Natural Resources

"Nearly two dozen state geological surveys depend heavily on federal funds. A proposed budget cut could slow or stop key geologic mapping work."

"A contentious, years-long fight over a proposed mine next to one of the South’s last truly wild places ended abruptly Friday, when a nonprofit group announced it would spend nearly $60 million to acquire thousands of acres of land near the Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge in rural Georgia."

"After months of negotiations, Senate Republicans are gearing up for a potential vote next week on Trump’s sweeping domestic policy bill. It will be a major test for Republican Leader John Thune and Trump’s own hold on the upper chamber that aides say will be cast as a binary choice for the rank-and-file: you either are with the president or you aren’t."

"Two federal programs that experts consider indispensable for bird research and conservation in the United States could be eliminated under the Trump administration’s proposed budget for 2026."

"The U.S. Supreme Court agreed Monday to hear arguments from Chevron and Exxon that coastal wetlands lawsuits filed by two Louisiana parishes should be transferred to federal court — a decision that could ripple across dozens of similar cases seeking billions of dollars in damages."

"The Interior Department has shed nearly 11 percent of its staff during the Trump administration, a reduction of nearly 7,500 employees who took buyout offers or early retirement in the past five months, according to data obtained by POLITICO’s E&E News."

"The Senate dropped a House provision critics said was a shield for President Donald Trump, but new language may make it harder for groups to sue."

"Last year, as Utah prepared to file a lawsuit aiming to take control of millions of acres of federal public land within its borders, state officials sought help swaying public opinion in their favor. They turned to a group of public relations professionals at Penna Powers, a media and branding firm based in Salt Lake City."

"It was a milestone moment in Florida’s 25-year war on invasive Burmese pythons: an eye-popping announcement that biologists had removed 20 tons of the slithering invaders from waters in and around the Everglades in little more than a decade, as well as shattering their previous record for a single-season haul."

"Window collisions and cats kill more birds than wind farms do, but ornithologists say turbine impacts must be taken seriously. Scientists are testing a range of technologies to reduce bird strikes — from painting stripes to using artificial intelligence — to keep birds safe."