#federallands — Public Fediverse posts

Mining Claims Staked on Land Cut From Bears Ears and Grand Staircase Monuments

https://fed.brid.gy/r/https://www.nytimes.com/2026/08/14/climate/mining-trump-utah-monuments.html

Mining Claims Staked on Land Cut From Bears Ears and Grand Staircase Monuments

https://fed.brid.gy/r/https://www.nytimes.com/2026/08/14/climate/mining-trump-utah-monuments.html

Documents Undercut Trump’s Claims About Bears Ears National Monument

https://fed.brid.gy/r/https://www.nytimes.com/2026/08/03/climate/trump-bears-ears-monument-recreation.html

Documents Undercut Trump’s Claims About Bears Ears National Monument

https://fed.brid.gy/r/https://www.nytimes.com/2026/08/03/climate/trump-bears-ears-monument-recreation.html

Interior Department Moves to Relax Rules for Drilling on Public Lands

The Trump administration on Monday moved to relax environmental rules governing the extraction…
#NewsBeep #News #US #USA #UnitedStates #UnitedStatesOfAmerica #Environment #ConservationofResources #DrillingandBoring #FederalLands #globalwarming #greenhousegasemissions #InteriorDepartment #LandUsePolicies #MinesandMining #Oil(Petroleum)andGasoline #RegulationandDeregulationofIndustry #Science
https://www.newsbeep.com/us/720210/

Interior Department Moves to Relax Rules for Drilling on Public Lands

The Trump administration on Monday moved to relax environmental rules governing the extraction…
#NewsBeep #News #US #USA #UnitedStates #UnitedStatesOfAmerica #Environment #ConservationofResources #DrillingandBoring #FederalLands #globalwarming #greenhousegasemissions #InteriorDepartment #LandUsePolicies #MinesandMining #Oil(Petroleum)andGasoline #RegulationandDeregulationofIndustry #Science
https://www.newsbeep.com/us/720210/

All Nine #SouthDakota Tribes Pass Resolutions Supporting Developing Legislation To Return #FederalLands: #LakotaNation United in Effort for #BlackHills Federal Lands Return

By NDN Collective • June 9, 2026

Rapid City, SD –"All nine South Dakota Tribes have voted to move forward on developing legislation to return federal lands in the Black Hills to the #GreatSiouxNation – a historic display of Tribal unity and momentum around efforts to protect the Black Hills.

"At a recent tribal council meeting, the #CheyenneRiverSioux Tribe passed a resolution to move forward on working together to protect sacred sites, clean drinking water, and ensure better land management through the development of legislation to return federal lands in the Black Hills to the Great Sioux Nation.

"The proposal — which is still in early draft form — aims to return federal lands in the Black Hills back to the #OcetiSakowin, providing a framework for land return and management. The proposal does not involve privately owned lands, and it does not settle or involve claims by the Great Sioux Nation regarding the 1868 Ft. Laramie Treaty.

"Right now, there are 8,800 active #mining claims in South Dakota – about 17 percent of the entire Black Hills. The legal strategy would protect the Black Hills from all #ExtractiveActivities and preserve clean drinking water for all.

"#Indigenous organizations, elders, grassroots leaders, and community members have been organizing and providing support around proposed legislation since 2020, helping Tribal leaders prioritize this proposal as a critical way to protect drinking water for the region, preserve sacred sites, revitalize culture and land, strengthen sovereignty, bolster community wellbeing, and support jobs and economic development.

" 'The Oceti Sakowin people are coming together to claim the land that is rightfully and legally owed to us,' said #MadonnaThunderHawk, Cheyenne River Sioux elder. 'We are here to say, loud and clear, that the Black Hills are not for sale. We love our land, and will continue defending it – from Pe’ Sla to #CravenCanyon and beyond.”

“#CrazyHorse set the bar on how to move as Indigenous people, and how important it is to defend the Black Hills,” said Joseph Brings Plenty Sr., District 5 Council Representative for the Cheyenne River Sioux Tribe. 'Together, we are strong – we need to be stronger than ever because we are fighting for an existence on our very own land.' "

Read more:
https://ndncollective.org/all-nine-south-dakota-tribes-pass-resolutions-supporting-developing-legislation-to-return-federal-lands/

#LandBack #IndigenousNews #NativeAmericanNews #USPol #PeSla #NoMining #WaterIsLife
#InTheSpiritOfCrazyHorse

All Nine #SouthDakota Tribes Pass Resolutions Supporting Developing Legislation To Return #FederalLands: #LakotaNation United in Effort for #BlackHills Federal Lands Return

By NDN Collective • June 9, 2026

Rapid City, SD –"All nine South Dakota Tribes have voted to move forward on developing legislation to return federal lands in the Black Hills to the #GreatSiouxNation – a historic display of Tribal unity and momentum around efforts to protect the Black Hills.

