WASHINGTON – The Bureau of Land Management today announced an investment of nearly $2.4 million from the President’s Investing in America agenda through the Inflation Reduction Act to develop a cultural landscape study and predictive model for public lands in California and Arizona. The study would identify and provide a better understanding of the impacts of renewable energy development on Tribal ancestral lands and other significant landscapes in the Colorado River Basin, in order to improve responsible siting and processing of right-of-way applications for renewable energy.  

The BLM will partner with the U.S. Department of Energy’s Argonne National Laboratory for the study. Argonne previously conducted cultural landscape assessments for the BLM in Colorado, New Mexico and Utah, and developed impact assessments and mitigation strategies for renewable energy development throughout the western U.S. The Laboratory is currently working on a landscape study and predictive model for the Desert Renewable Energy Conservation Plan area in California.

“It is important to understand the cultural values of the lands in our care, so we can guide clean energy projects to appropriate places,” said BLM Director Tracy Stone-Manning. “The BLM looks forward to working with Tribal Nations and other partners as we conduct this assessment that will help us ensure that clean energy projects are developed responsibly.” 

The cultural landscape study will incorporate Indigenous Knowledge and a comprehensive inventory of all previously known archaeological, ethnographic, and ethnobotanical information, visual/viewshed studies, and a built environment inventory.  

Earlier this year, BLM surpassed the Biden-Harris administration’s goal of permitting 25 gigawatts of clean energy projects on public lands by 2025. In August, BLM announced its proposed roadmap for solar energy development, building on the Administration’s Investing in America agenda, including its goal to facilitate transitioning the nation to a 100-percent clean electricity grid by 2035.  

As of September 2024, the Biden-Harris administration has approved 41 renewable energy projects on public lands (10 solar, 13 geothermal, and 18 gen-ties). In total, the BLM has now permitted clean energy projects on public lands with a total capacity of approximately 29 gigawatts of power – enough to power over 12 million homes.  

 

Visit BLM.gov for more information on how BLM manages cultural resources and renewable energy programs.  

A widow looking for love was scammed out of $1.5 million before her tragic death. Her daughter is now on a mission to share her mom’s story, hoping it spurs change.

WASHINGTON — The Department of the Interior and National Fish and Wildlife Foundation (NFWF) today announced $11.8 million for 10 projects in seven states that will help restore habitat connectivity and secure key migration corridors for wildlife in the American West. A total of $3 million in grants and $8.8 million in matching contributions will be invested to protect migratory species like elk, mule deer, and pronghorn and their habitats in Arizona, California, Colorado, Idaho, Montana, Oregon and Wyoming. 

“Healthy habitats and interconnected spaces to live and roam are key for the sustainability of species,” said Secretary Deb Haaland. “The Biden-Harris administration is strengthening public-private partnerships and employing an all-of-government approach to ensure the conservation of fish and wildlife in the West and across America through the protection of key migration corridors and habitats.” 

Bureau of Land Management (BLM) Director Tracy Stone-Manning and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) Director Martha Williams highlighted the announcement at the 89th North American Wildlife and Natural Resources Conference in Grand Rapids, Michigan. 

The grants are made possible through the Western Big Game Seasonal Habitat and Migration Corridors Fund, which is administered by NFWF in-part through annual appropriations funding from the BLM, FWS, and the Department of Agriculture. The funding supports Secretary’s Order 3362, which seeks to enhance and improve the quality of big-game winter range and migration corridor habitat on federal lands. Today’s funding builds on nearly $25 million in funding the Department and NFWF announced in 2021, 2022 and 2023. This work supports the President’s America the Beautiful initiative, which aims to conserve, connect and restore 30 percent of our lands and waters by 2030. 

Today’s announcement supplements historic funding through President Biden’s Investing in America agenda, which is supporting critical projects to restore habitats, strengthen landscape resilience, and put create good-paying jobs to restore America’s lands and waters in partnership with Tribes, private landowners, hunting and conservation organizations, and state wildlife management agencies. 

