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David Bernhardt’s war on wildlife

Mar 29, 2019

By Center for Western Priorities

Yesterday, Acting Secretary David Bernhardt underwent his confirmation hearing to officially become Interior Secretary. He will likely face a final vote in the Senate next month. As a lobbyist and lawyer for oil, gas, and mining corporations, David Bernhardt has a long track record of trying to weaken wildlife protections in favor of more extraction. After being sworn in as the second-in-command in Trump’s Interior Department, Bernhardt picked up speed, eviscerating the Migratory Bird Treaty Act, opening the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge for drilling, and slashing protections covering millions of acres of sage-grouse habitat.