"At a recent tribal council meeting, the #CheyenneRiverSioux Tribe passed a resolution to move forward on working together to protect sacred sites, clean drinking water, and ensure better land management through the development of legislation to return federal lands in the Black Hills to the Great Sioux Nation.

"The proposal — which is still in early draft form — aims to return federal lands in the Black Hills back to the #OcetiSakowin, providing a framework for land return and management. The proposal does not involve privately owned lands, and it does not settle or involve claims by the Great Sioux Nation regarding the 1868 Ft. Laramie Treaty.

"Right now, there are 8,800 active #mining claims in South Dakota – about 17 percent of the entire Black Hills. The legal strategy would protect the Black Hills from all #ExtractiveActivities and preserve clean drinking water for all.

"#Indigenous organizations, elders, grassroots leaders, and community members have been organizing and providing support around proposed legislation since 2020, helping Tribal leaders prioritize this proposal as a critical way to protect drinking water for the region, preserve sacred sites, revitalize culture and land, strengthen sovereignty, bolster community wellbeing, and support jobs and economic development.

" 'The Oceti Sakowin people are coming together to claim the land that is rightfully and legally owed to us,' said #MadonnaThunderHawk, Cheyenne River Sioux elder. 'We are here to say, loud and clear, that the Black Hills are not for sale. We love our land, and will continue defending it – from Pe’ Sla to #CravenCanyon and beyond.”

“#CrazyHorse set the bar on how to move as Indigenous people, and how important it is to defend the Black Hills,” said Joseph Brings Plenty Sr., District 5 Council Representative for the Cheyenne River Sioux Tribe. 'Together, we are strong – we need to be stronger than ever because we are fighting for an existence on our very own land.' "

Read more:
https://ndncollective.org/all-nine-south-dakota-tribes-pass-resolutions-supporting-developing-legislation-to-return-federal-lands/

#LandBack #IndigenousNews #NativeAmericanNews #USPol #PeSla #NoMining #WaterIsLife
#InTheSpiritOfCrazyHorse

All Nine #SouthDakota Tribes Pass Resolutions Supporting Developing Legislation To Return #FederalLands: #LakotaNation United in Effort for #BlackHills Federal Lands Return

By NDN Collective • June 9, 2026

Rapid City, SD –"All nine South Dakota Tribes have voted to move forward on developing legislation to return federal lands in the Black Hills to the #GreatSiouxNation – a historic display of Tribal unity and momentum around efforts to protect the Black Hills.

"At a recent tribal council meeting, the #CheyenneRiverSioux Tribe passed a resolution to move forward on working together to protect sacred sites, clean drinking water, and ensure better land management through the development of legislation to return federal lands in the Black Hills to the Great Sioux Nation.

"The proposal — which is still in early draft form — aims to return federal lands in the Black Hills back to the #OcetiSakowin, providing a framework for land return and management. The proposal does not involve privately owned lands, and it does not settle or involve claims by the Great Sioux Nation regarding the 1868 Ft. Laramie Treaty.

"Right now, there are 8,800 active #mining claims in South Dakota – about 17 percent of the entire Black Hills. The legal strategy would protect the Black Hills from all #ExtractiveActivities and preserve clean drinking water for all.

"#Indigenous organizations, elders, grassroots leaders, and community members have been organizing and providing support around proposed legislation since 2020, helping Tribal leaders prioritize this proposal as a critical way to protect drinking water for the region, preserve sacred sites, revitalize culture and land, strengthen sovereignty, bolster community wellbeing, and support jobs and economic development.

" 'The Oceti Sakowin people are coming together to claim the land that is rightfully and legally owed to us,' said #MadonnaThunderHawk, Cheyenne River Sioux elder. 'We are here to say, loud and clear, that the Black Hills are not for sale. We love our land, and will continue defending it – from Pe’ Sla to #CravenCanyon and beyond.”

