In an attempt to whitewash the Trump administration’s abysmal record on public lands and wildlife, the President is expected to sign a major bipartisan public lands package.

The House of Representatives passed H.R. 1, the “For the People Act of 2019,” which addresses and aims to reform some of the most egregious ethical loopholes used by Trump administration appointees, including ex-lobbyist turned Acting Interior Secretary David Bernhardt, to benefit special interests and corporate lobbyists.

Just one day before a bipartisan group of U.S. Senators sent a letter to Acting Interior Secretary David Bernhardt requesting that the department reconsider and scrap a proposed rule that would limit public records requests, Western Values Project (WVP) received a notice from Interior that a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request would be delayed to allow a political appointee to review the response.

Ahead of Acting Interior Secretary David Bernhardt’s confirmation hearings, the Department of Interior has yet again failed to comply with federal open records laws for official communications between Bernhardt, his former clients, Interior officials and other special interests.

E&E News is reporting that ethics watchdog Campaign for Accountability (CFA) submitted a complaint yesterday, February 19, to the U.S. Office of Government Ethics, Interior Inspector General (IG) and Interior’s […]

Following news that the Senate just passed a public lands package 92-8 that includes permanent reauthorization of the Land and Water Conservation Fund and that also protects millions of acres […]

Conflict-ridden Interior Deputy Secretary David Bernhardt has been working on rolling back endangered species protections for the Delta Smelt, a policy change that directly favors his former client, Westlands Water […]

Western Values Project (WVP) announced a new advisory board to help it form winning strategies to protect public lands.  Board members come from across the American West and the country, bringing together years of experience in government accountability and conservation advocacy.

Yesterday, the U.S. Senate voted 99 to 1 on a procedural vote to begin considering a public lands package that includes permanent reauthorization of the Land and Water Conservation Fund […]

Last week, The Montana Free Press reported that Senator Steve Daines took credit for Interior’s legally questionable decision to dip into National Park Service (NPS) entrance fees to fund daily […]