Washington, D.C. — Today, Secretary of the Interior Ryan Zinke released a secret report for President Donald Trump recommending the largest repeal of protections for public lands and oceans in U.S. history. This includes his recommendations—announced yesterday—that Bears Ears National Monument and Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument be eliminated and reassembled with dramatic reductions.
If President Trump acts on Zinke’s recommendations, vast portions of eight national monuments will be revoked or sold out to special interests in the mining, industrial-scale commercial fishing, drilling, logging, and other commercial industries. In response, Christy Goldfuss, vice president for Energy and Environment Policy at the Center for American Progress, issued the following statement:
The Trump administration’s attack on our national monuments is shamefully un-American and blatantly illegal. Unless the administration’s actions are stopped, in fewer than 60 days, some of America’s most beloved natural landscapes and marine areas will be sold off to mining, drilling, and industrial-scale commercial fishing. In other words, America’s timeless wonders are now on a countdown clock to being forever lost. This largest-ever repeal of protections for America’s lands and waters cannot be allowed to stand. Congress or the courts need to step in, restore the rule of law, and save our natural heritage.
For more information on this topic or to speak with an expert, please contact Sam Hananel at 202.478.6327 or [email protected].