“#CrazyHorse set the bar on how to move as Indigenous people, and how important it is to defend the Black Hills,” said Joseph Brings Plenty Sr., District 5 Council Representative for the Cheyenne River Sioux Tribe. 'Together, we are strong – we need to be stronger than ever because we are fighting for an existence on our very own land.' "

Read more:
https://ndncollective.org/all-nine-south-dakota-tribes-pass-resolutions-supporting-developing-legislation-to-return-federal-lands/

#LandBack #IndigenousNews #NativeAmericanNews #USPol #PeSla #NoMining #WaterIsLife
#InTheSpiritOfCrazyHorse

All Nine #SouthDakota Tribes Pass Resolutions Supporting Developing Legislation To Return #FederalLands: #LakotaNation United in Effort for #BlackHills Federal Lands Return

By NDN Collective • June 9, 2026

Rapid City, SD –"All nine South Dakota Tribes have voted to move forward on developing legislation to return federal lands in the Black Hills to the #GreatSiouxNation – a historic display of Tribal unity and momentum around efforts to protect the Black Hills.

"At a recent tribal council meeting, the #CheyenneRiverSioux Tribe passed a resolution to move forward on working together to protect sacred sites, clean drinking water, and ensure better land management through the development of legislation to return federal lands in the Black Hills to the Great Sioux Nation.

"The proposal — which is still in early draft form — aims to return federal lands in the Black Hills back to the #OcetiSakowin, providing a framework for land return and management. The proposal does not involve privately owned lands, and it does not settle or involve claims by the Great Sioux Nation regarding the 1868 Ft. Laramie Treaty.

"Right now, there are 8,800 active #mining claims in South Dakota – about 17 percent of the entire Black Hills. The legal strategy would protect the Black Hills from all #ExtractiveActivities and preserve clean drinking water for all.

"#Indigenous organizations, elders, grassroots leaders, and community members have been organizing and providing support around proposed legislation since 2020, helping Tribal leaders prioritize this proposal as a critical way to protect drinking water for the region, preserve sacred sites, revitalize culture and land, strengthen sovereignty, bolster community wellbeing, and support jobs and economic development.

" 'The Oceti Sakowin people are coming together to claim the land that is rightfully and legally owed to us,' said #MadonnaThunderHawk, Cheyenne River Sioux elder. 'We are here to say, loud and clear, that the Black Hills are not for sale. We love our land, and will continue defending it – from Pe’ Sla to #CravenCanyon and beyond.”

“#CrazyHorse set the bar on how to move as Indigenous people, and how important it is to defend the Black Hills,” said Joseph Brings Plenty Sr., District 5 Council Representative for the Cheyenne River Sioux Tribe. 'Together, we are strong – we need to be stronger than ever because we are fighting for an existence on our very own land.' "

Read more:
https://ndncollective.org/all-nine-south-dakota-tribes-pass-resolutions-supporting-developing-legislation-to-return-federal-lands/

#LandBack #IndigenousNews #NativeAmericanNews #USPol #PeSla #NoMining #WaterIsLife
#InTheSpiritOfCrazyHorse

All Nine #SouthDakota Tribes Pass Resolutions Supporting Developing Legislation To Return #FederalLands: #LakotaNation United in Effort for #BlackHills Federal Lands Return

By NDN Collective • June 9, 2026

Rapid City, SD –"All nine South Dakota Tribes have voted to move forward on developing legislation to return federal lands in the Black Hills to the #GreatSiouxNation – a historic display of Tribal unity and momentum around efforts to protect the Black Hills.

"At a recent tribal council meeting, the #CheyenneRiverSioux Tribe passed a resolution to move forward on working together to protect sacred sites, clean drinking water, and ensure better land management through the development of legislation to return federal lands in the Black Hills to the Great Sioux Nation.

"The proposal — which is still in early draft form — aims to return federal lands in the Black Hills back to the #OcetiSakowin, providing a framework for land return and management. The proposal does not involve privately owned lands, and it does not settle or involve claims by the Great Sioux Nation regarding the 1868 Ft. Laramie Treaty.

"Right now, there are 8,800 active #mining claims in South Dakota – about 17 percent of the entire Black Hills. The legal strategy would protect the Black Hills from all #ExtractiveActivities and preserve clean drinking water for all.

"#Indigenous organizations, elders, grassroots leaders, and community members have been organizing and providing support around proposed legislation since 2020, helping Tribal leaders prioritize this proposal as a critical way to protect drinking water for the region, preserve sacred sites, revitalize culture and land, strengthen sovereignty, bolster community wellbeing, and support jobs and economic development.

" 'The Oceti Sakowin people are coming together to claim the land that is rightfully and legally owed to us,' said #MadonnaThunderHawk, Cheyenne River Sioux elder. 'We are here to say, loud and clear, that the Black Hills are not for sale. We love our land, and will continue defending it – from Pe’ Sla to #CravenCanyon and beyond.”

