July 2012

On July 2, Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar announced the release of the final environmental impact statement for two wind farms that could have the combined generating capacity of approximately 2,500 megawatts. When fully constructed, the Chokecherry and Sierra Madre wind farms, situated just south of Rawlins, Wyoming, will have 1,000 turbines and take up nearly 230,000 acres of...

In late June, the U.S. Senate passed its version of the 2012 Farm Bill by a vote of 64 to 35, according to the Wildlife Management Institute. It is projected that this legislation would save about $23 billion over the next 10 years when compared to the 2008 Farm Bill. About $6 billion of that savings will come largely by consolidating 23 conservation programs into 13. While conservation programs sustained significant reductions, many in the conservation community are generally pleased that...

President Obama signed into law a surface transportation authorization bill, the Moving Ahead for Progress in the 21st Century (MAP-21) Act, on July 6 after frenzied last days of negotiations from the House and Senate conference committee. The final package includes a provision that directs penalties from the BP oil spill towards Gulf coast restoration, but dropped funding for the Land and Water Conservation Fund in the final negotiations, reports the Wildlife Management...