There are penalties for submitting incorrect information on an application

Ooops.

Wyoming Senate candidate Liz Cheney improperly received a state resident fishing license based on an application with incorrect information, according to Wyoming Game and Fish Department records.

Cheney received her resident license just 72 days after closing on her Wilson house in May 2012. State law requires residents live in the state 365 consecutive days before they can receive a resident hunting or fishing license.

LINK (via: The Trib.Com)

Western senators (except the ones from Alaska) press Obama to block Pebble

On the eve of a lobbying trip to D.C. by John Shively, CEO of the Pebble Partnership, Senators Patty Murray, Washington; Jeff Merkley, Oregon; and Dianne Feinstein and Barbara Boxer, both of California, are asking President Barack Obama to consider blocking the proposed Pebble Mine.

LINK (via: Anchorage Daily News)

It could get worse, much, much worse. Tea Party darling Joe Miller is running for Begich's Senate seat.

North Carolina Gamefish Bill Shelved

Despite the economic data supporting the designation of speckled trout, red drum and estuarine striped bass as gamefish, House Bill 983 was recently shelved by North Carolina lawmakers.

LINK (via: Forbes)

Sen. Mark Begich cautiously weighed in on the revised draft in a Friday statement

Alaska Senator Mark Begich certainly is a fierce advocate for wild salmon stocks when it comes to the threat posed by genetically modified salmon

“Alaska has been supplying the world with nutritious salmon for decades,” Begich said. “We cannot afford to experiment with the world’s largest wild salmon stocks without the certainty that these fake fish won’t pose a serious environmental risk, especially to wild salmon and their habitat. I am introducing these bills to prevent against science experiments ending up on the plates of Alaska families.”

His fierce advocacy for wild salmon suddenly wanes when it comes to the latest EPA findings that the Pebble Mine would destroy 90 miles of streams and up to 4,800 acres of wetland salmon habitat.

“While I remain opposed to a pre-emptive veto of this or any other project, an open, public process that answers Alaskans’ questions and puts better science on the table is a good thing. I look forward to reviewing this assessment and hope it answers questions about whether this project can meet the high hurdle of developing a large-scale mine while protecting our renewable resources.”

This Week at Interior

Welcome to Washington!

LINK (via: EcoWatch)

To Our New Secretary Of The Interior

While the confirmation of new Secretary of the Interior Sally Jewell has been universally praised by a broad spectrum of outdoor advocacy groups, Dylan Tomine has some more specific thoughts for the new Interior Secretary.

Dear Secretary Jewell—

First of all, congratulations on your Senate confirmation. As someone who makes a living  in the outdoor recreation industry, I am excited to have “one of our own” making the tough decisions about how this country uses its public land and water. Though I’m sure you won’t lack for various interests expressing their hopes for your tenure, I thought here at the beginning, I might presume to offer a few thoughts:

Read the rest of Dylan's letter.

One of Dylan's thoughts concerns the disclosure of the chemicals used in fracking for oil and natural gas.

Coincidently one of Jewell's first tasks will be releasing the Interior Department's proposal to regulate oil-and-gas “fracking” on public lands.