Latest news with #DepartmentOfInterior
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
DOGE Cancels ‘Take Me Fishing,' Even Though It Was Funded by Anglers
This month the Department of Governmental Efficiency canceled funding to the nonprofit organization that offers learn-to-fish programs all across America. As a result, the Recreational Boating and Fishing Foundation has been forced to pause programs like Take Me Fishing and events with state fish and game agencies. Grant funding for many conservation-based organizations was frozen earlier this year, and sources say RBFF and other fishing industry stakeholders struggled to receive clarity on the funding. As a result, RBFF had to furlough eight of its 16 employees on June 6, just days before the Department of the Interior announced it was terminating the grant award, which the agency has been receiving and distributing since 1998. 'We kept some [employees] in place because we were hopeful the funds would come through, but we're not sure what that looks like now that we received a termination letter,' says RBFF chief operating officer Stephanie Vatalaro. 'At some point soon, we'll run out of the remaining funds and those of us left will move on.' While RBFF did receive $13.7 million in federal funding in 2024, according to the organization's most recent financial statement, none of those funds come from general taxpayer dollars. Instead, the RBFF is funded through the much-celebrated excise tax on fishing tackle and boating equipment. In fact, the RBFF was established to cooperate with the USFWS in compliance with a federal law established 27 years ago; RBFF has worked closely with the sportfishing industry and state agencies to grow fishing participation and reinvest in the outdoor economy. RBFF says its has helped increase fishing participation to record-high levels last year and contributed to the sportfishing and boating industries, which both contribute $230 billion apiece in economic impact, along with nearly 2 million total jobs and billions in tax revenue. 'Alarmingly, in just the past few months since RBFF's funding has been terminated, fishing license sales are down 8.6 percent across 16 states, representing the loss of over $590 million in angler spending and 5,600 jobs,' RBFF told Outdoor Life in a statement. 'These figures signal that the industry and the economic activity it drives could be at severe risk.' The grant funding terminated by DOGE cannot help offset the national debt without an act of Congress. 'The industry really looks to RBFF to promote fishing,' says American Sportfishing Association public affairs manager Rob Shane. 'Participation is huge for the industry because license sales and the self-imposed excise tax dollars really fund a lot of the conservation that happens at the state and tribal and territory level. With less people fishing, you're going to have less fishing licenses, you're going to have less excise taxes on sportfishing equipment. And all that is going to result in less, or lost access to fisheries — both in the form of physical access … and access in the sense that people aren't going to know how to fish. [This will eventually] result in less access, less conservation dollars, less habitat restoration, less stocking, less research — less you name it.' On June 10 the Department of the Interior officially terminated the RBFF's grant in a letter that appeared to emphasize that the awarded funding 'no longer meets program goals or DOI priorities.' 'We were working very hard behind the scenes, with members of Congress, their staff, and staff at Interior to figure out where the funding was, whether it was going to be released, and when it was going to be released. That time table kept getting pushed back and back and back,' says Shane. 'That was our frustration in some respects, this all happened without any transparent or open communication with RBFF and with the industry.' At least one lawmaker on the DOGE Caucus told Fox News, which broke the story of the grant funding cuts Monday, that she had taken issue with RBFF's $2 million contract with Disney and a $5 million contract with a Minnesota creative agency, Colle McVoy. 'I am proud to have exposed bloated overhead costs and worked with Secretary Burgum to ensure tax dollars collected to boost fishing are not siphoned into the pockets of slick D.C.-based consultants,' Senate DOGE Caucus chairwoman and Iowa Sen. Joni Ernst (R) told the outlet.'There's more pork in the sea, and I am going to keep fishing for it!' She also objected to the salaries of some RBFF executives, which range from $102,000 to $274,900 at the highest level, and are comparable (or in many cases, substantially less than) the salaries of other conservation org executives. Ernst's own salary, which is funded by general taxpayers, is $174,000 annually. Ernst's office did not respond to a request for comment Monday; neither did the DOGE Caucus. But to Vatalaro of RBFF, those contracts have historically proven essential to help her team fulfill the terms of the grant they've been awarded for nearly three decades. For instance, a PSA about fishing — the Find Your Best Self campaign created by that Minnesota-based creative agency — won Best Total Campaign in AdWeek last year. 