Last month, Secretary Haaland announced more than $157 million from President Biden’s Investing in America agenda to restore our nation’s lands and waters through locally led, landscape-scale restoration projects. The funding from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law will support 206 ecosystem restoration projects in 48 states, Washington, D.C., and the U.S. Territories and will advance the Department’s ongoing work across several restoration and resilience programs. 

Projects receiving grants and matching contributions are listed below: 

ARIZONA  

Managing Woody Invasives to Improve Habitat Quality on Perrin Ranch State Lands Grassland  

Grantee: Arizona Elk Society 

Grant Amount: $130,000 

Matching Funds: $130,000 

Total Project Amount: $260,000 

Improve winter habitat quality for migrant and resident mule deer, elk and pronghorn. Project will restore a minimum of 650 acres of grasslands in Northern Arizona by managing the encroachment of woody invasives. 

Restoring Beaver Creek Watershed to Improve Habitat Connectivity  

Grantee: Salt River Project Agricultural Improvement and Power District 

Grant Amount: $489,500 

Matching Funds: $3,376,500 

Total Project Amount: $3,866,000 

Restore wildlife habitat and connectivity, reduce wildfire risk, protect water supplies, communities, infrastructure and improve forest resiliency. Project will restore approximately 3,920 acres by removing invading woody species from grasslands and former healthy woodlands that will allow native grass, browse, and forb species to return. 

CALIFORNIA 

Restoring Steven’s Prairie to Enhance Elk Habitat and Establish New Herds  

Grantee: Yurok Tribe 

Grant Amount: $181,393 

Matching Funds: $181,393 

Total Project Amount: $362,786 

Enhance meadow habitat for Roosevelt elk and provide a stopover site both for dispersing elk from saturated populations and for the establishment of new herds on Yurok lands. Project will survey and identify priority habitat in 160 acres; restore 80 acres of degraded prairie through removal of encroaching trees and invasive plants; establish a 25-acre fuel break along the perimeter of the restored site; and place 440 acres under various planning stages to improve management. 

COLORADO 

Enhancing Elk Habitat Through Vegetation Treatments in Hay Flats 

Grantee: US Forest Service 

Grant Amount: $200,000 

Matching Funds: $199,896 

Total Project Amount: $399,896 

Enhance elk habitat through vegetation treatments in mountain shrub and aspen communities within the vicinity of Hay Flats. Project will improve 2.25 acres of fencing, treat 430 acres with mechanical methods would create a mosaic of snowberry regrowth and allow understory species to take hold, and treat 220 acres with mastication and hand felling to increase forage, cover, and movement opportunities for elk in spring production areas, summer and winter habitat, and movement corridors. 

Protecting Migration Corridors via the Wolf Mountain VII Conservation Easement  

Grantee: Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation 

Grant Amount: $100,000 

Matching Funds: $1,977,882 

Total Project Amount: $2,077,882 

Conserve vital aspen woodlands, sagebrush, and riparian habitat, as well as a migration corridor and pathway for two of Colorado’s largest migratory herds. Project will permanently protect approximately 1,630 acres of migration corridors for elk and winter range for mule deer, secure habitat connectivity through the valley bottom and highly developable lands near State Highway 40, protect five stream miles, and support a host of other wildlife, including greater sage grouse.  

IDAHO 

Modifying Fencing to Improve the Migration Route Across Highway 28 

Grantee: The Mule Deer Foundation 

Grant Amount: $317,922 

Matching Funds: $300,000 

Total Project Amount: $617,922 

Support passage-success of migratory mule deer and elk, reduce animal-vehicle collisions, and simultaneously increase safety for motorists. Project will extend a wildlife funnel fence project on Highway 28 by reconnecting three miles of corridor, improve 10 miles of fencing, remove two miles of fencing, and increase the passage success rate to 95%.

MONTANA 

Collaborating with Montana Grassland Partnership to Improve Big Game Migration 

Grantee: Ranchers Stewardship Alliance, Inc. 

