skip to main content
skip to newscasts

Thursday, March 28, 2024

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

Pulling back the curtains on wage-theft enforcement in MN; Trump's latest attack is on RFK, Jr; NM LGBTQ+ equality group endorses 2024 'Rock Star' candidates; Michigan's youth justice reforms: Expanded diversion, no fees.

view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg says rebuilding Baltimore's Key Bridge will be challenging and expensive. An Alabama Democrat flips a state legislature seat and former Connecticut senator Joe Lieberman dies at 82.

view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

Historic wildfires could create housing and health issues for rural Texans, a Kentucky program helps prison parolees start a new life, and descendants of Nicodemus, Kansas celebrate the Black settlers who journeyed across the 1870s plains seeking self-governance.

Groups Object to Proposed Forest Service Rule Changes

play audio
Play

Wednesday, August 28, 2019   

CEDAR CITY, Utah – Conservation groups are challenging the Trump administration over proposed changes to U.S. Forest Service rules to allow approval of major projects such as mining and logging on public lands without public input.

The groups object to the use of so-called "categorical exclusions" that would exempt the Forest Service from soliciting public comment on changes to national forests in Utah and other states. Susan Jane Brown, public lands director at the Western Environmental Law Center, countered that it's critical for stakeholders to be part of the decision-making process.

"Public comments are really essential to the process," she said. "When you ask the public what they think about a particular action that the agency is proposing to take, the public actually does have an opinion. And in many cases, the public is in a position to provide information that the Forest Service ordinarily does not have. "

Under the new rules, the public would have little or no input into projects from oil and gas drilling and mining to placement of roads and power lines. There are six national forests in Utah, which together total about 15% of the land in the state.

Public comment on changes to the National Environmental Protection Act closed earlier this week. Some 36,000 people weighed in, with an overwhelming majority disagreeing with the move to limit environmental review and public input. Brown predicted a major backlash if the Forest Service goes ahead with it.

"And so, it's much more likely that the public is going to stumble upon these sorts of activities and be really unhappy when they find them on their favorite national forest," she said. "And in that case, the only redress that the public has is to challenge that decision in federal court."

Brown said many of the environmental groups opposing the changes - including hers - already are considering legal action if the Forest Service issues a final rule in the coming months.

The regulations are online at regulations.gov, and the group statement is at protectnepa.org.


get more stories like this via email

more stories
A report from the Tennessee HealthCare Campaign recommended the federal government needs to strengthen 340B drug pricing and other federal negotiation mechanisms to make needed medicines more readily available and less expensive for hospitals to purchase and administer. (Spotmatikphoto/AdobeStock)

Health and Wellness

play sound

A recent report examined how some rural Tennessee hospitals have managed to stay afloat despite financial challenges. The report includes interviews …


Social Issues

play sound

Earlier this month, a new Arizona Public Service rate hike went into effect and one senior advocacy group said those on a fixed income may struggle …

Social Issues

play sound

Michigan recently implemented a significant juvenile justice reform package following recommendations from a task force made up of prosecutors…


Nearly 13 million Americans receive health coverage through unique plans under both Medicare and Medicaid. They are known as Dual-Eligible Special Needs Plans. (Adobe Stock)

Health and Wellness

play sound

Medicare and Medicaid are key sources of health coverage for many Americans and some people qualify for assistance under both programs. With lagging …

Social Issues

play sound

A mix of policy updates and staffing boosts has helped to put wage theft enforcement on the radar in Minnesota, and officials leading the efforts are …

More than six in 10 Americans favor keeping the abortion pill mifepristone available in the U.S. as a prescription drug, while over a third are opposed, according to a Gallup poll. (Adobe Stock)

Social Issues

play sound

New research shows more than six in 10 abortions in the U.S. last year were medically induced, and U.S. Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto - D-NV - is …

Social Issues

play sound

Colorado is working to boost the state's agricultural communities by getting more fresh, nutritious foods into school cafeterias - and a new online …

Social Issues

play sound

Missouri lawmakers are concerned with protecting people from the potential risks of the increasing accessibility of AI-generated images and videos…

 

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