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E&E News
2 days ago
- Politics
- E&E News
Interior revokes Biden-era encouragement of LGBTQ+ Pride participation
New guidance from the Interior Department is discouraging National Park Service employees from participating in LQBTQ+ Pride month activities or posting about them on official social media. In a May 30 memo, the Interior Department's Civil Rights Office revoked guidance from Interior Secretary Deb Haaland last year encouraging bureaus to allow staff to participate ind 'special emphasis months.' The Haaland memo had cleared the way for park rangers to wear their uniforms during Pride parades and other events. She issued the guidance after a top NPS official in May 2024 sent a memo telling staffers that agency policies barred them from attending events in uniform supporting a 'particular issue, position or political party.' Subsequent guidance made clear that included representing NPS at Pride events. Advertisement Acting director of the Office of Civil Rights, Shayan Modarres, eliminated Haaland's guidance in the May 30 memo. The memo also disbanded a committee created during the Obama administration to guide agency participation in 'special emphasis' months, which has included LGBTQ+ Pride month in June. 'The Department of Interior renews its commitment to implement any Special Emphasis Programs in a manner that does not discriminate based on race, sex, color, religion, or national origin in any program,' Modarres wrote in the brief directive. 'This memorandum supersedes all previous Directives on this subject.' The National Park Service did not respond to requests for comment for this story. The new direction from the Trump administration doesn't explicitly discourage Pride participation for park rangers or other Interior employees, but it's been interpreted that way by many park staffers, according to internal emails and messages viewed by POLITICO's E&E News. Some park rangers say the guidance has discouraged them from participating in Pride festivities in their local communities or posting about Pride on their park's social media sites, as they've done in previous years. 'Everyone is extremely on edge,' said one transgender park ranger who was granted anonymity because they were not authorized to speak to the press. 'There's definitely an atmosphere of fear and control.' As with the rest of the federal government, the Trump administration has taken aim at the National Park Service's diversity, equity and inclusion programs. Under directives from the White House, NPS has also begun to change its telling of U.S. history. Earlier this year, the National Park Service heavily edited or eliminated webpages run by the agency that talked about transgender people, after President Donald Trump issued an executive order making it the position of the U.S. government to only acknowledge two genders. Interior Secretary Doug Burgum also recently ordered new signs to go up at national parks encouraging visitors to report 'negative' depictions of U.S. history, a mandate that former park leaders say could pressure park rangers to change depictions of Indigenous, Black and LGBTQ+ history. The Trump administration's efforts have trickled down to other park decisions as well. NPS attempted to close Dupont Circle, a storied gathering point in Washington's gay rights history, during this weekend's WorldPride D.C. parade due to concerns about damage to park facilities, citing a recent executive order from Trump to increase law enforcement in the district. NPS reversed its position following community pushback, only fencing off the park's historic fountain. The new memo on special emphasis months pivots NPS to a potentially more conservative approach, one that discourages park officials from discussing subjects not directly related to their park's history. A June 3 email sent to NPS public information officers on the West Coast shared guidance from Aaron Roth, the Intermountain associate regional regional director for NPS, to limit social media posts and uniformed participation in special emphasis month events. The email noted that additional guidance from leadership, beyond the May 30 memo, is not expected. 'Without more detail, we recommend official/uniformed participation in celebratory activities, including social media posts, to be kept to events that relate closely to your park's specific mission [purpose],' the email states. Additionally, the email states 'There should be no official participation in parades associated with special emphasis months.' Park superintendents are granted discretion on whether a park should participate in an event, the email says, noting also that official participation in parades for national holidays is permitted. At a June 4 all-hands call with the service's communication staffers, employees were told they can continue to use social media to post about special emphasis months, as they have in previous years, according to one NPS staffer who was on that call. But the call has been interpreted slightly differently among NPS staffers. Following that call, a regional interpretations manager sent an email to NPS staffers in the South, explaining that 'monthly messaging themes still exist and are relevant for many parks, but there is no longer a broader mandate to communicate the monthly messaging.' They added: 'We are certainly not prohibited from discussing these topics IF they are directly relevant to our park significance, stories and documents.' The internal communications don't explicitly say the new guidance refers to Pride celebrations, but some staff are interpreting the guidance as directed at LGBTQ+ events because of the timing ahead of the start of Pride month. 'We've been told we can't make posts about quote, unquote, special emphasis months, but they didn't send that email out during Black History Month. So we know it's certainly for Pride Month,' the transgender NPS employee said. 