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Sam Lungren

Sam Lungren
Sam Lungren is MeatEater's Fishing Editor and a former freelance writer/photographer, commercial fisherman, and editor of BHA's Backcountry Journal. Though originally from Whidbey Island, Washington, he's been in Montana for almost a decade and probably isn't leaving—except during steelhead season. Send him an email sam@themeateater.com or follow him @samlungrenmedia.

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Policy & Legislation

The Great American Outdoors Act Passes Congress
The U.S. House of Representatives today passed the Great American Outdoors Act by a margin of 310 to 107. This historic bill now moves to the desk of President Trump, who tweeted in favor of the bill today and is expected to sign it into law.
This legislation, which has been called the biggest thing to happen to public lands in a generation, includes full and permanent funding at $900 million annually for the Land and Water Conservation Fund and...

Policy & Legislation

Find Out Where Your Representative Stands on the Great American Outdoors Act
The United States House of Representatives will vote on the Great American Outdoors Act on Wednesday, July 22, the Speaker’s office announced this week. The legislation passed the Senate on June 17 by a 73 to 25 margin. Read our past coverage of the bill to learn why Conservation Director Ryan Callaghan thinks this could be the biggest thing to happen to public lands in our lifetimes. You can read the text of the bill here (it’s pretty short...

Policy & Legislation

Senators Pass Great American Outdoors Act. Find Out How Yours Voted
On Wednesday morning, Senators overwhelmingly voted in favor of the Great American Outdoors Act, thanks in no small part to vocal support from the conservation, hunting, and fishing community. With 73 ayes, two absent, and 25 nays, this legislation now heads to the House of Representatives. Click here to read more about the bill.
The whole MeatEater crew would like to thank everyone who called or emailed or wrote letters or even shared...

Policy & Legislation

Here’s How YOU Can Make Public Lands Better Today
Pick up your phone right now. Dial (202) 224-3121 and hit the green button. When you reach the congressional switchboard, tell them where you’re from and ask to be connected to your Senator’s office. When you get through, tell the staffer who answers that you want your elected representative to vote in favor of the Great American Outdoors Act. That’s it. And you might be shocked at how much of a difference it makes.
Tomorrow, Wednesday June 1...

Policy & Legislation

How the Supreme Court’s and EPA’s New Clean Water Act Guidelines Affect Hunters and Anglers
Last week, the Supreme Court and the Environmental Protection Agency put out new and potentially conflicting guidelines regarding the interpretation and enforcement of the 1972 Clean Water Act.
On Tuesday, April 21, the Trump Administration’s EPA redefined which wetlands and waterways qualify for protection under the Clean Water Act, drastically narrowing the criteria. Two days later, on Thursday, April 23, the Supreme Court ruled on a Hawaiian...

Policy & Legislation

‘Once-in-a-Lifetime Deal:’ LWCF and Public Lands Maintenance Funding Bill Introduced in Senate
Following President Trump’s public declaration of support last week for permanently funding the popular Land and Water Conservation Fund and addressing the public lands maintenance backlog, a bipartisan group of Senators submitted a bill to do just that. S. 3422, the Great American Outdoors Act, introduced March 9, would dedicate the full $900 million annually to LWCF, and provide nearly $2 billion annually to address massive maintenance backlogs...

Policy & Legislation

President Trump Tweets Support for Fully Funding Land and Water Conservation Fund
President Trump publicly endorsed full and permanent funding for the popular Land and Water Conservation Fund on Tuesday. We can only assume this comes in the wake of the MeatEater crew attending a LWCF rally in Bozeman a few hours before. The LWCF takes royalties from offshore oil and gas drilling to invest in public parks, playgrounds, and access to public lands.
From the president’s Twitter feed: “I am calling on Congress to send me a Bill...

Policy & Legislation

EPA Removes Clean Water Act Protections from Many Wetlands and Streams
This article was originally published in September, 2019, and has been updated to reflected current events. 
On Jan. 23, the Trump Administration’s EPA and Army Corps announced new, weaker regulations regarding enforcement of the 1972 Clean Water Act. The federal agencies say it was necessary to repeal Obama-era rules that limited filling and pollution of wetlands and ephemeral streams, but the conservation community is gravely concerned about...

Policy & Legislation

Interior Department to Weaken Protections for Waterfowl and Other Migratory Birds
On Thursday, the Trump Administration announced new regulations that would remove penalties for construction, oil, gas, and other industries that incidentally kill birds listed under the Migratory Bird Treaty Act of 1918. If approved, the new set of rules would only punish companies that deliberately kill birds, making many in the conservation community wonder what purpose the century-old conservation law now serves.
The Deepwater Horizon oil...

Public Lands & Waters

The Public Lands Package Passes Congress
Update: The Natural Resource Management Act, S. 47, passed the House of Representatives by a 363-62 margin on the afternoon of Tuesday, Feb. 26. The public lands package generated strong support on both sides of the aisle, similar to its treatment in the Senate. It will now go to the president’s desk. Donald Trump is expected to sign the bill into law later this week after his return from Vietnam, permanently reauthorizing the Land and...