2018 Environment & Energy News Stories
New Mexico, Navajo tribal members still pursuing compensation from EPA for 2015 Gold King Mine spill (Santa Fe Reporter) 12/12/18
Tribal leaders, members of Congress stand with Gwich'in in call to protect the Arctic Refuge (Sierra Club) 12/11/18
Tribal energy legislation goes to President's desk (U.S. Representative Don Young) 12/10/18 (See 115th Congress S.245)
COP24 strengthens climate action of local communities and Indigenous peoples (United Nations Climate Change) 12/10/18
Trump administration asks Supreme Court to avoid Osage wind farm case (National Wind Watch) 12/9/18 (See Osage Wind, LLC, et al. v. United States)
Tribes give spoken testimonies against Trans Mountain pipeline expanision (The Journal of the San Juan Islands) 12/4/18
Washington tribes say pipeline will harm orcas, way of life (The Seattle Times) 11/29/18
Tribal people face disproportionate impact from climate change (Indian Country Today) 11/25/18
Zinke gave rare attention to Alaska: The next secretary of the Interior should do likewise (Daily News-Miner) 11/15/18
Interior secretary sides with tribes in drilling dispute (Minnesota Lawyer) 11/14/18
Native Sun News Today: Lakota activists stall uranium mining hearing (Indianz) 11/14/18
Breaking free: Alaska's path forward for renewable Arctic energy (The Arctic Institute) 11/13/18
Tribes see setback in caribou reintroduction efforts in Lower 48 (Indianz) 11/12/18
Tribes react to Judge halting Trump's Keystone XL Pipeline "invasion" (Native News Online) 11/9/18
EPA, states and tribes seek millions for cleanup costs of American Zinc, Lead and Smelting sites (St. Louis Record) 11/9/18
Judge blocks Keystone XL pipeline (The Hill) 118/18
Tribe challenges Corps findings on Dakota Access pipeline (Chicago Daily Herald) 11/5/18
Fort Berthold reservation landowners to sue oil company (The Charlotte Observer) 11/3/18
KJZZ: Navajo Nation weighs a future without coal (Indianz) 10/31/18
Maine tribes are skeptical of federal move to revisit river water standards (Press Herald) 10/30/18
Court gives environmentalists new chance to fight uranium mine (Cronkite News) 10/28/18 (See Havasupai Tribe v. Provencio)
Senator Cory Booker leads support for Tribes in defense of the sacred (Native News Online) 10/24/18
Lawsuit filed over highway shutdown during pipeline protest (SF Gate) 10/23/18
Company considers boosting pipeline capacity (MySA) 10/23/18
A coal fight in Indian country turns ugly (Indianz) 10/10/18
Tribes finally given access to Dakota Access Pipeline decision (Indianz) 10/4/18
"The best news we've heard": Uranium mining ban at Grand Canyon stands (Indianz) 10/2/18
Tribal citizens protest Trump's environmental rollbacks (Indianz) 9/27/18
Judge restores energy lease on Montana land sacred to tribes (Miles City Star) 9/26/18
NM Tribal leaders in D.C. to urge protection of Greater Chico (Public News Service) 9/26/18 (See 115th Congres S.2907)
Grizzly decision celebrated, challenged (Jackson Hole News & Guide) 9/26/18
Judge restores drilling leases on sacred Blackfeet Nation land (Indianz) 9/26/18
Heinrich, Lujan announces $2.1 million for N.M. pueblos to protect clean air and water (Native News Online) 9/25/18
Keystone XL pipeline construction to start in 2019 (CBS News) 9/24/18
Winnebago Tribe doubles investment in solar energy on reservation (Indianz) 9/24/18
Sale of Navajo Generating Station to new operator falls through (AZ Central.) 9/20/18
Tribal leaders stand up to corporations on climate change (Indianz) 9/19/18
Water ceremony shuts down Line 3 construction on Missippi River (Native News Online) 9/19/18
Standing Rock Sioux Tribe still waiting on Dakota Access decision (Indianz) 9/18/18
Fed rule proposals would speed energy prospecting on public land (Billings Gazette) 9/17/18
Colville Tribes win big in effort to keep homelands safe (Indianz) 9/17/18 (See Pakootas v. Teck Cominco Metals, LTD.)