“#CrazyHorse set the bar on how to move as Indigenous people, and how important it is to defend the Black Hills,” said Joseph Brings Plenty Sr., District 5 Council Representative for the Cheyenne River Sioux Tribe. 'Together, we are strong – we need to be stronger than ever because we are fighting for an existence on our very own land.' "

Read more:
https://ndncollective.org/all-nine-south-dakota-tribes-pass-resolutions-supporting-developing-legislation-to-return-federal-lands/

#LandBack #IndigenousNews #NativeAmericanNews #USPol #PeSla #NoMining #WaterIsLife
#InTheSpiritOfCrazyHorse

National Park Entrance Fees Are Funding Trump’s D.C. Projects

https://fed.brid.gy/r/https://www.nytimes.com/2026/05/27/climate/park-service-fees-washington-trump.html

National Park Entrance Fees Are Funding Trump’s D.C. Projects

https://fed.brid.gy/r/https://www.nytimes.com/2026/05/27/climate/park-service-fees-washington-trump.html

#WestPotomacPark, which sits along the Potomac River near the Jefferson Memorial & the Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial, is among the most tightly controlled #FederalLands in DC. Large portions fall within the “reserve” area governed by the Commemorative Works Act, in which any new memorial project would require approval by #Congress as well as review by federal #planning bodies. White House ofcls have previously said they will follow “all legal requirements & approvals”….

#law #NationalParks

#WestPotomacPark, which sits along the Potomac River near the Jefferson Memorial & the Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial, is among the most tightly controlled #FederalLands in DC. Large portions fall within the “reserve” area governed by the Commemorative Works Act, in which any new memorial project would require approval by #Congress as well as review by federal #planning bodies. White House ofcls have previously said they will follow “all legal requirements & approvals”….

#law #NationalParks

#WestPotomacPark, which sits along the Potomac River near the Jefferson Memorial & the Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial, is among the most tightly controlled #FederalLands in DC. Large portions fall within the “reserve” area governed by the Commemorative Works Act, in which any new memorial project would require approval by #Congress as well as review by federal #planning bodies. White House ofcls have previously said they will follow “all legal requirements & approvals”….

#law #NationalParks

#WestPotomacPark, which sits along the Potomac River near the Jefferson Memorial & the Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial, is among the most tightly controlled #FederalLands in DC. Large portions fall within the “reserve” area governed by the Commemorative Works Act, in which any new memorial project would require approval by #Congress as well as review by federal #planning bodies. White House ofcls have previously said they will follow “all legal requirements & approvals”….

#law #NationalParks

#WestPotomacPark, which sits along the Potomac River near the Jefferson Memorial & the Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial, is among the most tightly controlled #FederalLands in DC. Large portions fall within the “reserve” area governed by the Commemorative Works Act, in which any new memorial project would require approval by #Congress as well as review by federal #planning bodies. White House ofcls have previously said they will follow “all legal requirements & approvals”….

#law #NationalParks

Trump Administration to Scrap Rule Encouraging Conservation

https://web.brid.gy/r/https://www.nytimes.com/2026/05/11/climate/public-land-rule-repeal.html

Trump Administration to Scrap Rule Encouraging Conservation

https://fed.brid.gy/r/https://www.nytimes.com/2026/05/11/climate/public-land-rule-repeal.html

Trump Administration to Scrap Rule Encouraging Conservation

https://fed.brid.gy/r/https://www.nytimes.com/2026/05/11/climate/public-land-rule-repeal.html

Trump Administration to Scrap Rule Encouraging Conservation

https://web.brid.gy/r/https://www.nytimes.com/2026/05/11/climate/public-land-rule-repeal.html

Forest Service Will Close Research Stations That Study Wildfire Risk

https://web.brid.gy/r/https://www.nytimes.com/2026/04/03/climate/forest-service-research-stations.html

Forest Service Will Close Research Stations That Study Wildfire Risk

https://web.brid.gy/r/https://www.nytimes.com/2026/04/03/climate/forest-service-research-stations.html

Forest Service Will Close Research Stations That Study Wildfire Risk

https://fed.brid.gy/r/https://www.nytimes.com/2026/04/03/climate/forest-service-research-stations.html

Forest Service Will Close Research Stations That Study Wildfire Risk

https://fed.brid.gy/r/https://www.nytimes.com/2026/04/03/climate/forest-service-research-stations.html

Forest Service Will Close Research Stations That Study Wildfire Risk

https://web.brid.gy/r/https://www.nytimes.com/2026/04/03/climate/forest-service-research-stations.html