Grant Amount: $275,000 

Matching Funds: $275,000 

Total Project Amount: $550,000 

Support, connect, and contribute to the partnership of big game migration work being done under the umbrella of the Montana Grassland Partnership as part of the Ranchers Stewardship Alliance (RSA) Conservation Committee. Project will work to improve nine miles of fencing, remove nine miles of unneeded fencing, restore 1,000 acres of grassland for added habitat and add a Conservation Director position with RSA to better serve the RSA project area and collaborate within the Montana Grassland Partnership. 

OREGON 

Protecting Migration Habitat via a Fee Title Transfer to the Warm Springs Indian Reservation  

Grantee: Oregon Wildlife Heritage Foundation 

Grant Amount: $199,998 

Matching Funds: $716,350 

Total Project Amount: $916,348 

Protect migration corridors in high use areas in the Metolious winter range. Project will transfer 300-acre acquisition to the Confederated Tribe of the Warm Springs Indian Reservation. 

Treating Invasives to Improve Migration Corridors for Elk and Nesting Habitat for Sage Grouse (OR) 

Grantee: Crook County Soil and Water Conservation District 

Grant Amount: $190,609 

Matching Funds: $213,586 

Total Project Amount: $404,195 

Enhance understory conditions in sagebrush habitats, which will improve conditions for a host of species including sagebrush obligates and improve migration and seasonal habitat for a variety of wildlife species. Project will restore 415 acres of migration habitat for elk and mule deer as well as seasonal habitat for sage grouse through the removal of woody invasives.

WYOMING 

Restoring Big Game Migration Corridors for Bates Hole, Dubois and Platte Valley Mule Deer Herds 

Grantee: Wyoming Game and Fish Department 

Grant Amount: $961,250 

Matching Funds: $961,250 

Total Project Amount: $1,922,500 

Improve forage resources and connectivity between seasonal ranges for mule deer and a wide variety of other wildlife. Project will implement 13,530 acres of invasive weed treatments, modify 46 miles of fences and restore 150 acres of habitat. 

Former President Donald Trump, along with some of his family members and business associates, must pay hundreds of millions of dollars to the state of New York for lying about his companies’ finances.

Manhattan Supreme Court Justice Arthur Engoron ruled Friday that Trump, his businesses, his sons Eric Trump and Donald Trump Jr., and former Trump CFO Allen Weisselberg owe a combined $364 million to the Empire State.

“The frauds found here leap off the page and shock the conscience,” the judge said in the 92-page ruling.

Engoron determined that Trump, the Trump Organization, and various Trump business ventures owe a combined $355 million. Eric Trump and Donald Trump Jr. are each liable for around $4 million, while Weisselberg must pay $1 million for his role in the fraud.

As one example, Engoron noted Trump’s valuation of his Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida, where he is alleged to have wrongfully stored documents from his time in the White House.

“Donald Trump insisted that he believed Mar-a-Lago is worth ‘between a billion and a billion five’ today, which would require not only valuing it as a private residence, which the deed prohibits, but as more than the most expensive private residence listed in the country by approximately 400%,” the judge wrote.

The judge also found that Trump and his associates cannot be trusted to honestly do business in the state, and issued yearslong restrictions on all of them.

“[T]his Court finds that defendants are likely to continue their fraudulent ways unless the Court grants significant injunctive relief,” Engoron wrote.

“The Court hereby enjoins Donald Trump, Allen Weisselberg, and Jeffrey McConney from serving as an officer or director of any New York corporation or other legal entity in New York for a period of three years,” the ruling says. Donald Trump Jr. and Eric Trump are also barred from serving as officers or directors “of any New York corporation or other legal entity in New York” for two years.

“The evidence is overwhelming that Allen Weisselberg and [former Trump Organization controller] Jeffrey McConney cannot be entrusted with controlling the finances of any business,” the ruling also says. “Accordingly, this Court hereby permanently enjoins Allen Weisselberg and Jeffrey McConney from serving in the financial control function of any New York corporation or similar business entity operating in New York State.”

