DENVER—A new report from the Center for Western Priorities finds the Trump administration is granting the wishes of oil, gas, coal, and uranium companies at a breathtaking pace. The report, “Not in Their Wildest Dreams,” identifies two dozen specific policy changes supported by energy interests.
Of the 24 energy industry dreams reviewed, the Trump administration has already completed or taken significant action on 13 of them, with another nine policies identified for future administrative or congressional action. Just two industry policy goals have not yet been addressed in the first eleven months of the Trump presidency.
“This report shows President Trump’s rhetoric of ‘energy dominance’ comes at a serious cost to the American people,” said Jennifer Rokala, executive director at the Center for Western Priorities. “From rules that were supposed to ensure taxpayers got a fair share from publicly-owned oil and gas to policies designed to give local voices input regarding energy production in their hometowns, Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke and President Trump have shown their only interest is helping the special interests that finance their political careers.”
The release of CWP’s “Wildest Dreams” report comes days after President Trump granted one key industry wish, shrinking or eliminating national monuments. The proclamations attempting to erase more than two million acres from Bears Ears and Grand Staircase–Escalante National Monuments are a clear giveaway to coal and uranium interests that lobbied to undo the conservation legacies of Presidents Obama and Clinton.
While the administration’s actions on national monuments and offshore oil drilling have garnered national attention, other policy changes have flown under the radar, including Secretary Zinke’s elimination of the Office of Natural Resources Revenue valuation rule, re-opening a loophole that lets coal companies sell publicly-owned coal to themselves at below-market rates.
“There’s no legitimate reason to eliminate a rule like that unless your priority is to help coal, oil, and gas companies rip off taxpayers,” said Jesse Prentice-Dunn, advocacy director at the Center for Western Priorities.
“And they’re not done yet,” Prentice-Dunn added. “We could see changes that make it easier for companies to drill in our national parks and wildlife refuges, and even mine for uranium at the doorstep of the Grand Canyon.”
The title of CWP’s report is a reference to Western Energy Alliance President Kathleen Sgamma, who recently told reporters, “Not in our wildest dreams, never did we expect to get everything.” As the report shows, President Trump and Secretary Zinke are on the verge of giving these industries absolutely everything they dreamed of.
“Not in their Wildest Dreams” is available for download today.
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Utah Film Center Celebrates Five-Year Collaboration on ‘Kids’ Section
for the Sundance Film Festival
2018 Sundance Film Festival Kids Films Include a Documentary, an Animated Feature, an Animated Short, and a Japanese Anime Film To Screen at the Sundance Film Festival
Salt Lake City, UT - This year, Utah Film Center and Sundance Institute celebrate five years of collaborating to program the ‘Kids’ section of the Sundance Film Festival being held in Park City, Salt Lake City, and at Sundance Mountain Resort January 18 - 28, 2018. The collaboration began at the 2014 Festival and grew out of Utah Film Center’s success with the annual Tumbleweeds Film Festival which presents impactful independent films for children and youth.
Over the last five years, the films screened in the Kids section have often delivered powerful and inspirational messages for young audiences. This year, the four films in the Kids section explore a wide range of themes including friendship, competition, balance in the natural world, facing adversity with courage and breaking down stereotypes. Screening schedule will be announced at sundance.org/festival in December.
Utah Film Center Programming Director, Patrick Hubley, said, “We started this collaboration because both of our organizations believe strongly in the power of storytelling, supporting artists, and fostering diverse, new audiences. It’s amazing how well this category has been received over the last five years by younger audiences and film fans of all ages alike.”
Sundance Film Festival Director of Programming, Trevor Groth, said, "This year's Kids slate really shows the section coming into its own: three wildly imaginative world premieres, including a reimagined classic, a modern-day fairy tale, and an inventive documentary. We're confident that these independent films will reach and delight audiences, and open their eyes to storytelling's possibilities."
Films that have played in this category in recent years include My Life as a Zucchini, The Eagle Huntress, Ernest and Celestine and Shaun the Sheep.