Trump Is Digging Up Washington. Can Lawsuits Stop the Bulldozers?

https://web.brid.gy/r/https://www.nytimes.com/2026/03/23/us/politics/trump-ballroom-kennedy-center-lawsuits.html

Trump Is Digging Up Washington. Can Lawsuits Stop the Bulldozers?

https://web.brid.gy/r/https://www.nytimes.com/2026/03/23/us/politics/trump-ballroom-kennedy-center-lawsuits.html

Trump Is Digging Up Washington. Can Lawsuits Stop the Bulldozers?

https://fed.brid.gy/r/https://www.nytimes.com/2026/03/23/us/politics/trump-ballroom-kennedy-center-lawsuits.html

Trump Is Digging Up Washington. Can Lawsuits Stop the Bulldozers?

https://fed.brid.gy/r/https://www.nytimes.com/2026/03/23/us/politics/trump-ballroom-kennedy-center-lawsuits.html

Trump Is Digging Up Washington. Can Lawsuits Stop the Bulldozers?

https://web.brid.gy/r/https://www.nytimes.com/2026/03/23/us/politics/trump-ballroom-kennedy-center-lawsuits.html

Trump May Give SpaceX Some Land In A Texas Wildlife Refuge

https://fed.brid.gy/r/https://www.nytimes.com/2025/12/23/climate/spacex-land-exchange-texas.html

Trump Administration Revokes Biden Ban on Drilling and Mining in Alaska Wilderness

https://web.brid.gy/r/https://www.nytimes.com/2025/11/13/climate/trump-revokes-biden-ban-on-drilling-mining-in-alaska-wilderness.html

Trump Administration Revokes Biden Ban on Drilling and Mining in Alaska Wilderness

https://web.brid.gy/r/https://www.nytimes.com/2025/11/13/climate/trump-revokes-biden-ban-on-drilling-mining-in-alaska-wilderness.html

Trump Administration Revokes Biden Ban on Drilling and Mining in Alaska Wilderness

https://web.brid.gy/r/https://www.nytimes.com/2025/11/13/climate/trump-revokes-biden-ban-on-drilling-mining-in-alaska-wilderness.html

Trump Administration Revokes Biden Ban on Drilling and Mining in Alaska Wilderness

https://web.brid.gy/r/https://www.nytimes.com/2025/11/13/climate/trump-revokes-biden-ban-on-drilling-mining-in-alaska-wilderness.html

The Government Is Shut Down. But Not for Fossil Fuels.

https://web.brid.gy/r/https://www.nytimes.com/2025/10/17/climate/trump-government-shutdown-energy.html

The Government Is Shut Down. But Not for Fossil Fuels.

https://web.brid.gy/r/https://www.nytimes.com/2025/10/17/climate/trump-government-shutdown-energy.html

The Government Is Shut Down. But Not for Fossil Fuels.

https://web.brid.gy/r/https://www.nytimes.com/2025/10/17/climate/trump-government-shutdown-energy.html

The Government Is Shut Down. But Not for Fossil Fuels.

https://web.brid.gy/r/https://www.nytimes.com/2025/10/17/climate/trump-government-shutdown-energy.html

As Temperatures Skyrocket, Oil Production on Federal Lands Reaches Record High

The Trump administration has made fossil fuel production and use a central theme of its deregulatory agenda.

https://murica.website/2025/07/as-temperatures-skyrocket-oil-production-on-federal-lands-reaches-record-high/

Why can’t we have an honest conversation about that? Do not sell off #federallands to fund #taxbreaks. Figure out how to pay the real bill for the lifestyles we enjoy. 5/5

Letter to a #Senator / 22 June: Mr. #Tillis, I oppose the provision in the #OBBBA that permits the sale of #federallands to offset the #taxbreaks included in the bill. Relying on the sale of assets to cover ongoing expenses is demonstrably poor fiscal policy. It’s not #sustainable. 1/5

Letter to a #Senator / 22 June: Mr. #Tillis, I oppose the provision in the #OBBBA that permits the sale of #federallands to offset the #taxbreaks included in the bill. Relying on the sale of assets to cover ongoing expenses is demonstrably poor fiscal policy. It’s not #sustainable. 1/5

Letter to a #Senator / 22 June: Mr. #Tillis, I oppose the provision in the #OBBBA that permits the sale of #federallands to offset the #taxbreaks included in the bill. Relying on the sale of assets to cover ongoing expenses is demonstrably poor fiscal policy. It’s not #sustainable. 1/5

