Another government land grab is on the way. The Senate — just this past Sunday, a traditional day of rest — found time to pass a bill to preserve 32,000 acres in Michigan from further development, human activity, and bicycles.
Three weeks ago, your columnist noted some of the "good" that came along in the tech world in 2012. With very little to lose — you don't think I'm wagering actual cash money here, do you? — here are some more-or-less fearless predictions for 2013:
U.S. government officials Tuesday outlined a $1.9 billion American Indian land buyback program now that a nearly 17-year lawsuit about more than a century's worth of mismanaged trust royalties is settled.
The Department of the Interior announced Tuesday it will remove a controversial "drum major" quote on the Martin Luther King Jr. National Memorial that paraphrased the late civil rights leader's words, scrapping its initial plan to replace it with the full quote.
Government regulators issued a final set of safety rules for offshore drilling Wednesday, fine-tuning a series of emergency measures put in place after the BP oil spill in 2010.
Imagine being the only driver on a two-lane asphalt highway as the stark desolation of Death Valley National park passes on each side and the crystal blue sky stretches up from the horizon.
When the Interior Department released its five-year plan for our nation's offshore energy resources late last month, it revealed that President Obama's "all of the above" energy strategy excludes new areas for offshore natural gas and oil.
While the Obama administration was taking a victory lap last week after the 5-4 Supreme Court decision to uphold the president's signature legislative accomplishment, Obamacare, the Interior Department was using the media black hole to release a much-awaited five-year plan for offshore drilling.
The Obama administration backtracked Wednesday and announced it will not declare the dunes sagebrush lizard an endangered species, saying voluntary efforts by New Mexico and Texas have headed off the need for the federal government to step in.
