Zinke reckless national monuments decision hands public lands to oil and gas industry

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Secretary of the Interior Ryan Zinke today announced he will recommend “unspecified boundary adjustments for some monuments” under review, reported the AP.

In response to the Secretary’s vague announcement, Ben Schreiber, Senior Political Strategist at Friends of the Earth, issued the following statement:

Today’s announcement is another in a long line of blatant handouts to the oil and gas industry. If Secretary Zinke recommends shrinking Bears Ears National Monument it will be another slap in the face to Native American tribes who lobbied for years to get it designated as a National Monument. This follows on the heels of Trump’s approval of the Dakota Access Pipeline despite strong tribal opposition. Zinke’s action is illegal and he can rest assured that his latest giveaway to corporate polluters will be litigated in the courts.

Communications contact: Patrick Davis, (202) 222-0744, [email protected]
Expert contact: Ben Schreiber, (202) 222-0752, [email protected]