'I'm assuming that marching in Pride parades is going to be a no-go.' Pride participation has been a flashpoint at the park service during both Democratic and Republican administrations. Last year, NPS Deputy Director Frank Lands effectively told park rangers not to march in Pride parades while in uniform, sparking pushback from park staff. Haaland intervened soon after, explicitly directing bureaus to decide when staff can wear their uniforms to special emphasis month events, including those celebrating LGBTQ+ people. Haaland ordered 'Bureau leaders or their designated officials to determine how and when bureaus should participate in these externally organized events. This could include marching units in parades, booths at parades, events etc. This would allow employees to participate in uniform representing their respective bureau.' The Trump administration memo revokes that guidance from Haaland. Jonathan Jarvis, who served as director of the NPS during the Obama administration, said questions about participating in Pride reprise with each change in administration. Jarvis said he strongly supports uniformed park rangers marching in parades 'when the event commemorates some component of American history related to park units such as the Civil Rights movement.' One NPS employee in the District of Columbia region, granted anonymity because they were not authorized to speak to the press, noted that the question of how park rangers can celebrate Pride was 'much more of a kerfuffle' during the Biden administration, after Land's directive went out. Now the Trump administration's approach appears to be more about making life harder for employees of the federal government, that park staffer said, pointing to the administration's aggressive efforts to shrink the workforce. 'It seems honestly like less of an anti-Pride/anti-queer magnifying glass than just another part of the strategy of making employees feel scared and not providing them clear information, and degrading quality of life for federal employees,' the employee said. The staffer said the ultimate impact is a chilling effect on anyone wanting to participate in Pride events, celebrate it or post about it in official channels. 'It's a lot out of fear,' they said. 'There's mixed messages going around.'
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
Howie Morales to forego run for governor, but says he's not done with politics
Jun. 8—SANTA FE — After more than 20 years in elected office, Howie Morales is planning to take a break from the political arena. New Mexico's lieutenant governor said Sunday he would not be running for governor next year, a decision he attributed to a desire to spend more time with his two teenage children. "I'm at peace not pursuing another statewide race," Morales told the Journal. "Right now, my commitment is to them." His decision leaves three Democrats in the 2026 gubernatorial contest — former U.S. Interior Secretary Deb Haaland, Bernalillo County District Attorney Sam Bregman and former Las Cruces Mayor Ken Miyagishima. The race has already seen big fundraising hauls from several candidates, even though there's still roughly a year until next year's primary election. Haaland announced last month she has received nearly $3.7 million in donations, while Bregman said he raked in more than $1 million in the five weeks after announcing his campaign. The fundraising amounts are both impressive and intimidating, Morales said. He also expressed concern about the role of money in state politics. As for what might comes next, Morales said he plans to finish out the roughly 18 months left on the term he was elected to in 2022. He also acknowledged possible interest in the president job at Western New Mexico University, after previous WNMU president Joseph Shepard stepped down in January following an ethics scandal. Specifically, Morales said he was "watching it closely" as university officials move forward with a presidential search. A Silver City native and former educator, Morales served as Grant County clerk before being appointed to fill an open state Senate seat in 2008. He ran unsuccessfully for governor in 2014, but won a three-way Democratic primary race to be the party's lieutenant governor nominee in 2018. Morales, running on a ticket with Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham, was then elected lieutenant governor that year and reelected four years later. In the lieutenant governor post, Morales presides over the Senate during legislative sessions and serves as acting governor while Lujan Grisham is traveling outside New Mexico. Earlier this year, Morales signed more than 30 executive orders freeing up state funding for disaster recovery efforts in the Ruidoso and Roswell areas while Lujan Grisham was on a trade mission in Asia. Morales, 52, said he's worked well with the governor and described working with rural New Mexico communities as one of his top accomplishments as lieutenant governor. While Morales ruled out a run for governor next year, he said that doesn't mean he might not run for elected office again in the future. "I'm not in any way saying I'm retiring from politics," he said in the Sunday interview, citing his relatively young age and political connections. Meanwhile, Morales is not the only high-profile Democrat to decide against a 2026 gubernatorial campaign after considering such a run. U.S. Sen. Martin Heinrich did likewise in January, just two weeks before Haaland announced her candidacy. Whomever wins next year's Democratic primary will likely be the favorite in the general election race, since no Republican has won a statewide contest since former Supreme Court Justice Judith Nakamura did so in 2016. The GOP field is still taking shape, with several potential candidates mulling over possible runs. Rio Rancho Mayor Gregg Hull is the only Republican who has confirmed his candidacy so far, though Hull postponed his planned campaign launch earlier this month. Some groups have already issued endorsements in the Democratic primary race, but Morales said it's still too early to say whether he'll publicly back a candidate.