'If you're running a national integrated marketing campaign, it's absolutely critical to have an agency on board. We are a small group of 16 people. It extends our staff and gives us knowledge we don't have … We also have what's called a corporate alliance agreement with Disney. We know that youth are super important to fishing participation.' Research by RBFF, which also specializes in key research for the sportfishing industry, has shown that 'if you don't start fishing by the age of 12, it's basically not going to happen as an adult,' says Vatalaro. 'If you want to reach kids, Disney is the place to go. They're all watching their programs, there is an advertising component, and there are fishing locations inside Disney World where guests can [get a] charter and go bass fishing, and they get packet of information so when they go home, they have resources to learn to fish … If you look at a Nike or Coca Cola, they'd probably spend what we spend in a year on, I don't know, one Easter campaign.' Vatalaro notes that the RBFF is already subject to extensive oversight and accountability. 'One thing that's been challenging for us is we have been put in a light that we may not jive with agency priorities … We're governed by a 25-member board made up of state and industry leaders. We undergo annual audits, federal reporting, quarterly meetings with our federal partners — and we feel like we've done a very good job of meeting their needs and being as efficient as possible.' It's also not immediately clear how much, if any, of the funding cuts were related to what officials deemed frivolous expenses, or if the grant termination was related to the Trump Administration's executive order to roll back Diversity, Equity and Inclusion programming. RBFF programming includes opportunities for urban fishing and a Spanish-language version of Take Me Fishing, called Vamos a Pescar. (In addition to federal funding through sportfishing excise taxes, Vamos a Pescar is partially funded by a George H.W. Bush education fund that Bass Pro Shops helped establish.) Vatalaro says the only communication RBFF received from DOGE was the agency's June 10 letter. Marine Retailers Association of the Americas president Matt Gruhn says he was 'deeply disappointed' to see the termination of the grant, which RBFF has 'successfully executed for more than 25 years.' 'RBFF has been a responsible steward of these boat fuel taxes paid by our industry from the very beginning with oversight from the very stakeholders that paid into the fund that RBFF's grant originates from,' Gruhn told OL in an emailed statement, 'as well as passing every audit with flying colors.' The fishing industry stands to lose much more than they gain with feds clawing back a few million dollars in contracts, according to sources. Currently 95 percent of boats sold in America are made in America, according to RBFF, and the boating industry alone creates $26.9 billion in tax revenue. RBFF hopes to reapply for the same grant with a refined proposal that the organization tailored to meet DOGE's concerns, but they have not yet had an opportunity to do so. 'We're prepared to meet the priorities of the current administration, who is looking for efficiency, lower costs, etcetera. It's just bee a little disappointing we haven't had that opportunity,' says Vatalaro. 'At the end of the day, we all want the same thing. Which is a stronger outdoor economy, broader participation, and really robust conservation funding for that next generation of participations. So we'd like to collaborate and keep things going so we can do even more in the future.' In the meantime 27 years of institutional knowledge is at risk, points out Shane. While the American Sportfishing Association isn't opposed to innovation or shaking things up, the RBFF has successfully reinvested in the sportfishing industry — and developed a thriving working relationship with all 50 state agencies and the industry. That will take time to recreate, says Shane, which the fishing industry may not have to spare. Read Next: Breaking: Mike Lee's Public Land Sale Plan Is Dead 'We just saw Congress try to sell off millions of acres of public land without transparent or appropriate processes, and it was hunters and anglers and other sportsmen who show up for something like that and tell them 'No.' And if we lose those hunters and anglers over the course of how many years before that proposal comes up again? The fewer people you have who care about those resources and participate in those resources, fewer people are going to stick up for those resources when that proposal comes back. Because we know it will.'
