FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
SEPTEMBER 17, 2017
DENVER—In response to the leak of Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke’s national monuments review, the Center for Western Priorities released the following statement from Executive Director Jennifer Rokala:
“It’s now clear why the White House has been keeping this memo under lock and key—Secretary Zinke tried to toss the White House a political hot potato. This so-called ‘final report’ is embarrassingly thin on substance, but is filled with politically-motivated suggestions sure to please anti-park members of Congress and their friends in the oil, gas, and coal industries. The report takes a cudgel to America’s public lands legacy, encouraging President Trump to make an unprecedented attack that would close off national monuments for future generations.
“Should President Trump attempt to erase any monument acres or protections, he will launch a court battle that will drag on for years.”