Films in the ‘KIDS’ section at the 2018 Sundance Film Festival are:
Hedgehog's Home / Canada, Croatia (Director and screenwriter: Eva Cvijanović) — In a lush and lively forest lives a hedgehog. Though he's respected by the other animals, Hedgehog's devotion to his home annoys a quartet of beasts, who decide to confront him. This short film screens with White Fang
Lu Over the Wall / Japan (Director: Masaaki Yuasa, Screenwriters: Reiko Yoshida, Masaaki Yuasa, Producer: Eunyoung Choi) — Kai is a lonely teenage boy who lives in a small fishing village. One day, he meets and befriends Lu, a fun-loving mermaid whose singing is hypnotic to all who hear it. But the townspeople have always thought that mermaids bring disaster… World Premiere
Age recommendation: 7 years old and up
Science Fair / U.S.A. (Directors: Cristina Costantini, Darren Foster, Producers: Cristina Costantini, Darren Foster, Jeffrey Plunkett) — Nine high school students from around the globe navigate rivalries, setbacks, and of course, hormones, on their journey to compete at the international science fair. Facing off against 1,700 of the smartest, quirkiest teens from 78 different countries, only one will be named Best in Fair. World Premiere
Age recommendation: 7 years old and up
White Fang / U.S.A. (Director: Alexandre Espigares, Screenwriters: Dominique Monfery, Philippe Lioret, Serge Frydman, Producers: Jeremie Fajner, Clement Calvet, Peter Saraf, Marc Turtletaub) — An updated reimagining of Jack London's classic novel, this thrilling tale of kindness, survival and the twin majesties of the animal kingdom and mankind traces the loving and magnificent hero White Fang, whose intense curiosity leads him on the adventure of a lifetime. Cast: Rashida Jones, Nick Offerman, Eddie Spears, Paul Giamatti. World Premiere
Age recommendation: 7 years old and up
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The Sundance Film Festival®
The Sundance Film Festival has introduced global audiences to some of the most groundbreaking films of the past three decades, including Boyhood, Beasts of the Southern Wild, Fruitvale Station, Whiplash, Brooklyn, Twenty Feet from Stardom, Life Itself, The Cove, The End of the Tour, Blackfish, Me and Earl and the Dying Girl, Super Size Me, Dope, Little Miss Sunshine, sex, lies, and videotape, Reservoir Dogs, Hedwig and the Angry Inch, An Inconvenient Truth, Precious and Napoleon Dynamite. The Festival is a program of the non-profit Sundance Institute®. 2018 Festival sponsors include: Presenting Sponsors – Acura, SundanceTV, and Chase Sapphire®; Leadership Sponsors – Adobe, Amazon Studios, AT&T, DIRECTV, Dropbox, Omnicom, Stella Artois® and YouTube; Sustaining Sponsors – Canada Goose, Canon U.S.A., Inc., Dell, Francis Ford Coppola Winery, GEICO, Grey Goose Vodka, High West Distillery, IMDbPro, Lyft, Unity Technologies and the University of Utah Health; Media Sponsors - Los Angeles Times, The New York Times and Variety. Sundance Institute recognizes critical support from the Utah Governor's Office of Economic Development, and the State of Utah as Festival Host State. The support of these organizations helps offset the Festival’s costs and sustain the Institute's year-round programs for independent artists. Look for the Official Sponsor seal at their venues at the Festival. sundance.org/festival
For images, visit sundance.org/photos or image.net (registration free but required).
Utah Film Center
Utah Film Center inspires and engages diverse audiences to initiate conversation and community building through curated film exhibition, educational programs, and artist support. Programs include statewide free film screenings, Tumbleweeds Film Festival for Children & Youth, Damn These Heels LGBTQ Film Festivals, filmmaker Fiscal Sponsorship, and media education programs for both teachers and students. Utah Film Center is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization and its programs are generously supported by Zions Bank, Salt Lake County Zoo Arts and Parks, and George S. and Dolores Doré Eccles Foundation. Connect with us on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter. For more information visit utahfilmcenter.org.
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ADVISORY: Secretary Perdue to Visit Florida A&M TOMORROW
(Washington, D.C., December 7, 2017) – U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue will be in Tallahassee, Florida TOMORROW, Friday December 8th, to visit Florida A&M University and hold a roundtable discussion on youth in agriculture. The Secretary will be greeted by Florida A&M University President Dr. Larry Robinson and Dean of College of Agriculture and Food Sciences Dr. Robert Taylor before meeting with Florida agriculture youth leaders from 4-H, FFA, MANRRS, and Florida extension staff.
Secretary Perdue Delivers Remarks and Holds Media Availability
WHAT: Secretary Perdue will participate in a roundtable discussion on youth in agriculture before holding a media availability with Dr. Robinson.
WHEN: TOMORROW, Friday, December 8th at 1:15 p.m. ET
WHERE: Florida A&M University, Grand Ballroom of the Student Union Building, 1925 South Martin Luther King Jr Boulevard, Tallahassee, FL 32301
*NOTE: Media interested in covering the events should RSVP to press@oc.usda.gov by TODAY, December 7th, at 6:00 p.m. ET.
