NRDC, Partners FOIA Zinke’s Undisclosed Monument Rollbacks Report

WASHINGTON  – The Natural Resources Defense Council has joined with Earthjustice and Southern Utah Wilderness Alliance to request, under the Freedom of Information Act, that Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke release his secret recommendations for reducing protections for certain public lands and ocean waters designated as national monuments.

NRDC President Rhea Suh made the following statement:

“Public lands and oceans are a public trust. Secret plans to raid those resources, forged behind closed doors, violates that trust. That’s the wrong way to manage public oceans and lands. It’s the wrong way to govern. 

“We call on Secretary Zinke to stop hiding from the public. These lands and oceans belong to you and me. If someone wants to expose them to industrial ruin for commercial gain, the public has every right to know it.”

FOIA filing is available upon request.

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The Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC) is an international nonprofit environmental organization with more than 2 million members and online activists. Since 1970, our lawyers, scientists, and other environmental specialists have worked to protect the world's natural resources, public health, and the environment. NRDC has offices in New York City, Washington, D.C., Los Angeles, San Francisco, Chicago, Bozeman, MT, and Beijing. Visit us at www.nrdc.org and follow us on Twitter @NRDC.