Ho-Chunk Nation General Council approves Rights of Nature Constitutional Amendment (YubaNet.com) 9/17/18
Hawaii represented at summit addressing climate, culture (The Garden Island) 9/10/18
Native American tribes file lawsuit seeking to invalidate Keystone XL Pipeline permit (NPR) 9/10/18
Oglala Sioux Tribe continues fight against uranium mining (Indianz) 9/6/18
Special report: Poison air [idle oil and gas wells] at sheep camp (Indian Country Today) 9/5/18
Arizona Supreme Court hears Hopi Tribe's case against snowmaking (Arizona Daily Sun) 9/5/18
Corps again finds no significant environmental impacts from DAPL (North American Shale)
9/4/18
US accused of planning crackdown on pipeline protets (NewsOK) 9/4/18
U.S. Supreme Court to hear Sheridan County poaching case (Jackson Hole News & Guide) 9/1/18
Hundreds gather at Straits of Mackinac to Protest Enbridge Line 5 (Native News Online) 9/1/18
"I'm elated": First Nations celebrate victory in pipeline case (Indianz) 8/31/18
U.S. Tribes applaud court decision rejecting Trans Mountain pipeline (Alaska Native News) 8/31/18
Judge halts first grizzly bear hunts in more than 40 years in Wyoming, Idaho (NBC News) 8/31/18
Tribe awarded $1.3M DOT grant for new electric buses (Tahlequah Daily Press) 8/30/18
'Not in our name': Tribal voices in defense of grizzly (People's World) 8/28/18
MHA Nation continues legal fight over oil wells near Lake Sakakawea (Bismarck Tribune) 8/22/18
Judge orders new federal review of XL pipeline route (The North Platte Telegraph) 8/17/18
Tribes in court challenge huge copper mine on ancestral territory (Indianz) 8/15/18
Tribal energy loan program starts, more than a decade after its OK (Cronkite News) 8/15/18
Trump's team offers a new vision for Utah's former Grand Staircase: Nearly 700,000 acres would be open to mining or drilling (The Salt Lake Tribune) 8/15/18
Tribe receives $1M to install wind turbine (Minot Daily News) 8/16/18
Emergencies highlight critical tribal role (Capitol Weekly) 8/13/18
Ninth Circuit nails tribe for $58 million in cigarette taxes (Courthouse News Service) 8/13/18
Hundreds of Navajo farmers, ranchers sue over Gold King Mine spill (Albuquerque Journal) 8/11/18
4 tribes appeal Enbridge approval to Minnesota appeals court (StarTribune) 8/10/18
Trump administration delays Dakota Access Pipeline decision again (Indianz) 8/8/18
Climate change threatens midwest's wild rice, a staple for Native Americans (NPR) 8/7/18
Tribes await updated decision on Dakota Access Pipeline (Indianz) 8/6/18
Out of spotlight, tribes keep fighting Dakota pipeline (Business Insider) 8/2/18
EPA seeks dismissal of Gold King Mine spill lawsuit (Navajo-Hopi Observer) 7/31/18
Family's fight with driller illustrates legal loophole that exposes Native American, historical sites (WHYY) 7/30/18
Report: Keystone XL would have no major impact on Nebraska (Bismarck Tribune) 7/30/18
Cultural survey by tribes for Enbridge pipeline could be largest effort of its kind (StarTribune) 7/28/18
Trump administration plans drilling on ancestral tribal territory (Indianz) 7/26/18
Tribes, conservation groups join state lawsuit against Hecla (Flathead Beacon) 7/26/18
Ryan Zinke's war on the interior (Rolling Stone) 7/23/18
Tribe seeks energy sovereignty with solar microgrid, eco-village & utility (Microgrid Knowledge) 7/20/18
"We will be waiting": Tribes remain opposed to Keystone XL Pipeline (Indianz) 7/17/18
Navajo Nation negotiating sale of West's largest coal plant (Power Magazine) 7/13/18
How much of a burden can we be to Union Bay before the strain is too much? (The Seattle Times) 7/5/18
Cadiz Inc.'s pipe dream to drain a California desert spring (ESpeak) 7/3/18
'They're sacred': Volunteers take care of wild horses on Navajo Nation (Indianz) 7/2/18
Native Americans fear effects of new oil drilling permit in California Monument (Huffington Post) 6/27/18
US House approves bill that would allow the killing of sea lions in the Columbia River (Q13 Fox) 6/26/18
Tribal leaders step up to hold corporations accountable for climate change (Indianz) 6/25/18
Firm prepares to mine land previously protected as a National Monument (NPR) 6/21/18
Senate candidate holds rally against LNG (Tacoma Weekly) 6/21/18
Udall: Climate change poses 'grave threat' to traditional subsistence practices in Indian Country (U.S. Senator Tom Udall) 6/20/18
Tribal treaty rights now driving environmental law developments (Mondaq) 6/18/18
Michigan tribes could have stronger case against Line 5 thanks to SCOTUS decision (Michigan Radio) 6/15/18 (See Washington v. U.S.)