House Republicans approve amendment authorizing the sale of federal lands. #Environment #ClimateChange #FederalLands

https://www.npr.org/2025/05/07/g-s1-64760/house-republicans-approve-amendment-authorizing-the-sale-of-federal-lands

House Republicans approve amendment authorizing the sale of federal lands. #Environment #ClimateChange #FederalLands

https://www.npr.org/2025/05/07/g-s1-64760/house-republicans-approve-amendment-authorizing-the-sale-of-federal-lands

House Republicans approve amendment authorizing the sale of federal lands. #Environment #ClimateChange #FederalLands

https://www.npr.org/2025/05/07/g-s1-64760/house-republicans-approve-amendment-authorizing-the-sale-of-federal-lands

House Republicans approve amendment authorizing the sale of federal lands. #Environment #ClimateChange #FederalLands

https://www.npr.org/2025/05/07/g-s1-64760/house-republicans-approve-amendment-authorizing-the-sale-of-federal-lands

House Republicans approve amendment authorizing the sale of federal lands. #Environment #ClimateChange #FederalLands

https://www.npr.org/2025/05/07/g-s1-64760/house-republicans-approve-amendment-authorizing-the-sale-of-federal-lands

Letter To Chuck Schumer about Section 80131 of the Budget Bill, Which Hands Over the Boundary Waters to a Foreign Mining Company

After calling Chuck Schumer’s office this morning, I sent this letter today via Schumer’s site. I’m also going to fax it to the New York office and to the environmental staffers in the DC office. Yeah, they still use faxes.

Dear Senator Schumer,

As your constituent, I am writing to share my concerns about a specific section of the Budget Bill that was drafted to enrich a foreign corporation at the American public’s expense. In particular, I urge you to strike from the Budget Bill section 80131. This is a non-budgetary policy provision that hands over our public lands to a Chilean conglomerate owned by a billionaire Trump crony and precludes judicial review of a corrupt deal. 

This is reckless, bespoke policy, dictated by mining company lobbyists and written with utter disregard for science, the law, or good government. 

Antofagasta plc, the mining company under the control of Chile’s Luksic Group, has repeatedly failed to obtain the necessary leases and permits for its Twin Metals project in northern Minnesota by legitimate means, so the company has resorted to influence peddling and relied on Trump’s corruption. 

Even before Trump took office for the first time, it was revealed that Andronico Luksic Craig, the Chilean billionaire at the head of the Luksic Group, purchased a Kalorama mansion for Jared Kushner and Ivanka Trump, in blatant violation of the Emoluments Clause. (This move conformed to pattern; only a few years before, Luksic had been involved in a similar scandal involving the son and daughter-in-law of Chilean president Michele Bachelet.) No surprise, the first Trump administration got quickly to work on reversing Obama-era protections. 

Reporting by the New York Times (June 26, 2019, Page One), based partly on documents I obtained through Freedom of Information Act litigation, showed the administration working behind closed doors and in collusion with mining company executives and lobbyists to rewrite legal opinions in order to reach foregone conclusions. Trump’s Secretary of Agriculture was bullied into burying a scientific study demonstrating that copper and nickel mining – sulfide ore mining – on these lands, in close proximity to the Boundary Waters and north of the Laurentian Divide, would risk irreparable harm. These moves cleared the way for Trump’s Secretary of the Interior, David Bernhardt, to blithely push through the renewal of Antofagasta’s mineral leases without regard for public opinion or environmental concerns. Bernhardt’s firm now lobbies for Antofagasta on the Hill. 

After President Biden restored protections for the Boundary Waters and instituted a 20-year mineral withdrawal in the watershed region, Antofagasta sued in federal court. Unable to prevail on the merits, the mining company is now working hand-in-hand with Interior Secretary Doug Burgum to short-circuit proceedings at the DC District Court of Appeals. Knowing that these legal maneuvers are unlikely to succeed, Representative Pete Stauber introduced legislation on behalf of his Chilean masters that would undo the 20-year moratorium, open the Boundary Waters to extractive industry, and roll out the red carpet for foreign mining companies on our public lands. This is the special-interest legislation currently in section 80131 of the Budget Bill. 

To make matters worse, the Stauber language precludes judicial review of Antofagasta’s mining leases. This measure would block the public from challenging the corrupt deal between the current administration and a foreign private entity owned by a Trump crony. As you are well aware, it is of a piece with other alarming language in the Budget Bill, like section 80151, which guts the National Environmental Policy Act, and other sections that prevent the judiciary from reviewing agency actions and holding Trump administration officials accountable. Trump loyalists are trying to codify the outrageous attacks we’re seeing on the judicial branch and on the rule of law itself.  

