DENVER—Today Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke released his final national monuments report, recommending that President Trump illegally revise the boundaries of four national monuments, including yesterday’s attempt to remove protections from more than two million acres of Bears Ears and Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monuments. In response, the Center for Western Priorities released the following statement from Executive Director Jennifer Rokala:
“Secretary Zinke announced Phase II of his all-out assault on America’s public lands and our nation’s century-old conservation legacy. Yesterday, on Secretary Zinke’s recommendation, President Trump executed the largest removal of protections on public lands in our nation’s history. Today, Secretary Zinke is telling him to go further.
“The first report Secretary Zinke gave to President Trump was riddled with basic factual errors; the result of a shoddy process that ignored comments from 2.8 million Americans.
“For a century, presidents of both parties have designated national monuments to conserve our natural and cultural heritage for future generations. Secretary Zinke could care less about our kids and grandkids—he just wants to open up national monuments to more drilling, mining, and logging.”
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