District of Conservation

EP 548: California Drillin' & "God Squad" Meeting

In Episode 548 of District of Conservation, Gabriella discusses Sable Offshore Company restarting operations off Santa Barbara's coast and the Endangered Species Committee - or "God Squad" - convening to grant an ESA exemption for offshore oil and gas on national security grounds. Tune in to learn more! SHOW NOTES Sable Offshore reveals huge amounts of oil pumping out to Chevron from Santa Barbara [https://nypost.com/2026/03/30/us-news/despite-gavin-newsom-opposition-oil-sales-start-from-santa-ynez/] Sable Offshore Corp. Begins Oil Sales from the Santa Ynez Pipeline System [https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20260329683772/en/Sable-Offshore-Corp.-Begins-Oil-Sales-from-the-Santa-Ynez-Pipeline-System] Governor Newsom condemns and vows to fight Trump for exploiting Iran war crisis of his own making to harm California’s coastline [https://www.gov.ca.gov/2026/03/13/governor-newsom-condemns-and-vows-to-fight-trump-for-exploiting-iran-war-crisis-of-his-own-making-to-harm-californias-coastline/#:~:text=The%20decision%20today%20by%20the,drilling%20out%20of%20California's%20coasts.] Extinction committee strips protections from rare Gulf whale [https://courthousenews.com/extinction-committee-strips-protections-from-rare-gulf-whale/] EP 371: Are Fishermen Harming Endangered Rice's Whales? ft. Captain Dylan Hubbard [https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/ep-371-are-fishermen-harming-endangered-rices-whales/id1435126030?i=1000620639096] Former Interior Secretary Bernhardt on God Squad meeting [https://www.linkedin.com/feed/update/urn:li:activity:7444773314549579776/?originTrackingId=7ene%2FHqrU0V0xj6yHs7L4Q%3D%3D] ‘Extinction Committee’ Allows Oil Drillers to Ignore Species Protections in Gulf of Mexico [https://earthjustice.org/press/2026/extinction-committee-allows-oil-drillers-to-ignore-species-protections-in-gulf-of-mexico] Trump Cabinet exempts Gulf drilling from species protections [https://www.eenews.net/articles/trump-cabinet-exempts-gulf-drilling-from-species-protections/]

EP 547: Aurelia S. Giacometto, 17th US Fish & Wildlife Service Director

In Episode 547 of District of Conservation, Gabriella interviews Aurelia S. Giacometto - the 17th U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service director during the first Trump administration. Presently, Aurelia is a partner at the Washington, D.C.-based Earth & Water Law. Prior to joining Earth & Law, she served as secretary of Louisiana's Department of Environmental Quality and held various positions in the private sector. Tune in to learn more about Aurelia and her 20+ year career in energy, conservation, and agriculture. SHOW NOTES E&W Law: Aurelia S. Giacometto Biography [https://www.earthandwatergroup.com/our-professionals/aurelia-s-giacometto/] Steamboat Institute [https://steamboatinstitute.org/person/aurelia-s-giacometto/] Ramaco Compliments Aurelia S. Giacometto on Joining E&W Law [https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/ramaco-compliments-aurelia-s-giacometto-on-joining-ew-law-302455554.html]USFWS Director Page [https://www.fws.gov/staff-profile/aurelia-skipwith]

EP 546: USDA NRCS Chief Aubrey Bettencourt on Agriculture & Conservation

In Episode 546 of District of Conservation, Gabriella went to USDA HQ in Washington D.C., to interview Aubrey Bettencourt- the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service Chief. Aubrey is a third-generation California farmer, sportswoman, and passionate conservationist. Chief Bettencourt discusses her background, USDA's priorities, what the NRCS does, changes to the food pyramid, how agriculture isn't at odds with conservation, how Secretary Brooke Rollins is making her department more functional and efficient, the value of hobby farms and agribusinesses, if USDA needs a Farm Bill to survive going forward, and more. SHOW NOTES USDA [https://www.usda.gov/] NRCS: Chief Aubrey J.D. Bettencourt [https://www.nrcs.usda.gov/about/leadership/chief-aubrey-bettencourt] NRCS Website [https://www.nrcs.usda.gov/] Kennedy, Rollins Unveil Historic Reset of U.S. Nutrition Policy, Put Real Food Back at Center of Health [https://www.usda.gov/about-usda/news/press-releases/2026/01/07/kennedy-rollins-unveil-historic-reset-us-nutrition-policy-put-real-food-back-center-health] https://www.usda.gov/about-usda/news/press-releases/2026/01/07/kennedy-rollins-unveil-historic-reset-us-nutrition-policy-put-real-food-back-center-health

EP 545: University of Arizona & Strategic Petroleum Reserve

In Episode 545 of District of Conservation, Gabriella recaps her trip to Arizona and discusses the impact of US-Israel strikes on Iran and domestic energy prices. Tune in to learn more! SHOW NOTES University of Arizona Pictures [https://www.instagram.com/p/DVrFFO4jp20/?img_index=1] A Grand Arizona Time Out West [https://gabriellahoffman.substack.com/p/uofarizona-tucson-saguaro-conservation-energy-sonoran-publiclands] Refill the Strategic Petroleum Reserve now, before it’s too late [https://pfluger.house.gov/news/documentsingle.aspx?DocumentID=2767] Strategic Petroleum Reserve [https://www.energy.gov/hgeo/opr/strategic-petroleum-reserve] Under Biden, U.S. oil reserves to drop by 40 percent [https://www.nbcnews.com/data-graphics/biden-us-oil-reserves-drop-40-percent-rcna22855] Biden sold off nearly half the U.S. oil reserve. Is it ready for a crisis? [https://www.politico.com/news/2023/10/16/biden-oil-reserve-fuels-00121298] Starmer’s answer to Iran energy shock: Go green faster [https://www.politico.eu/article/keir-starmer-answer-to-iran-energy-shock-go-green-faster-ed-miliband-donald-trump/] America’s Natural-Gas Bounty Is Cushioning U.S. Markets From Global Shocks [https://archive.is/20260308164835/https://www.wsj.com/finance/commodities-futures/americas-natural-gas-bounty-is-cushioning-u-s-markets-from-global-shocks-4085f589#selection-539.0-542.0] https://gabriellahoffman.substack.com/p/uofarizona-tucson-saguaro-conservation-energy-sonoran-publiclands

EP 544: Maria Davidson, SCI Foundation Conservation Program Manager

In Episode 544 of District of Conservation, Gabriella welcomes Maria Davidson, Safari Club International Foundation's Conservation Program Manager, onto the program to talk about all things bears, large carnivores, and more from SCI 2026 Convention. Tune in to learn more! SHOW NOTES SCI Foundation [https://safariclubfoundation.org/] SCI Foundation Programs [https://safariclubfoundation.org/wildlife-conservation/] Learn more about Maria Davidson [https://safariclubfoundation.org/welcome-maria-davidson-to-sci-foundation/] Bear Conservation Strategy Includes Reducing Bear Conflicts [https://safariclub.org/bear-conservation-strategy-includes-reducing-bear-conflicts/]