Trump and his business are also barred from applying for loans “from any financial institution chartered by or registered with the New York State Department of Financial Services for a period of three years,” the ruling says.

Engoron also determined that retired federal judge Barbara Jones will continue her oversight of the Trump businesses.

“[T]he Hon. Barbara Jones (ret.) shall continue in her role as Independent Monitor for no less than three years,” Engoron wrote. In addition, an “Independent Director of Compliance shall be installed at the Trump Organization, at defendants’ expense, to ensure compliance with financial reporting obligations and to establish internal written accounting and financial reporting protocols.” Engoron ordered Jones to provide the court with a list of people she would recommend for the compliance role.

In his ruling, Engoron said that holding Trump and his businesses accountable is necessary to protect the public.

“This Court is not constituted to judge morality; it is constituted to find facts and apply the law,” the ruling says. “In this particular case, in applying the law to the facts, the Court intends to protect the integrity of the financial marketplace and, thus, the public as a whole. Defendants’ refusal to admit error — indeed, to continue it, according to the Independent Monitor — constrains this Court to conclude that they will engage in it going forward unless judicially restrained.”

Engoron noted that former Trump “fixer” Michael Cohen was believable with his testimony, despite having previously pleaded guilty to perjury and offering sometimes contradictory statements at trial.

“[H]e testified that although Donald Trump did not expressly direct him to reverse engineer financial statements, he ordered him to do so indirectly, in his ‘mob voice,”” Engoron wrote. Noting the “palpable” animosity between Trump and Cohen did give Cohen an “incentive to lie,” Engoron “found his testimony credible, based on the relaxed manner in which he testified, the general plausibility of his statements, and, most importantly, the way his testimony was corroborated by other trial evidence.”

“A less-forgiving factfinder might have concluded differently, might not have believed a single word of a convicted perjurer,” the judge wrote. “This factfinder does not believe that pleading guilty to perjury means that you can never tell the truth. Michael Cohen told the truth.”

The decision marks the end of New York Attorney General Letitia James’ massive civil fraud lawsuit against the former president, his sons Eric Trump and Donald Trump Jr., and Trump’s businesses over “numerous acts of fraud and misrepresentation in the preparation of Mr. Trump’s annual statements of financial condition” from 2011 to 2021. James said that Trump, along with his co-defendants, inflated his net worth by billions and violated the law in doing so.

The $364 million sum is more than quadruple the $83 million in damages Trump owes writer E. Jean Carroll, whom he was found to have defamed after she went public with sexual abuse claims against him.

The civil fraud litigation was brought against the former Republican president, his children, and the Trump Organization in September 2022 by James, a Democrat, and aimed to essentially kick numerous Trump-related entities out of the Empire State.

Engoron had ruled in late September that Trump, his eldest sons, and the family business were all liable for fraud. In a series of three 35-page orders, Engoron found that the 45th president and his namesake company inflated his net worth and grossly overvalued their assets on years’ worth of financial paperwork to bilk banks and insurance companies so that they could “transact business.”

Trump’s daughter, Ivanka Trump, was initially named in the lawsuit but was eventually dismissed.

The trial started on Oct. 2. It was often punctuated by Trump’s repeated violations of Engoron’s orders regarding the former president’s baseless allegations against the judge’s primary law clerk, who Trump said was linked to Sen. Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., and insisted that it proved the trial was “rigged.” Trump sued Engoron over the gag order, to no avail.

In his ruling Friday, Engoron noted that Trump’s behavior during the trial had an impact on the judge’s ultimate decision.

“Overall, Donald Trump rarely responded to the questions asked, and he frequently interjected long, irrelevant speeches on issues far beyond the scope of the trial,” Engoron wrote. “His refusal to answer the questions directly, or in some cases, at all, severely compromised his credibility.”

