"Business has blossomed at Interior Secretary David Bernhardt's former law and lobbying firm in the 31 months since he was first nominated to a Trump administration post, a new study by an environmental group shows.

Thirty-six clients have paid Denver-based firm Brownstein Hyatt Farber Schreck LLP a total of $11.96 million to lobby the Interior Department, the study found, including 19 clients that hired the company after Bernhardt's initial nomination in April 2017.

"With a direct line to the political appointees who set America's energy and wildlife policies, Brownstein Hyatt has cashed in," Center for Western Priorities Policy Director Jesse Prentice-Dunn said in a statement, adding that "it's clear that under Secretary Bernhardt, corporations have a roadmap to get their projects approved — just hire a high-powered lobbyist, preferably at his old firm."

Prentice-Dunn, using public lobbying reports and other documents, determined that the nearly $12 million in revenue marked a 310% increase from the same period before Bernhardt's nomination."

Michael Doyle reports for Greenwire December 18, 2019. [2]