The Latest by Ted Zukoski

Staff Attorney

Ted was an attorney in the Rocky Mountain regional office from 2003–2018. He protected wilderness, roadless areas and the planet's climate on behalf of conservation groups in the Four Corners' states.

April 20, 2011

Death to Trees! And Elk! And Bald Eagles!

By Ted Zukoski / Alaska Office, California Office, Northern Rockies Office, Northwest Office & Rocky Mountain Office

How should America’s 190 million acres of national forest be managed? Nine Republican congressmen, led by Rep. Stevan Pearce of New Mexico, have the answer in a bill introduced last month: Forests are for logging. And to hell with everything else. The bill, H.R. 1202, is short and not-so-sweet. The meat of the bill is a single sentence: …

March 16, 2011

A Chance To Do It Right On Western Coal

By Ted Zukoski / Rocky Mountain Office

In 2009, Interior Secretary Ken Salazar issued an order taking aim at climate change, saying: “The Department is … taking the lead in protecting our country’s lands and resources from the dramatic effects of climate change…. The realities of climate change require us to change how we manage the land, water, fish and wildlife … and …

February 15, 2011

Land of Retrenchment

By Ted Zukoski / Rocky Mountain Office

There’s a lot of backward movement on the environment in Congress these days. EPA is under assault for trying to regulate greenhouse gases. The Interior Department’s efforts to protect some wildlands are also being attacked. But why should Congress have all the fun? Here in the Rocky Mountain West, the 2012 elections also brought some …

February 7, 2011

Reagan's Eco Legacy Is A Trifle One-Sided

By Ted Zukoski

Ronald Reagan, who would have turned 100 this month, famously (almost) said “You’ve seen one redwood, you’ve seen them all.” From that comment alone you could tell about his commitment to the environment. Or lack thereof. His legacy as president has been getting a more nuanced treatment, lately. But aside from helping save the ozone layer, …

February 5, 2011

Congress v. The Environment: Look Out, EPA

By Ted Zukoski

Jim DiPeso, executive director of Republicans for Environmental Protection, has a nice blog post describing the latest machinations of the GOP (and coal state Sen. Jay Rockefeller) taking aim at the EPA. Gingrich wants to abolish the agency that has helped clear the air and clean the water. (He’s apparently nailing down the all-important “don’t …

February 2, 2011

Interior Department Ignores Coal's Link to Climate Change

By Ted Zukoski / Rocky Mountain Office

In the not-too-distant past, Interior Sec. Ken Salazar issued a bold call to action for his department. With authority over hundreds of millions of acres of public lands and the vast majority of coal, oil, and gas owned by taxpayers, he stated that his department would be “taking the lead” in protecting the nation’s wildlife and …

November 15, 2010