skip to main content
skip to newscasts

Sunday, July 21, 2024

Public News Service Logo
facebook instagram linkedin reddit youtube twitter
view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

VP Kamala Harris says she plans to 'earn and win' Democratic nomination after Joe Biden drops out and endorses her; New Alabama bill threatens voter rights, legal challenge ensues; Fact-checking GOP claims on immigrants; Water contamination a concern in Midwest flood aftermath.

view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

President Joe Biden drops his 2024 re-election bid. He's endorsing Vice President Kamala Harris to take his spot on the ticket, and election experts say they see benefits to this decision.

view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

It's grass-cutting season and with it, rural lawn mower races, Montana's drive-thru blood project is easing shortages, rural Americans spend more on food when transportation costs are tallied, and a lack of good childcare is thwarting rural business owners.

New BLM rules better protect national parks, supporters say

play audio
Play

Monday, May 20, 2024   

Conservation groups said two new federal rules aim to help better protect public lands, including national parks.

The Bureau of Land Management's Public Lands Rule ensures conservation use is equal to extraction and development in decision-making on lands the agency manages. The BLM oversees 15.7 million acres in Oregon, about a quarter of the state's land area.

Matthew Kirby, senior director of energy and landscape conservation for the National Parks Conservation Association, said the rule is also good news for national parks like the John Day Fossil Beds National Monument, which is surrounded by BLM lands.

"When we think about what does conserving the park resource look like, we need to look at the larger landscape and look across the health of the entire landscape," Kirby contented. "This public lands rule is going to begin to give us that sort of tool."

The rule also identifies conservation tools to restore degraded lands and keep natural landscapes intact. Opponents said it is part of an effort to block extraction and development on public lands.

The second new rule from the BLM overhauls oil and gas drilling leasing rules to prevent poorly-sited drilling and keep development away from national parks.

Kirby stressed the changes are important.

"Taken together, these two rules really bring a semblance of balance back to our public lands," Kirby contended. "And will allow the Bureau of Land Management to actually fulfill its obligation to manage those lands for multiple uses."

The BLM manages 245 million acres of land in the U.S.

Disclosure: The National Parks Conservation Association contributes to our fund for reporting on Budget Policy and Priorities, Climate Change/Air Quality, Endangered Species and Wildlife, Environment, Public Lands/Wilderness, and Water. If you would like to help support news in the public interest, click here.


get more stories like this via email
more stories
Vice President Kamala Harris spoke at a political event in Grand Rapids, Mich., in early 2024. (The White House/Wikimedia Commons)

Health and Wellness

play sound

Vice President Kamala Harris focused on reproductive rights at a campaign event in Michigan Wednesday. Her remarks come as President Joe Biden has …


Environment

play sound

Construction could begin in Minnesota later this year in the final phase of one of the nation's largest solar energy developments, after state …

Social Issues

play sound

Thousands of educators from across the nation will be in Houston starting this weekend for the American Federation of Teachers annual convention…


The Illinois State Board of Education report card said O'Fallon Township High School HSD #203 is currently only funded at 64%. (Adobe Stock)

Social Issues

play sound

By Kristy Alpert for Arts Midwest.Broadcast version by Terri Dee for Illinois News Connection reporting for the Arts Midwest-Public News Service Colla…

Health and Wellness

play sound

Counterfeit medicine sales are on the rise, in Connecticut and nationwide. The state faced trouble with growing sales of counterfeit Xanax pills …

"Arizonans understand that it is insane to risk Phoenix or Tempe for Odesa or some corn field in Ukraine. It is not in our national interest to get involved," said U.S. Rep. Alexander Kolodin, R-Ariz. (Gage Skidmore / Flickr)

Social Issues

play sound

More than 2,400 delegates gathered in Milwaukee this week for the Republican National Convention and delegates from around the country, including …

Environment

play sound

So far, states like Wisconsin have largely escaped the worst of the summer heat affecting much of the nation but a group of scientists wants regional …

Social Issues

play sound

Postsecondary enrollment data for 2023 shows community college enrollment increased nationwide by more than 100,000 students, and a large percentage …

 

Phone: 303.448.9105 Toll Free: 888.891.9416 Fax: 208.247.1830 Your trusted member- and audience-supported news source since 1996 Copyright © 2021