The latest: Keystone XL opponenet says 'fight is not over' (StarTribune) 6/14/18
Dakota Access Pipeline study still not finished after more than a year (Indianz) 6/12/18
Nevada tribe says Sandoval and Pruitt didn't adequately consult on Superfund decision (Reno Gazette Journal) 6/7/18
Trump appointee could help keep Navajo Generating Station open (AZ Central.) 6/4/18
Agency promises progress on Native American, oil and gas conflict (Casper Star Tribune) 6/2/18
Companies submit first application for oil exploration in the Arctic Refuge (Sierra Club) 5/31/18
At the edge of the Artic Circle, oil drilling threatens the indigenous Gwich'in (Grist) 5/30/18
Navajo Nation, EPA question plan to open land near Great Sand Dunes for oil, gas drilling (The Denver Post) 5/25/18
Tribes dismayed by announcement of Wyoming grizzly hunt (Wyoming Public Media) 5/25/18
Disputed pipeline backed by Trump is focus of court hearing (U.S. News) 5/24/18
New legislation would repeal disastrous Arctic Refuge tax bill drilling provision (Native News Online) 5/23/18 (See 115th Congress H.R.5911)
Native Sun News Today: Fort Peck Tribes angered by oil spill in Montana (Indianz) 5/23/18
Earthquake lawsuit gains class-action status (NewsOk) 5/22/18
Tribes slam Amodei plan to give polluted Nevada land to oil company (Reno Gazette Journal) 5/14/18 (See 115th Congress H.R. 5347)
Idaho approves Grizzly Bear hunt (The Progressive Farmer) 5/11/18
Native Sun News Today: Drilling resumes near sacred site in Black Hills (Indianz) 5/11/18
Arizona Supreme Court to review ruling in ski resort dispute (mySA) 5/9/18 (See Hopi Tribe v. Arizona Snowbowl Resort Limited Partnership)
U.S. Forest Service & Shoshone-Bannock Tribes sign MOU (Sho-Ban News) 5/8/18
Nevada Indian tribe wants BP subsidiary to defend pollution allegations in tribal court (Reno Gazette Journal) 5/4/18
Hopi tribe, Peabody file suit to keep Navajo plant running (IEEFA) 5/2/18
Supreme Court turns away utility company in closely-watch sovereignty case (Indianz) 4/30/18 (See Public Service Company of New Mexico v. Barboan)
Email reveals potential buyer for Navajo coal-fired power plant (The Daily Courier) 4/29/18
Yellowstone, tribes moving forward on quarantine (Bozeman Daily Chronicle) 4/26/18
Minnesota Pipeline ruling could strengthen Tribes' legal case against Enbridge Line 3 (Inside Climate News) 4/25/18
Tribes need methane rule's protections (The Bismarck Tribune) 4/23/18
Tribes object to grizzly hunting proposal (KIDK 3) 4/22/18
Tohono O'Odham Pascua Yaqui, Hopi sue to stop Rosemont Mine (AZPM News) 4/12/18
House committee looks to boost troubled Indian Country coal facility (Indianz) 4/12/18
Native Americans fighting fossil fuels (Scientific American) 4/9/18
Black Hills gold mine plan ignites protests (The Daily Republic) 4/6/18
Dakota Access pipeline developer submits spill response plan (Penn Energy) 4/6/18
Proposed pipelines could threaten water supply for NYC and Indigenous groups (State of the Planet) 4/5/18
Trump administration blames tribes for delay in new Dakota Access study (Indianz) 3/21/18
U.S. Interior Department offers oil leases near Utah's wilderness monuments (FlipBoard) 3/20/18
EPA raises objections to Upper Peninsula mine proposal (WXOW) 3/20/18
Environmental groups battle Mount Taylor mine decision (Albuquerque Journal) 3/19/18