Yahoo
5 days ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
Chaco region ban on oil and gas drilling being reconsidered under Trump
Jun. 6—The Trump administration's focus on domestic energy production has pushed the Bureau of Land Management to reconsider a rule against oil drilling in a 10-mile area surrounding the Chaco Culture National Historical Park. As Department of Interior secretary, New Mexico gubernatorial candidate Deb Haaland issued an order in 2023 to prevent oil and natural gas drilling in the 10-mile radius surrounding Chaco Canyon for 20 years. The All Pueblo Council of Governors wants those protections to stay in place for the sake of protecting sacred sites in the Chaco region. But the Navajo Nation is suing to revoke the protections, arguing the withdrawal causes significant economic harm to its members. Increasing domestic energy production and mining is a Trump administration priority. On his first day in office, President Donald Trump signed an executive order telling agency heads to identify actions that impose an "undue burden" on the development of domestic energy resources, particularly oil, natural gas, coal, hydropower, biofuels, critical minerals and nuclear energy resources and to make plans to revise or rescind those actions. "This will restore American prosperity — including for those men and women who have been forgotten by our economy in recent years. It will also rebuild our nation's economic and military security, which will deliver peace through strength," the order reads. Subsequently, Interior Secretary Doug Burgum issued an order in February essentially telling his agency to take steps to follow Trump's order, including "actions to review and, as appropriate, revise all withdrawn public lands." When it comes to Chaco, the Bureau of Land Management is following that order to review withdrawn public lands. According to an agency spokesperson, no formal decision has been made yet related to the Chaco order, which prohibits oil and gas development and exploratory mining on federal lands within a 10-mile radius of the Chaco Culture National Historic Park. "It's deeply disappointing that Trump and his administration are working to undermine our communities rather than to address the struggles and concerns that New Mexicans face every day," Haaland said in a statement. The Bureau of Land Management held a tribal consultation in late May about considering revoking the Chaco order. Ahead of the meeting, Acoma Gov. Charles Riley called for a united tribal response to keep the protections in place. Recently, the All Pueblo Council of Governors also passed a resolution reaffirming its opposition to weakening Chaco protections. "Chaco is a place that's very sacred to us," Riley said. "It contains many of our beliefs and origins. ... Many times, people don't understand our connection with these sites, whether it be Chaco, Mesa Verde, Bears Ears, things like that, many of our religious tribal leaders still go back to these places and call upon our ancestors to guide and protect our people, and that's what people don't understand." Acoma also received notice of the consultation late, only 19 days ahead of time instead of the typical 30, Riley said, giving the pueblo leaders less time to prepare, and the consultation didn't seem like a "true consultation," he said. "It just doesn't seem like this administration is listening. They hear you, but they're not listening," Riley said. 'A domino effect' As the Biden administration came to a close in January, the Navajo Nation filed a lawsuit in U.S. District Court against the United States, the Interior Department, the Bureau of Land Management and Haaland, arguing that she failed in her statutory obligations and fiduciary duties to the Navajo Nation when issuing the order. Navajo Nation members hold mineral rights for land in the area, and the lawsuit argues that profiting off of those mineral rights will be effectively impossible with the checkerboard of surrounding federal lands ineligible for lease. "This will result in sizable financial losses, especially relative to modest incomes that are prevalent in this isolated region, and will significantly reduce economic activity and employment in the region, further detrimentally affecting the Nation and its citizens," the lawsuit reads. The Navajo Nation repeatedly proposed a 5-mile withdrawal radius as a compromise approach to protecting Chaco. The lawsuit argues that the U.S. government never officially considered that suggestion, so it didn't encourage public consideration of it. The office of Navajo Nation President Buu Nygren did not respond to a request for comment by the Journal's print deadline. In April, the Acoma and Laguna pueblos asked to join the lawsuit as intervenors on the side of the defendants. New Mexico's all-Democratic congressional