For years, wildlife advocates have struggled to determine how many nations ban steel-jaw traps. Now, thanks to a new analysis by the Law Library of Congress, they have an answer: more than 100.
Lords of Yesterday
How 19th century laws allow for private profit from public land and resources.
Posted inEnvironment, Lords of Yesterday
The boom in bobcat trapping spurs environmental lawsuit
Fur trapping might seem like a relic of bygone days. But in recent years, the practice has boomed in America, driven by demand for fur overseas.
Posted inEnvironment, Lords of Yesterday
The problems with the state movement to take federal land
A handful of state legislators in the West are pushing for local control of public land, which may lead to lucrative mining and drilling operations, but financial and constitutional issues could hinder the effort.
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Posted inEnvironment, Lords of Yesterday, Oil and Mining
Obama wants to end the mining industry’s free ride on public land
The U.S. Bureau of Land Management has proposed a host of new fees for mining on public land as part of President Barack Obama’s 2016 budget.
Posted inEnvironment, Lords of Yesterday, Oil and Mining
FRONTLINE/CIR exposed how public lands are still ruled by 1872 mining law
In 1994, The Center for Investigative Reporting teamed up with FRONTLINE to produce the documentary, “Public Lands, Private Profits.” Eleven years later, it’s clear that not much about the 19th century mining law has changed.
Posted inEnvironment, Lords of Yesterday
Though threatened, grizzly bears can be killed to protect livestock
Environmental groups say the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service violated the Endangered Species Act when it signed off on actions that would allow the killing of up to 11 grizzly bears in the Yellowstone region during a three-year period.
Posted inEnvironment, Food Security, Lords of Yesterday
Weak oversight of public grazing land, thanks to ‘lord of yesterday’
The belief in the absolute right of ranchers to graze essentially unregulated on public lands remains strong. Here are 10 things to know about the government’s hands-off approach to the practice.
Posted inEnvironment, Lords of Yesterday, Oil and Mining
Foreign-owned mines operate royalty-free under outdated US law
This “lords of yesterday” policy, created in 1872 in an era of Western expansion, still governs how people and companies prospect and mine for certain minerals on public lands.