Red Lake Nation calls for removal of oil pipelines from reservation (Indianz) 3/16/18
YES! Magazine: Elders and warriors keep close watch on pipeline (Indianz) 3/14/18
Trump plan ends research on uranium mining near Grand Canyon (The Washington Post) 3/8/18
Department of Interior leadership rushes development in Artic Refuge communities stands in firm opposition (Native News Online) 3/8/18
Tribe asks judge for 'meaningful role' in pipeline study (Pipeline & Gas Journal) 3/8/18
Winnebago Tribe sees power from solar energy as boost to sovereignty (Indianz) 3/7/18
Zinke puts oil, gas lease sale near Chaco Canyon on hold (Santa Fe New Mexican) 3/3/18
Resistance to drilling grows on the Navajo Nation (High Country News) 3/2/18
Hands, heart and feet: Havasupai children write letters urging Trump to ban canyon mining (Cronkite News) 3/1/18
Tenth Circuit takes expansive view of the definition of the term "mining", holding wind farm project needs permit prior to commencement of excavation in tribal mineral estate (Real Estate, Land Use & Environmental Law Blog) 3/1/18
Tribal members sue to stop gold drilling in Black Hills (Rapid City Journal) 2/22/18
Wilcox introduces bill to remove salmon barriers (Yelmon Online) 2/15/18
Tribe says it's being left out of Dakota Access study (ABC News) 2/8/18
Atlantic Coast Pipeline protestors arrested after occupying North Carolina Governor's office (Alternet) 2/6/18
Group marches in support of keeping Navajo coal plant open (ABC 15) 2/6/18
Indigenous and Environmental Justice groups rally at U.S. Bank Headquaters to protest the Bank's investment in pipeline projects (Financial Buzz) 2/4/18
Fine ordered for 2014 Fort Berthold pipeline spill (The Bismarck Tribune) 2/2/18
Lawmakers want drilling in boundaries near Chaco (SF Gate) 2/2/18
Atlantic coast pipeline stirs mix of hope for jobs, leeriness by Native Americans (McClatchy DC) 2/1/18
Native Sun News Today: Tribes join coalition to tackle climate change (Indianz) 1/31/18
Video: How Inuit knowledge is informing climate research in Canada (Radio Canada International) 1/27/18
Oyate denounce state's approval of gold mining near Pe'Sla (Native Sun News Today) 1/24/18
Tribal and conservation groups sue to block repeal of federal fracking regulations (Native News Online) 1/25/18
Supreme Court passes on climate change case that drew tribal interest (Indianz) 1/23/18 (See Alaska v. Ross)
Wisconsin Tribe sues over proposed mine in upper peninsula (Court House News) 1/23/18
Invenergy ends water deal with Narragansett Indian tribe (NPR) 1/22/18
Protestors march against Snowbowl, snowmaking (Earth First!) 1/22/18
Bill introduced to provide assistance to Native American ranchers (High Plains/Midwest AG Journal) 1/21/18 (See 115th Congress S.2316)
Yellowstone's response to Bison escaping quarantine trap reveals inconsistencies, manipulation of tribes (Native News Online) 1/17/18
Narragansett Tribe plans lawsuit after being denied role in contested pipeline (Indianz) 1/16/18
Rethinking Oil: Red Lake Tribal Council votes to rescind deal with Enbridge Energy (Native News Online) 1/16/18
Smaller Bears Ears frees land for emboldened uranium miners (Santa Fe New Mexican) 1/13/18
BPA celebrates formation of new tribal utility (Electric Energy Online) 1/8/18
A red alert for the future Arctic (Nunatsiaq Online) 1/8/18
