Trump Order is Opening Move in Major Attack on Monuments

WASHINGTON – President Trump is scheduled to issue an executive order tomorrow directing Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke to review all designations of land under the Antiquities Act dating back to 1996 and including more than 100,000 acres of land.

The following is a statement by Rhea Suh, president of the Natural Resources Defense Council:

“This review is a first step towards monument rollbacks, which we will fight all the way.  The president does not have the authority to reverse monument designations, and the public supports protection of public lands.

 “These public lands belong to all of us.  The U.S. holds them in trust for the benefit of this and future generations. These monuments have been deemed worthy of permanent conservation because of their unique resources and wildlife, ecological importance, and vulnerability to encroachment and destruction.

“President Trump and Secretary Zinke should not strip away their protection and subject them to industrial exploitation by polluters or other corporate interests. We will stand up for these iconic public places and the values they enshrine.”

For more on national monuments, see this blog by Sharon Buccino, director of NRDC’s Land and Wildlife program: https://www.nrdc.org/experts/sharon-buccino/why-monuments-matter 

NRDC can provide background information upon request on major recent monument designations.

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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