delegation have been vocal about trying to protect certain wild or culturally significant areas in the state, like the Gila and Pecos watersheds, from mining and oil and gas development. In April, Sen. Ben Ray Luján and Rep. Teresa Leger Fernández led the reintroduction of a bill to make the 10-mile protected area around Chaco permanent. All five members of the delegation are cosponsors. It seems unlikely to pass in a Republican dominated Congress. "With the atmosphere of today and the push for shorter environmental reviews, the fast track of mining of uranium and oil and gas production, it really does threaten a lot of our sacred places around the country," Riley said. "And if we — God forbid — fail on Chaco, then, in my opinion, it's just a domino effect. Then, who's next? What's next?" Journal Capitol Bureau Chief Dan Boyd contributed to this report.
Yahoo
6 days ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
Haaland pushes conservation, slams Trump at Santa Fe water summit
The Rio Grande has changed, said former secretary of the interior and Democratic gubernatorial candidate Deb Haaland. "It doesn't run as high," Haaland said at the 2025 Next Generation Water Summit, hosted at the state Capitol. "The water runs slower and in late August, it's a trickle of the river that it once was." Her keynote speech kicked off the two-day conference, which addresses topics like water conservation in homebuilding, water reuse and smart meters. It's the eighth year the summit has been held. House Majority Leader Reena Szczepanski, D-Santa Fe, introduced Haaland, lauding the former Cabinet secretary's work to deliver water resources to tribal communities. "In New Mexico, we do not have the luxury nor the patience to wait for others to decide our future, and we must have the courage to demand that sustainability is a priority and the commitment to see our ideas turn into action," Szczepanski said. "And there is no one who better exemplifies the mix of courage and commitment that this moment requires." Haaland, who was a congresswoman before serving in former president Joe Biden's cabinet, made the address after hosting a news conference and roundtable on veterans affairs in Santa Fe on Wednesday — signs that her campaign is now in full force. Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham cannot run again due to term limits. In the June 2026 primary, Haaland will face Democratic candidate Sam Bregman, the district attorney for Bernalillo County and Ken Miyagishima, longtime mayor of Las Cruces. Lt. Gov. Howie Morales has said he is considering a run but hasn't declared yet. A few Republicans have also expressed interest in running, including Rio Rancho Mayor Gregg Hull. So far Haaland has by far raised the most money out of all the candidates — $3.7 million as of mid-May, according to her campaign. At the end of this month Haaland's successor, current Interior Secretary Doug Burgum will visit Santa Fe to speak at the Western Governors' Association Annual Policy Summit. Haaland addressed the association in 2023. In her Thursday speech, Haaland revisited highlights of her time in the Biden administration, including bringing tribes to the table in Colorado River negotiations and $60 million in drought funding for the Lower Rio Grande Basin provided under the Inflation Reduction Act, the climate change and health care bill Biden signed into law in 2022. 060525 jw haaland water Former Secretary of the Interior Deb Haaland gives the opening address at the Next Generation Water Summit on Thursday, June 5, 2025, at the Roundhouse, touting conservation efforts during her tenure. Haaland also listed her priorities for the state's water plan, including expanded groundwater management for "long-overdrawn basins," incentives for farmers to implement water-saving measures, stricter water metering and monitoring requirements, and water protections from per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, or PFAS. Haaland urged water conservation as she spoke to the developers, local officials and water professionals gathered for the summit — no more "business as usual," she said. "These ideas aren't going to fix everything immediately, nor do they encompass the entirety of our water future — and it couldn't be more urgent," Haaland said. "We all know that when precipitation is scarce and temperatures are rising, wildfires become more devastating." One of three Democrats who have declared their intent to run for governor, Haaland couldn't resist a jab at Republican president Donald Trump. "The Trump administration is putting our progress at risk — cuts to conservation, cuts to staff, cuts to grants, cuts to tribal communities, cuts, cuts, cuts. That's all they do," Haaland said. "When drought conditions strike, we need these systems to be resilient enough for us to rely on our future."