Forbes
2 days ago
- Politics
- Forbes
Trump ‘Snitch Signs' Calling For ‘Negative' National Park Comments Spark Counter-Protest
Just as digital protesters took credit for raining on Trump's military parade, national park supporters appear to have flooded the Department of Interior's feedback portal, possibly frustrating an order by Trump to remove any 'negative' history from national parks and monuments. A "snitch sign" encouraging visitors to report "negative" information is displayed on the restroom ... More door at the Alpine Visitor Center in Rocky Mountain National Park in Colorado. (Photo by RJ Sangosti/MediaNews Group) Denver Post via Getty Images Following an executive order from President Trump, the National Park Service began this month posting signs in federal parks and monuments that encourage visitors to report information 'negative about either past or living Americans.' These signs—which include a QR code that links to a feedback form on the NPS website—have been dubbed 'snitch signs' by park service employees and conservation organizations. Multiple national park advocacy groups, including some comprised of current and former NPS employees, have called for the public to hijack the government's initiative by posting comments in support of national parks and their employees. Forbes reviewed screenshots of 274 comments submitted through the feedback site between June 5 to 19 and found the vast majority to be positive about the parks service, tour guides and more. In a statement to Forbes, the Department of the Interior, which oversees the National Park Service, said: 'This effort reinforces our commitment to telling the full and accurate story of our nation's past' and noted it has corrected errors at National Park Service sites after receiving 'citizen-submitted concerns about historical accuracy.' For example, the Interior Department said it made corrections after a visitor at Capitol Reef National Park reported that 'a souvenir postcard mislabeled a nearby landmark and appeared to copy text from Wikipedia without attribution' and when alerted to a video on the Washington Monument's website that 'inaccurately stated George Washington ended his inaugural oath with a phrase that historians widely agree lacks definitive sourcing.' The signs read, '[Site Name] belongs to the American people, and the National Park Service wants your feedback. Please let us know if you have identified (1) any areas that need repair; (2) any services that need improvement; or (3) any signs or other information that are negative about either past or living Americans or that fail to emphasize the beauty, grandeur and abundance of landscapes and other natural features.' What Are National Park Visitors Saying In Their Comments? Responses Forbes reviewed were overwhelmingly positive about the national parks and staff. Of the minority reporting negative information, roughly three dozen comments pertained to 'services that need improvement' and raised concerns about shuttle services, reservation systems, parking availability or accessibility for diverse visitors, while others highlighted the need for repairs and a perceived lack of funding and budget cuts. Twenty-six entries expressed concern that the Trump administration was attempting to "whitewash," 'sanitize' or 'erase' history, with a visitor at Yosemite National Park writing, 'We need to know the history of all Americans, not just about white men.' A visitor to Mississippi's Natchez National Historical Park wrote, 'Slavery was a dark time in our nation's history and we have to come to terms with that' and not 'romanticize the Antebellum South.' At Kentucky's Camp Nelson National Monument, a Civil War training center for United States Colored Troops, one visitor wrote, 'So glad that people can learn about the tremendous work that African Americans did to earn their freedom by joining the defense of the union.' A visitor to the Birmingham Civil Rights National Monument in Alabama said the park does 'an incredible job of portraying the complicated and dark history of the civil rights movement in a way that is needed for the education of us all.' Several visitors to Alaska's Denali National Park took issue with President Trump's renaming of Mount Denali to Mount McKinley, noting that President McKinley never visited Alaska and had no connection to the peak. 'The mountain is called Denali,' wrote one, 'and no other name than the name that the indigenous peoples came up with before whites murdered and pillaged their way through.' Another added, 'You cannot erase indigenous stories. My heart hurts knowing that the families and adventurers visiting this special park will be forced to bear witness to revisionist history as part of a pathetic attempt at signaling power.' These comments were submitted by visitors to the Cape Cod National Seashore in Massachusetts; Canyon ... More de Chelly National Monument in Arizona; Cabrillo National Monument in California; and Bryce Canyon National Park in Utah. Screenshot/NPS In recent weeks, national park advocacy organizations like the National Park Conservation Association rallied supporters on social media to use the 'snitch signs' for positive protest. A Facebook post from June 12 asking supporters to use the QR code to 'thank our park rangers for telling the full American story' and 'applaud their commitment to protecting and preserving our public lands' was shared more than 500 times. A group of 'off-duty, illegally fired or former/retired National Park Service employees' who call themselves 'the Resistance Rangers' have also encouraged supporters to 'submit your Good Trouble feedback,' an expression associated with the late civil rights leader and Congressman John Lewis. Some of the strongest advocacy appears to be coming from National Park Service employees themselves on forums such as Reddit. In the National Park subreddit, which has 2.1 million members, a ranger posted several weeks ago: 'It would be super cool if we could spam this form with positive, kind messages for the rangers. It means the world to us to know we're being