Culture Watch

U.S. Senators Gary Peters (D-MI) and Rob Portman (R-OH), Chairman and Ranking Member of the Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee, and Amy Klobuchar (D-MN) and Roy Blunt (R-MO), Chairwoman and Ranking Member of the Committee on Rules and Administration, released a bipartisan report on the security, planning, and response failures related to the violent and unprecedented attack on January 6th. The report also includes a series of recommendations for the Capitol Police Board, United States Capitol Police (USCP), federal intelligence agencies, the Department of Defense (DOD), and other Capital region law enforcement agencies.  more »

A Century of Non-Partisan Fact-Based Work: What is it? Renewable ocean energy (or, simply, ocean energy), is energy derived from the ocean's movement, or from its physical and chemical state. In the United States, ocean energy can be generated from waves, tides, and currents, as well as ocean temperature differences. The National Renewable Energy Laboratory estimates that if fully utilized, ocean energy resources in the U.S. could provide the equivalent of over half of the electricity that the country generated in 2019. U.S. government and industry stakeholders predict that ocean energy will likely be first used to provide power for energy and water needs of island and coastal communities and offshore activities. more »

Scouting for the next grand adventure? The Hiking Project is ready to help, welcoming users to "explore 243,117 miles of hiking trails." Investigate by location using the search bar or use one of the many available filters to narrow by feature. Those looking for the best hiking spots, regardless of location, should check out the Top Hikes page, which recognizes routes with the highest user ratings. Alternatively, visitors can scroll through the Trail Directory (found under the Trail Guide tab), which catalogs hiking destinations by U.S. state or country. The app is also available on the Apple App Store and Google Play for mobile use. One of its notable features is the ability to go signal free, making maps accessible in more remote locations. Because the guide is crowd-sourced, readers are also welcome to submit their own trail information and images (note that submissions are reviewed for accuracy before content appears on the site). Contributors may even be honored with a feature on the Best Photos page. [EMB] more »

Secretary Haaland promotes outdoor recreation, designates ten new national recreation trails. Under the previous administration, the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) established and began administering an oil and gas program in the Coastal Plain of the Arctic Refuge. After the BLM prepared the “Coastal Plain Oil and Gas Leasing Program Environmental Impact Statement” (EIS) under NEPA, the BLM held a lease sale on January 6, 2021, and subsequently issued 10-year leases on nine tracts covering more than 430,000 acres. more »