and population numbers plummet in the name of unchecked oil and gas development during the Trump administration. Congress is proposing an unnecessary appropriations bill rider that would prevent the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service from assessing and providing additional protections for the birds’ habitat – home to 350-plus other species, including mule deer, elk and pronghorn antelope.  

ate last week, The Hill reported on the illegal tenure of William Perry Pendley as acting Bureau of Land Management director. Pendley is defiantly continuing in his role after unlawfully serving as the acting BLM director for 424 days despite Interior officials knowing his succession was illegal and a Montana judge ruling it was both illegal and unconstitutional. Environmental groups recently filed a lawsuit against the Bureau to overturn an oil and gas favored Colorado land-use plan that was approved under Pendley’s unlawful tenure.  

A Guardian article published earlier this week reveals the full extent of the corrupt Trump administration’s assault on America’s cherished public lands and wild places. Trump’s efforts to undermine our pristine and sacred public lands began on day one when he assembled the ultimate swamp team lead by former mega-lobbyist David Bernhardt that continues to this day.

New research from Western Values Project found that less than 1% of the extractive resource corporations that were awarded relief through the Trump administration’s flawed Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) were owned by people of color. In addition to communities of color being disproportionately affected by the coronavirus pandemic, Big Oil continues to poison and take advantage of them.