supported and that our work is valued.' The post received nearly 350 upvotes and 55 comments. In the National Park Service subreddit, an online community of 22,000 park rangers, a Redditor warned 10 days ago that 'snitch signs' invite the public to 'rat out' information deemed negative by the administration. It received 736 upvotes and 99 comments. These comments were submitted by visitors to the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington, D.C.; the ... More Vanderbilt Mansion in New York State; and Valley Forge National Historical Park in Pennsylvania. Screenshot/NPS Why Is The Interior Department Asking For 'negative' Feedback? The initiative sprang from President Trump's March executive order, 'Restoring Truth and Sanity to American History,' which claimed a 'revisionist movement' had attempted to 'rewrite our Nation's history, replacing objective facts with a distorted narrative driven by ideology rather than truth.' Trump's order blamed former President Biden for advancing 'this corrosive ideology' in a way that 'deepens societal divides and fosters a sense of national shame, disregarding the progress America has made and the ideals that continue to inspire millions around the globe.' The decree called upon U.S. Interior Secretary Doug Burgum to determine whether, during the Biden administration, signage at federal sites had been 'removed or changed to perpetuate a false reconstruction of American history' and to ensure that public signage does not contain 'descriptions, depictions, or other content that inappropriately disparage Americans past or living (including persons living in colonial times)' and instead focuses 'on the greatness of the achievements and progress of the American people or, with respect to natural features, the beauty, abundance, and grandeur of the American landscape.' A May 20 secretary's order from Burgum gave Jessica Bowron, acting director of the National Park Service, 120 days to 'remove any content' inconsistent with restoring federal sites 'to solemn and uplifting public monuments that remind Americans of our extraordinary heritage, consistent progress toward becoming a more perfect Union, and unmatched record of advancing liberty, prosperity, and human flourishing.' What To Watch For? Small acts of defiance are happening in real life, too. At Colorado's Granada Relocation Center, one of ten Japanese incarceration camps built in the U.S. after the bombing of Pearl Harbor, a park visitor taped over the 'snitch sign' with an alternate account of history, NBC-affiliate KOAA News 5 reported. The facetious narrative began, 'It was the Spring of 1942 and President Roosevelt decided to treat people of Japanese descent [to] a fabulous free vacation at one of ten fantastic luxury resorts built just for the occasion.' At Yosemite National Park, a sign in a restroom stall asking 'PLEASE…DO NOT PUT TRASH in toilets' was countered by a parody version saying, 'PLEASE…DO NOT PUT TRASH in the White House.' These comments were submitted by visitors to the Catoctin Mountain Park in Maryland; Canyonlands ... More National Park in Utah; Camp Nelson National Monument in Kentucky; and Capitol Hill Parks in Washington, D.C. Screenshot/NPS Tangent Conservationists were handed a win last week, when the Senate's nonpartisan parliamentarian blocked a provision that would have mandated the sale of up to 3.3 million acres of federal public lands across the West from being included in the Republican budget bill. That means Senator Mike Lee of Utah and other proponents of the sale must either rewrite the provision so it fits Senate rules or drop it from the budget bill. Lee is reportedly writing a pared-down version of the bill that omits U.S. Forest Service lands but requires the Bureau of Land Management to sell between 612,500 and 1.2 million acres in 11 Western states. TikTokers Are Claiming Credit For Trump's Parade Attendance (Forbes)
The Independent
24-06-2025
- Business
- The Independent
Why Trump's National Garden of American Heroes is so controversial
South Dakota officials are pushing to establish Donald Trump 's proposed National Garden of American Heroes in the Black Hills, near Mount Rushmore. The proposed site, a 40-acre donation from a mining company, has ignited significant opposition from Indigenous groups who consider the area sacred due to historical land disputes. The Black Hills were recognised as belonging to the Sioux people by the 1868 Treaty of Fort Laramie, but the land was later seized, leading to a 1980 Supreme Court ruling affirming the treaty violation. Donald Trump signed an executive order earlier in 2025 to build the garden, which would feature 250 life-size statues of historical figures for the country's 250th birthday. The US House has approved 40 million dollars for the project, overseen by the Department of Interior, but the Senate has not yet approved funding, and the project remains in the planning and discussion phase.
Forbes
05-06-2025
- Business
- Forbes
Nearly A Quarter Of All States Will Likely Have A REINS Act By 2026
The legislative building in downtown Raleigh NC, and the North Carolina state seal Earlier this week, U.S. Department of Interior Secretary Doug Burgum announced a formal rescission of '18 obsolete or redundant Bureau of Land Management regulations.' The June 3 DOI statement announcing the recission called it 'a decisive move to advance America's energy independence and economic vitality.' 'This effort embodies our dedication to removing bureaucratic red tape that hinders American innovation and energy production,' said Interior Secretary Doug Burgum. 