Yahoo
6 days ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
Haaland: Trump cuts threaten New Mexico progress on climate
Former U.S. Secretary of the Interior Deb Haaland poses at the Roundhouse Thursday, June 5, 2025. Haaland, who is running as a Democratic candidate for governor, told attendees at a water summit 'the future of our communities depends on us using water wisely.' (Danielle Prokop / Source NM) While New Mexico faces threats from climate change, the Trump administration poses a much greater threat to the state's water supplies, former U.S. Interior Secretary and 2025 Democratic primary gubernatorial candidate Deb Haaland said Thursday. 'Right now we face a much larger challenge,' she said during her keynote speech at a Santa Fe water conference. 'The Trump administration is putting our progress at risk. Haaland listed the White House firings of federal staff; cancellations of grants to federal projects; and proposed budget reductions for water, public lands and tribal communities, as examples. 'Cuts, cuts, cuts — that's all they do,' Haaland said. 'When drought conditions strike, we need these systems to be resilient enough for us to rely on. Our future will count on us holding the line and leaders who can fight back.' Haaland, in her signature white sneakers and a cornflower blue suit, addressed the crowd of about 100 attendees seated inside a committee room at the Roundhouse for a two-day water summit hosted by the City of Santa Fe. Most of Haaland's speech focused on the need for collaboration, conservation and working closer with tribal governments on water issues, as climate change has rapidly stressed the Colorado River and Rio Grande. Haaland, a member of the Laguna Pueblo, opened her speech with memories of hauling buckets for cooking and washing at her grandmother's house in Mesita, saying the experience instilled a deep respect for water. 'We must manage the water resources with every community in mind collaboratively and above all, respect one another,' she said. But further conservation will be needed, she said, such as additional watershed restoration, infrastructure needs and better metering and sustainability processes for aquifers. 'We need to modernize and expand groundwater management, our basins are long overdrawn, and we must be dedicated to managing this,' she said. 'We must think in terms of generations and not budget years.' Haaland said Pueblo and tribal involvement needs to be a priority, saying that her experience in negotiations on the Colorado River offered creative solutions such as the Gila River Tribe's idea to float solar panels on canals to prevent water loss. 'I will say that bringing the tribes to the table was the best thing that we could have ever done, because they brought ideas. They brought generations of experience in water stewardship with them to the table,' she said. Haaland took two questions from the audience. One asked about the recent U.S. Supreme Court decision to refuse to hear the Apache Stronghold's case to stop a copper mine from destroying Oak Flat, a sacred site. She encouraged nonprofits to ask the tribal governments involved in the case for direction, and said it wasn't under her power during her time in the U.S. Department of the Interior. 'I wasn't able to do anything to stop that, and it's regrettable that this has happened, but more of these things are going to happen during this administration,' she said. 'I think it's on all of us to be as strong as we can and fight back where and when we can.' A second question from the audience asked about the 'elephant in the room' of how she might approach water-intensive crops as governor. She said the state needs to encourage research and development into technologies such as underground irrigation (often called deep-root irrigation). 'I feel very strongly that in order to save our agricultural tradition here in New Mexico that we really need to look at the ways that we can help move those things forward and assist farmers in implementing some of these techniques, buying equipment,' she said. In February, Haaland announced her 2026 bid for governor. If elected, she would be the first Native American person to head the state government in its 113-year history. She is facing challengers including 2nd Judicial District Attorney Sam Bregman and Ken Miyagashima, the former mayor of Las Cruces, running as Democrats and Rio Rancho Mayor Greggory Hull running as a Republican. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX
