Free Republic

Film buffs might recognize the Los Angeles River as the gigantic concrete gutter used for car chases in "Grease," "Terminator 2" and other movies. But the river is something else for U.S. EPA: "a traditional navigable water." EPA Administrator Lisa Jackson's declaration of the cement-lined channel today as "navigable" is aimed at allowing her agency to enforce Clean Water Act protections throughout the river's 834-square-mile watershed.

Curious, I contacted Lowell and asked him if he was willing to talk to Milbank. Here's what Lowell said: "I would be happy to talk to Dana Milbank and, in fact, I would like to invite him to a picnic. We could walk a mile or so up Peck Canyon from the Atascosa Ranch headquarters past where the body was found, which is being autopsied to the place where five (or more) innocent Mexicans (who claim they had broken only a few Federal laws) were fired on about two weeks ago by gentlemen in black camo shooting AK 47’s, he...

As if fighting terrorism weren't complicated enough, the United States has a new national security threat to worry about: grizzly bears. Republicans on the House Natural Resources Committee say that environmental laws protecting grizzlies and other wild animals along rural portions of the U.S.-Canada border have handcuffed U.S. Border Patrol and Department of Homeland Security agents, potentially making it easier for would-be terrorists to slip into the country.

A leaked partial document produced by the Bureau of Land Management and obtained by Fox News suggests the Obama administration is considering a plan to lock up 13 million acres of land -- and the Department of Interior is refusing to answer questions...The plan may actually be more than 13 million acres. Republican members of the House have asked for the rest of the memo, but the Department of the Interior is refusing to hand it over...

HELENA, Mont. — Recently released documents show the Obama administration was getting ideas from environmental groups about setting aside millions of acres in the West, drawing the ire of land users who said discussions were being developed behind their back. In the documents — most of which are e-mail messages — the environmental groups suggest various ways to protect land, such as by creating national monuments, buying private land or through conservation easements.

A tightly held administration plan to consider designating up to millions of acres of land in the West as national monuments has Western Republicans up in arms.

Interior Secretary Ken Salazar appointed 12 new members to the National Park System Advisory Board, describing them as “highly accomplished men and women whose creativity and wisdom will help us prepare for the challenges of the National Parks Service’s second hundred years.” Apparently, Salazar’s definition of “highly accomplished” includes “major Democratic donor.”

Interior Secretary Ken Salazar told CNSNews.com that national security and ecological values can coexist at the U.S.-Mexico border. The comments came amid Republican criticism that the Interior Department is using conservation as a pretext to interfere with U.S. Border Patrol operations on federal lands, particularly when it comes to stopping illegal immigrants and drug smugglers.

Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar was asked in a Feb. 26, 2010, letter from Western Caucus Chairman Rep. Rob Bishop, R-UT, and other representatives from western states for the missing pages from a leaked government memo that “contained detailed information about the administration’s plans to designate as many as 14 new national monuments and lock up as much as 13 million acres in states throughout the West.”

A feud between the Departments of the Interior and Homeland Security over federal wilderness areas that constitute 40 percent of the nation's southern border has been undermining the mission of both agencies for nearly a decade. This adolescent refusal to cooperate threatens the security of all Americans. That much was made clear March 27 when Arizona rancher Rob Krentz and his dog were shot to death by someone crossing the border illegally. The murderer then escaped in a pronghorn antelope protection area that the Interior Department placed off limits to Border Patrol agents. Krentz had repeatedly complained that illegals were...

The unknown gunman who murdered an Arizona rancher three weeks ago entered and exited the U.S. illegally in an area where border agents are widely prohibited from using motorized vehicles, constructing roads and installing surveillance structures, federal agents have confirmed. The development prompted four Republican congressmen to introduce legislation on Wednesday that will ban the Interior Department from using environmental regulations to hinder agents along the border, including at the San Bernardino National Wildlife Refuge, a 2,300-acre parcel near where rancher Robert Krentz was killed on March 27.