As the trial wound down, it briefly appeared that Trump was poised to give closing arguments in the case, Engoron nixed that request, telling lawyers that Trump appeared to be unable to stick to the “relevant” matters underpinning the trial.

Trump is currently facing 91 criminal charges in four different jurisdictions: falsification of business records charges in New York, racketeering and conspiracy charges in Georgia, wrongful retention of documents charges in Florida, and election subversion allegations in Washington, D.C.

According to a press statement, James “will give remarks on her landmark victory in her office’s civil fraud trial against Donald Trump and the Trump Organization” on Friday evening.

Read the ruling here.

Matt Naham, Brandi Buchman, and Adam Klasfeld contributed to this story.

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WASHINGTON – The Department of the Interior, through the Bureau of Land Management, today announced nearly $18 million in new investments from President Biden’s Investing in America agenda to ensure the ready source of native seeds to combat climate change and enhance landscape resilience. This investment from the Inflation Reduction Act – the largest climate investment in history – helps advance the Department’s new National Seed Strategy Keystone Initiative, which Secretary Deb Haaland unveiled during remarks at the National Native Seed Conference.   

“A reliable, abundant and diverse supply of native seeds is foundational to ensuring that the ecosystems we all cherish can thrive for current and future generations,” said Secretary Deb Haaland. “The new initiative we are launching today, supported by historic resources from President Biden’s Investing in America agenda, will help ensure we get the right seeds, in the right place, at the right time to restore our public lands and bolster climate resilience.”  

Native plant communities across the U.S. are being lost every day from habitat loss and other climate related impacts, such as longer wildfire seasons and other extreme weather events. As these plant populations are lost, so too are the ecosystem services they provide, increasing the risk of erosion, the establishment of non-native and invasive species, and additional ecological damage.   

Collecting, producing and procuring native seeds is critical for restoring native vegetation on public lands, and special facilities are required to store seeds and safeguard their genetic diversity. The funding and newly launched National Seed Strategy Keystone Initiative will formalize the Department’s ambitious goals to invest in the infrastructure, tools, research and labor needed for a robust native seed supply chain, including by expanding Tribal greenhouse facilities, assisting local farmers in transitioning from high-water crops to low-water native plant crops, connecting with underserved communities in native seed collection via the Seeds of Success program, and increasing regional seed production capacity.     

“Nature has spent thousands of years designing plants that fit in place, so we can’t do better than to use that instruction – native seed – in our restoration efforts,” said BLM Director Tracy Stone-Manning. “Native seeds stand a better chance of long-term success.”  

Through President Biden’s Investing in America agenda, the Department is stewarding an overall $2 billion over five years in new investments to put people to work restoring our nation’s lands and waters. This includes nearly $45 million in funding from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, Inflation Reduction Act and annual appropriations already disbursed to support the expansion of the native seed supply chain, including through more seed collection teams and seed cleaning partnerships.   

That funding is helping advance projects that are restoring white bark pine trees, which define some of the most treasured high-elevation western landscapes; converting 500 acres of degraded rangelands in Colorado to short grass prairie and sage shrubland; and working with the Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribe in Montana to upgrade and expand the Tribe’s greenhouse facilities to improve its ability to grow native seedlings for regional restoration efforts.  

To guide these historic investments, in April 2023, the Department unveiled the Restoration and Resilience Framework to catalyze coordination and drive transformational outcomes across our existing programs and initiatives, including through a commitment to nine keystone conservation initiatives which address climate change impacts, restore healthy lands and waters and enhance communities’ quality of life.     

The National Seed Strategy Keystone Initiative builds on the past 25 years of native seed collection, research and development, including a recent partnership among the BLM, National Park Service, and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to coordinate on Seeds of Success collections. This is the next step in building a restoration economy in rural communities across the United States, while safeguarding biological diversity.    

With investments from President Biden’s Investing in America agenda to implement the National Seed Strategy, the Department is also advancing the Biden-Harris administration’s National Climate Resilience Framework and the America the Beautiful initiative, a nationwide effort to conserve, connect and restore the lands, waters, and wildlife upon which we all depend.  

