Reading archive 2022-03-09

Letters from an American March 8, 2022

Oil, Gas Industry Stockpiled Drilling Leases Before Biden ‘Pause’ - "That 'makes the ‘sky is falling’ rhetoric from the industry and its allies a bit over the top,' Leshy said Thursday. 'Especially since many of the Trump-era lease offerings attracted no bids, or only minimum bids.'

"Oil and gas production was occurring on less than half of the more than 26 million acres of land already under a federal lease by the end of fiscal 2019, according to the most recent federal Bureau of Land Management data, which doesn’t include millions of acres leased in the Trump administration’s final year."

‘Massive fraud scheme’ raises questions about role of nonprofits in distributing pandemic aid

Demand for meat is destroying the Amazon. Smarter choices at the dinner table can go a long way to help.: ‘We are going to be eating the rainforest in our burgers. This is our moment as Americans to step forward and leverage some pressure to save the world,’ one scientist said.

The largest remaining tall-grass prairie in Texas is getting solar panels. Environmentalists can’t stop it.: A solar facility on a 3,594-acre tract of land has environmental groups searching for a way to save what they consider a living museum

Biden orders sweeping cryptocurrency review, setting stage for regulation: The long-awaited executive order aims to ensure that the U.S. fosters the surging industry while mitigating its potential threats.

How a Saudi challenge changed the PGA Tour and Phil Mickelson’s legacy