'By rescinding these outdated regulations, we are not only reducing costs and streamlining processes but also reinforcing our commitment to energy independence and national prosperity — all while maintaining the highest standards of environmental stewardship.' While the Trump administration continues to pursue reforms that reduce the federal regulatory burden, which now exceeds the combined cost of personal and corporate income taxes, governors and state lawmakers across the country are making progress this year when it comes to taming state regulatory burdens, namely by passing state-level versions of the REINS Act. The federal REINS Act, which would subject new regulations whose cost exceeds $100 million to congressional approval, is still awaiting consideration on Capitol Hill. In the meantime, the number of states with their own version of the REINS Act is continues to grow. Eric Bott at Americans for Prosperity, which has been a driving force behind the nationwide expansion of the REINS Act, notes there has been a more than three-fold increase in the number of REINS Act states since Governor Scott Walker (R-Wisc.) signed legislation in 2017 making Wisconsin only the second state to have enacted this reform, with Florida being the first. Going into 2025 three states (Wisconsin, Kansas, and Florida) had a state-level REINS Act on the books, subjecting state regulations that exceed a specified cost to legislative approval. In three other states — Indiana, West Virginia, and Idaho — lawmakers had already approved reforms installing mechanisms similar to REINS, but with slight variations. New Hampshire has such a comparatively weak governor with so many checks in place, Bott explains, that the need for a REINS Act almost isn't applicable in the Granite State. States that have a REINS Act and those where lawmakers are considering enacting one. 'Florida has had REINS in the form of legislative rules ratification in place since 2010, and the process has earned the praise of regulators, legislators, and even the Florida Bar Journal,' notes Jon Sanders of the John Locke Foundation, a North Carolina-based think tank. 'It causes regulators to work with legislators when they perceive the need for a costly regulation. This produces the coexistence between legislators and regulation that best serves people.' Thus far in 2025, lawmakers in Kentucky, Wyoming, Utah, and Oklahoma have enacted REINS Act legislation. At least three more state legislatures are likely to pass a REINS Act this summer. REINS Act legislation introduced in Louisiana, Senate Bill 59, is now working its way toward Governor Jeff Landry's (R) desk, with the Louisiana House passing SB 59 on June 2. 'Louisianans face multiple legal and regulatory barriers to starting and running a business,' said Daniel Erspamer, CEO of the Pelican Institute for Public Policy, a Louisiana-based think tank. 'SB 59 by Senator Reese will empower legislative oversight committees to review, and approve or reject rules promulgated by agencies that will have a $200K per year or $1M impact over five years on regulated individuals or companies.' On June 4, two days after the Louisiana House unanimously passed SB 59, the North Carolina Senate Regulatory Reform Committee held a hearing advancing HB 402, REINS Act legislation approved by the North Carolina House in April. The next stop for HB 402 is the Senate Rules Committee and then, supporters hope, the Senate floor. As the REINS Act makes progress in North Carolina, opponents are speaking out. The Southern Environment Law Center, for example, testified against HB 402 during the North Carolina Senate Regulatory Reform Committee hearing this week, as did a representative for Democracy Out Loud, an organization that describes itself as a 'peaceful activist community works together for a democracy that improves people's lives.' 'We have regulatory agencies,' the Democracy Out Loud representative told lawmakers during the June 4 hearing. 'You appoint people to the regulatory agencies. You have some control over major rules that come. You don't need this law to take over.' The irony of a pro-democracy group opposing a reform that would give democratically-elected officials final say on the costliest regulations, rather than unelected bureaucrats who are not accountable to voters, was not addressed during the June 4 hearing. It could, however, come up in the Rules Committee. In addition to Louisiana and North Carolina, Ohio lawmakers are also on the cusp of passing REINS Act legislation. In a joint letter to Ohio legislators, a coalition of conservative organizations wrote that enactment of the REINS Act 'will establish the necessary checks and balances by requiring legislative approval for new rules or regulations that impose a significant fiscal burden, ensuring that such decisions are made by elected representatives rather than unelected bureaucrats.' If lawmakers in Ohio, North Carolina, and Louisiana enact the pending REINS Act bills in the coming weeks, as many expect, nearly a quarter of all states will have a REINS Act on the books going into 2026. What's more, REINS Act legislation is primed for further expansion next year in South Carolina, Montana, Missouri, and a host of other states. President Donald Trump has endorsed the federal REINS Act, the most recent version of which was introduced earlier this year by Congresswoman Kat Cammack (R-Fl.) and Senator Rand Paul (R-Ky.). At the current pace, however, a sizable chunk of the country, maybe even most states, will have a state-level REINS Act by the time this reform is enacted federally.
E&E News
02-06-2025
- Business
- E&E News
Trump's Interior budget would eliminate major programs
The Trump administration's fiscal 2026 Interior Department budget proposal made public late Friday would slash funding and staffing across a wide array of programs, many of them with proven political appeal across party lines. The budget proposal also calls for the elimination of major programs, including the Bureau of Land Management's onshore renewable energy program and the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management's offshore wind program. The U.S. Geological Survey's entire 'ecosystems' program budget likewise would drop from the fiscal 2025 level of about $293 million to zero in fiscal 2026. Advertisement In an accompanying budget summary, the USGS explains that the plan would eliminate the Ecosystems Mission Area, including grants to universities that duplicate other research programs or that support 'social agendas [such as] climate change research.'