The Senate Parliamentarian should rule that Sections 80131 and 80151 are not budgetary provisions. Rhetoric from mining touts about critical minerals, renewable energy, and national security is just more bad faith; most mining nowadays is highly automated, so the promised jobs are unlikely to materialize; and there are no provisions to keep the copper and nickel Antofagasta might pull from the ground in northeastern Minnesota, and at great risk to the Boundary Waters, within the United States. It will surely be exported for processing and sold back to us at high tariffs, if at all. We will keep only the toxic pollution sulfide mining creates. In other words, there is not even a decent economic argument to be made for allowing this foreign company to exploit our public lands. 

Finally, I remind you that the lands in Superior National Forest and the Rainy River Watershed are governed by treaties with Native American tribes, who have not been meaningfully consulted in this matter and have not consented to it, and with Canada, whom Trump has already senselessly antagonized. Why should the private interests of a billionaire Trump crony be put above binding agreements with tribes and with our good neighbor to the north? 

Please work with Senator Tina Smith to strike the Stauber language from this bill, and hold the line on NEPA to protect our public lands and defend the public interest. I would be happy to meet with you or your staff to discuss this further. 

Thank you. 

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#ANTO #BudgetBill #corruption #cronyism #emolumentsClause #federalLands #governmentCapture #NEPA #publicLands #Section80131 #Water

Letter To Chuck Schumer about Section 80131 of the Budget Bill, Which Hands Over the Boundary Waters to a Foreign Mining Company

After calling Chuck Schumer’s office this morning, I sent this letter today via Schumer’s site. I’m also going to fax it to the New York office and to the environmental staffers in the DC office. Yeah, they still use faxes.

Dear Senator Schumer,

As your constituent, I am writing to share my concerns about a specific section of the Budget Bill that was drafted to enrich a foreign corporation at the American public’s expense. In particular, I urge you to strike from the Budget Bill section 80131. This is a non-budgetary policy provision that hands over our public lands to a Chilean conglomerate owned by a billionaire Trump crony and precludes judicial review of a corrupt deal. 

This is reckless, bespoke policy, dictated by mining company lobbyists and written with utter disregard for science, the law, or good government. 

Antofagasta plc, the mining company under the control of Chile’s Luksic Group, has repeatedly failed to obtain the necessary leases and permits for its Twin Metals project in northern Minnesota by legitimate means, so the company has resorted to influence peddling and relied on Trump’s corruption. 

Even before Trump took office for the first time, it was revealed that Andronico Luksic Craig, the Chilean billionaire at the head of the Luksic Group, purchased a Kalorama mansion for Jared Kushner and Ivanka Trump, in blatant violation of the Emoluments Clause. (This move conformed to pattern; only a few years before, Luksic had been involved in a similar scandal involving the son and daughter-in-law of Chilean president Michele Bachelet.) No surprise, the first Trump administration got quickly to work on reversing Obama-era protections. 

Reporting by the New York Times (June 26, 2019, Page One), based partly on documents I obtained through Freedom of Information Act litigation, showed the administration working behind closed doors and in collusion with mining company executives and lobbyists to rewrite legal opinions in order to reach foregone conclusions. Trump’s Secretary of Agriculture was bullied into burying a scientific study demonstrating that copper and nickel mining – sulfide ore mining – on these lands, in close proximity to the Boundary Waters and north of the Laurentian Divide, would risk irreparable harm. These moves cleared the way for Trump’s Secretary of the Interior, David Bernhardt, to blithely push through the renewal of Antofagasta’s mineral leases without regard for public opinion or environmental concerns. Bernhardt’s firm now lobbies for Antofagasta on the Hill. 

After President Biden restored protections for the Boundary Waters and instituted a 20-year mineral withdrawal in the watershed region, Antofagasta sued in federal court. Unable to prevail on the merits, the mining company is now working hand-in-hand with Interior Secretary Doug Burgum to short-circuit proceedings at the DC District Court of Appeals. Knowing that these legal maneuvers are unlikely to succeed, Representative Pete Stauber introduced legislation on behalf of his Chilean masters that would undo the 20-year moratorium, open the Boundary Waters to extractive industry, and roll out the red carpet for foreign mining companies on our public lands. This is the special-interest legislation currently in section 80131 of the Budget Bill. 