Voters here, and in similar cities from eastern Pennsylvania to the state of Indiana, likely will decide which political party controls Congress. These are Reagan Democrats. President Clinton won them back to some extent in 1992. President Bush had disgusted them by 2008. These voters are borderline disgusted again as the nation heads into the 2010 midterm election. In a year of voter disconnect, the Obama administration's lack of focus on jobs and the economy -- and excessive focus on health care -- has turned such traditionally Democrat-leaning voters against anything remotely associated with Washington. Democrats have a Rust Belt...

President Barack Obama has elected to bypass the Senate and unilaterally install 15 nominees, including the controversial Craig Becker to serve on the National Labor Relations Board, a move sure to infuriate Republicans.

In this fight, legislation and congressional effectiveness are becoming collateral damage. Nunes repeatedly has been blocked from offering California water amendments, which has fueled his frustration. In turn, he sharpens his own weapons. On Wednesday, a House subcommittee was scheduled to approve Costa's legislation offering federal funds for California water projects during droughts. Farmers support it. Costa, though, withdrew his bill in the face of amendments prepared by Nunes and other Republicans. Viewed politically, the amendments waiving the Endangered Species Act and turning on California irrigation pumps would box Costa into an election-year corner. Voting for them would have rendered...

Among the other job creators being touted, the beachfront historic site in the U.S. Virgin Islands stands out. Democrats, arguing for the bill in January, said designating the site and spending the $40 million or more to acquire the land will transform it into a popular tourist destination. "It will create jobs and help ease unemployment on the island," said Mr. Rahall, the West Virginia Democrat who shepherded the bill through the House. Dubious Republicans pointed out that the cost of a ticket from the U.S. to the island and the travel time make it unlikely that the new historic...

The first round of a new fight over White House power to unilaterally impose new protections on large tracts of western lands went to the Obama administration. The Senate on Thursday rejected, 38-58, Sen. Jim DeMint’s (R-S.C.) bid to block White House authority to designate national monuments in western states. DeMint wanted to attach the amendment to legislation approved yesterday aimed at bolstering tourism in the U.S.

A recently revealed Department of Interior “internal working document” has set off similar fire alarms across the West. It identifies BLM lands as potential sites for designation as new national monuments, as possibly meriting “special conservation” status or as targets of “land rationalization”. Unlike a national park or national wildlife refuge, these actions are carried out by the Executive Branch without any need for Congressional approval. The Department of Interior document in question ­- reportedly drafted at the behest of Obama’s Interior Secretary Ken Salazar – identifies more than six times the land area locked up in the Grand Staircase...

After weeks of indecision, state Del. Morgan Griffith, R-Salem, is lining up support for a likely campaign against Democratic U.S. Rep. Rick Boucher of Abingdon. Griffith, the majority leader of the House of Delegates, has been reaching out to party leaders and activists in the 9th Congressional District today to gauge support for his candidacy and is nearing a decision to formally enter the race. Griffith will have to make his decision official by March 1, the deadline for Republican candidates to file in the district.

It was just something I’d been hearing about from a variety of sources. Was it true? I didn’t know , but I decided to pop the question. During the taping of my Comcast Network Voice of Reason show, which airs Sunday night at 9:30, I asked Congressman Joe Sestak: “Is it true that you were offered a high ranking job in the administration in a bid to get you to drop out of the primary against Arlen Specter?” Sestak looked a little surprised by the question. He said, “Yes.”

White House Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel received an earful from Utah Sen. Orrin Hatch on Friday, one day after a leaked administration memo indicated the president was considering naming two new national monuments in the state. Hatch's office said the senator called Emanuel to complain about the potential unilateral action and Emanuel promised to provide an official response after consulting with Interior Secretary Ken Salazar. "I made very clear to him that if the Administration goes down this road, it will meet absolute outrage and opposition from across the state and from me representing Utah in the United States...