"Federal judges today scrapped another Obama-era effort to crack down on planet-warming gases used in refrigeration and cooling."

"Michigan’s response to PFAS contamination now includes screening levels for five forms of the chemicals, a move that sets a significantly lower base-line for considering potential health effects for people exposed to them."

"The Makah tribe could soon be hunting gray whales again, under a proposal from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) that would grant a waiver to federal marine-mammal protections."

"Senate Democrats are requesting the Interior Department’s watchdog investigate what role President Trump’s pick to lead the agency played in preventing the release of a government report on toxic pesticides and endangered species."

"President Trump’s pick for Interior Department secretary, former oil and gas lobbyist David Bernhardt, was approved by the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee by a 14-6 vote Thursday."

"A previously undisclosed invoice indicates that David Bernhardt, President Trump’s choice to lead the Interior Department, continued to lobby for a major client several months after he filed official papers saying that he had ended his lobbying activities."

"Tourists to Indonesia will likely be barred from the popular Komodo Island in January 2020 — a decision seemingly impelled by recent reports of Komodo dragons being stolen and smuggled overseas, potentially for dubious medicinal purposes, according to local media."

"Utah’s politically contentious southeast corner is a living landscape of culture and civilization". ... For 11 months, the rich legacy of this region was federally protected. It’s not clear who will be its steward now."

"Colorado lawmakers gave final approval Wednesday to a measure that would dramatically change the way the state regulates its booming oil and gas industry, shifting the focus to protecting public health instead of encouraging production."

President Trump's pick to head Interior faces a committee confirmation vote today. "Brownstein Hyatt Farber Schreck has quadrupled its business since David Bernhardt joined the Interior Department in 2017." "The law and lobbying firm that previously employed President Trump’s pick to run the Interior Department saw a surge in revenue from clients hoping to influence the agency after he left for its upper ranks in 2017."