To make matters worse, the Stauber language precludes judicial review of Antofagasta’s mining leases. This measure would block the public from challenging the corrupt deal between the current administration and a foreign private entity owned by a Trump crony. As you are well aware, it is of a piece with other alarming language in the Budget Bill, like section 80151, which guts the National Environmental Policy Act, and other sections that prevent the judiciary from reviewing agency actions and holding Trump administration officials accountable. Trump loyalists are trying to codify the outrageous attacks we’re seeing on the judicial branch and on the rule of law itself.  

The Senate Parliamentarian should rule that Sections 80131 and 80151 are not budgetary provisions. Rhetoric from mining touts about critical minerals, renewable energy, and national security is just more bad faith; most mining nowadays is highly automated, so the promised jobs are unlikely to materialize; and there are no provisions to keep the copper and nickel Antofagasta might pull from the ground in northeastern Minnesota, and at great risk to the Boundary Waters, within the United States. It will surely be exported for processing and sold back to us at high tariffs, if at all. We will keep only the toxic pollution sulfide mining creates. In other words, there is not even a decent economic argument to be made for allowing this foreign company to exploit our public lands. 

Finally, I remind you that the lands in Superior National Forest and the Rainy River Watershed are governed by treaties with Native American tribes, who have not been meaningfully consulted in this matter and have not consented to it, and with Canada, whom Trump has already senselessly antagonized. Why should the private interests of a billionaire Trump crony be put above binding agreements with tribes and with our good neighbor to the north? 

Please work with Senator Tina Smith to strike the Stauber language from this bill, and hold the line on NEPA to protect our public lands and defend the public interest. I would be happy to meet with you or your staff to discuss this further. 

Thank you. 

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#ANTO #BudgetBill #corruption #cronyism #emolumentsClause #federalLands #governmentCapture #NEPA #publicLands #Section80131 #Water

#Trump’s memo, sent to #Interior Secy #DougBurgum, #DHS Secy #KristiNoem, Secy of #Defense #PeteHegseth & #Agricultural Secy #BrookeRollins, states that the #military must “take a more direct role” in efforts to secure the border & calls on the secretaries to act to provide the #DOD “use & jurisdiction” over certain #FederalLands “to enable military activities” on military installations.

#law #geopolitics #immigration #USexpansionism

#Trump’s memo, sent to #Interior Secy #DougBurgum, #DHS Secy #KristiNoem, Secy of #Defense #PeteHegseth & #Agricultural Secy #BrookeRollins, states that the #military must “take a more direct role” in efforts to secure the border & calls on the secretaries to act to provide the #DOD “use & jurisdiction” over certain #FederalLands “to enable military activities” on military installations.

#law #geopolitics #immigration #USexpansionism

#Trump’s memo, sent to #Interior Secy #DougBurgum, #DHS Secy #KristiNoem, Secy of #Defense #PeteHegseth & #Agricultural Secy #BrookeRollins, states that the #military must “take a more direct role” in efforts to secure the border & calls on the secretaries to act to provide the #DOD “use & jurisdiction” over certain #FederalLands “to enable military activities” on military installations.

#law #geopolitics #immigration #USexpansionism

#Trump’s memo, sent to #Interior Secy #DougBurgum, #DHS Secy #KristiNoem, Secy of #Defense #PeteHegseth & #Agricultural Secy #BrookeRollins, states that the #military must “take a more direct role” in efforts to secure the border & calls on the secretaries to act to provide the #DOD “use & jurisdiction” over certain #FederalLands “to enable military activities” on military installations.

#law #geopolitics #immigration #USexpansionism

#Trump’s memo, sent to #Interior Secy #DougBurgum, #DHS Secy #KristiNoem, Secy of #Defense #PeteHegseth & #Agricultural Secy #BrookeRollins, states that the #military must “take a more direct role” in efforts to secure the border & calls on the secretaries to act to provide the #DOD “use & jurisdiction” over certain #FederalLands “to enable military activities” on military installations.

#law #geopolitics #immigration #USexpansionism

#TheGremlinZoo #EnergyDepartment #AI #FederalLands

From AP.com: US energy department invites AI data center development at Los Alamos and other federal lands

https://apnews.com/article/ai-data-centers-los-alamos-sandia-7431bea2ee491b7cf4b9aa012ac419f1

#TheGremlinZoo #EnergyDepartment #AI #FederalLands

From AP.com: US energy department invites AI data center development at Los Alamos and other federal lands

https://apnews.com/article/ai-data-centers-los-alamos-sandia-7431bea2ee491b7cf4b9aa012ac419f1