Public Lands

Open Space Institute Lobbies Interior Spending Bill

Open Space Institute Inc. disclosed $155,000 in lobbying activity for the second quarter of 2026, focusing on federal appropriations and outdoor recreation...

Public Lands

Senate Designates August 22-30 as National Park Week

The resolution itself carries no legal force and appropriates no funds. The question is whether this reflects genuine alignment on park preservation or...

Public Lands

Arctic Refuge Leasing Reversals Deter Private Investment

A recent Congressional Research Service report examines the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge oil and gas leasing program, which has become a focal point for...

Public Lands

Senate Advances Crow Tribe Land Deal Despite Concerns On Investors

Why it matters: The Senate Indian Affairs Committee advanced five bills addressing tribal economic development, health care, and land restoration on August...

Public Lands

United Water Conservation Ends Engagement With Vasto Strategies

United Water Conservation District terminated its relationship with Vasto Strategies LLC in the second quarter of 2026, according to a filing signed August...

Public Lands

Moab Cleanup On Track For 2029 Completion as Land Ownership Remains Unclear

Federal cleanup of the Moab Mill Site in Utah is on track to finish by 2029, but the federal government has not resolved who will own the land afterward....

Government Operations

Poor Coordination Blocks Rural Water Funding

Some rural communities across the U.S. lack access to drinking water or wastewater utilities. A GAO report (GAO-26-107355), published June 23, 2026, found...

Public Lands

National Parks Conservation Association Amends Lobbying Filing

The National Parks Conservation Association filed an amended first quarter lobbying disclosure on August 4, adjusting its spending from $112,647 to $113,139...

Government Operations

FWS Tracks Wildlife Refuge Spending but Not Results, GAO Finds

The Inflation Reduction Act of 2022 provided $125 million in supplemental appropriations to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to rebuild and restore units...

Government Operations

GAO Explores Federal-Tribal Land Management Agreements

Federal agencies manage public lands and waters, including national forests and parks, that sit on tribal ancestral territories. For years, those agencies...

Public Lands

GAO Reviews Army Corps Disaster Response, Flood Infrastructure

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is responsible for planning, designing, and constructing much of the nation's federally funded flood risk management...

Public Lands

Data Centers Lack Federal Regulation, CRS Report Says

The nation's data centers consumed 17 billion gallons of water in 2023—triple the 5.6 billion gallons they used in 2014. The expanding use of artificial...

Environment

Water Action Fund Hires FGS Global on Environmental Issues

Water Action Fund is listed as a client for Environmental/Superfund issues in 2026. Adam Cloch, Hope Hurley, and Catharine Ransom are registered as...

Public Lands

Senate Indian Affairs Committee Will Weigh Tribal Land Transfers

The Senate Indian Affairs Committee will consider five pieces of legislation on August 5, 2026 that would transfer federal land to tribes and modify how the...

Law and Order

Presidential Power Over Monument Designations Under Scrutiny

The Tenth Circuit held that courts can review whether designated objects fall within the Antiquities Act's categories and that the "smallest area...

Congress

Congress Faces $13 Billion Fight Over Tribal Water Rights Settlements

Why it matters: The Trump administration signaled openness to tribal water settlements through a more limited funding mechanism, even as House Republicans...

Energy

Senate Energy Panel Advances 20 Public Lands and Energy Bills

Why it matters: A Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee business meeting was held on July 29, 2026.