WASHINGTON – Today, the Bureau of Land Management announced a $41 million investment through President Biden’s Investing in America agenda for ecosystem restoration. This funding will support 74 projects in 16 states, building on proven programs and partnerships to protect cherished wildlife and natural resources while creating good-paying jobs to strengthen communities.  

This is the third investment of ecosystem restoration funds from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, which was passed by Congress in November 2021. The first two BLM investments from this program totaled about $61.5 million and were announced in 2022 and 2023.   

The funding announcement also bolsters the Department of the Interior’s announcement today of the Sagebrush Keystone Initiative that directs restoration funding to defend and grow core landscapes in sagebrush ecosystems. Nearly $6 million of today’s announced funding will be directed by BLM to prioritized sagebrush landscapes across four states.   

“Resilient landscapes are our best natural defenses against climate change,” said BLM Director Tracy Stone-Manning. “As we continue to see unprecedented wildfire, plants blooming uncharacteristically at different times of the year, warmer waters in our streams, and more, these investments are critical to providing clean water, reliable habitat, and resilience to wildfire for future generations.” 

About half of the funds ($20.5 million) are slated for 26 projects in eight states under Good Neighbor Authority, which allows the BLM to collaborate with Tribal Nations and State governments to do restoration work on lands across multiple jurisdictions.  

Other funded initiatives include:  

• About $9.4 million for 15 projects in seven states that will restore abandoned mine lands. This funding is aimed at restoring wildlife habitat, removing abandoned equipment, and improving water quality.    

• About $6.3 million for 15 projects in eight states and BLM’s Headquarters office to continue to implement the BLM’s National Seed Strategy, especially important for restoring lands damaged by rangeland fires, invasive species, severe storms, and drought.   

• About $1.8 million will be distributed to eight projects in six states that will improve recreation sites or public access. Some of these projects will expand campsites and day-use sites, construct trails, and improve accessibility for visitors.  

• About $862,000 will be sent to three projects in three states for eradicating and controlling invasive weeds. Invasive weeds crowd out native plants, often creating conditions that favor catastrophic wildfires or that take water away from native plants.  

• Half of all funding ($22 million) will be spent in BLM’s Restoration Landscapes, continuing the Bureau’s efforts to invest in these places and address threats to wildlife, recreation visitors, and communities.   

State Funding Distribution (estimates):  

Alabama	$60,000	1 project (BLM Eastern States Office)
Alaska	$10.65 million	10 projects
Arizona	$2.95 million	5 projects
California	$3.76 million	7 projects
Colorado	$2.89 million	6 projects
Florida	$300,000	1 project (BLM Eastern States Office)
Idaho	$2.74 million	7 projects
Maryland	$795,000	1 project (BLM Eastern States Office)
Montana	$4.35 million	6 projects
Nevada	$350,000	1 project
New Mexico	$2.36 million	8 projects
Oregon	$5.0 million	9 projects
South Dakota	$500,000	1 project (BLM Montana/Dakotas State Office)
Utah	$300,000	1 project
Washington	$220,000	1 project (BLM Oregon/Washington State Office)
Wyoming	$1.35 million	2 projects
Multi-Unit Projects	$395,000	4 Projects
Headquarters	$2.10 Million	4 Projects
TOTAL	$40.57 Million	74 Projects

Florida Republicans are promoting a new law that would pay former President Donald Trump’s myriad legal defense bills with public funds — to the potentially high-priced tune of several million dollars.

The proposed legislation, Senate Bill 1740, was introduced earlier this month by State Sen. Ileana Garcia, a Republican and longtime Trump stalwart who represents parts of Miami-Dade County.

The two-page bill would create a new section of the Sunshine State’s public campaign finance law to establish the “Defending Freedom Fighters Trust Fund.” The fund would allot “up to $5 million” that could be tapped by a “qualified person” if they are running for the U.S. presidency as a Florida resident and face criminal charges.