FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
AUGUST 17, 2018
DENVER—The Interior Department announced late Friday that it was reversing its previous proposal to sell off 1,600 acres of land in the original boundaries of Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument. The Salt Lake Tribune quotes an unidentified Interior official who claims Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke was unaware of the proposal before it was released to the public.
The Center for Western Priorities released the following statement from Executive Director Jennifer Rokala:
“Does Secretary Zinke have any idea what’s going on inside the Interior Department? He was caught red-handed trying to sell off our public lands to his political supporters. It’s only after two days of terrible news stories that he is now changing direction. In the end, this changes very little about his plan to open up the national monument to unfettered drilling and mining for the benefit of Zinke’s industry friends.”
Learn More
- A GOP state lawmaker in Utah could score big from a proposed “disposal” of more than 1,600 acres that Trump stripped from Grand Staircase-Escalante [HuffPost]
- Utah Rep. Mike Noel to benefit personally and professionally from new reduced Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument boundary [Western Values Project]