Five things you need to know about President Trump’s executive order on national monuments
On Wednesday, President Trump traveled to the Department of the Interior, signing an executive order targeting our national monuments. The order will launch a review of national monuments designated in the last 21 years, a precursor to eliminating protections for some of our most spectacular lands. This is the beginning of an all-out assault on our national monuments, which have protected iconic places, from the Grand Canyon to the Statue of Liberty, since the passage of the Antiquities Act in 1906.
Below are five important things to know about today’s announcement from the president:
The “review” of national monuments is rigged
Yesterday, Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke said the result of the national monuments review would not be presupposed. President Trump made it very clear today that the outcome is set — he wants to see monuments eliminated and shrunk. In his remarks, President Trump noted the presence of Utah Senator Orrin Hatch, who has repeatedly asked the president to eliminate Bears Ears National Monument. Going off-script, Trump said “He would call me and call me and say, ‘you’ve got to do this.’ … He’s shocked I’m doing it, but I’m doing it because it’s the right thing to do.”
President Trump doesn’t understand what a national monument is
In his remarks, President Trump referred to national monuments as a “massive federal land grab” and said he wanted to “return power to the states.” He seems painfully unaware of the fact that the places designated as national monuments were already national public lands simply receiving a new designation to protect America’s natural and cultural heritage. Claiming that national monuments “lock up” acres, it seems the president is unaware that in designating recent national monuments, President Obama went to great lengths to ensure all existing drilling, mining and grazing rights would be honored, as well as traditional practices by Native American communities.
All national monuments from the last two decades are at risk
While administration officials say the review will only apply to monuments of more than 100,000 acres designated since 1996, White House documents paint a different picture. A briefing document circulated by the administration states the review can include any monument “if the Secretary deems that the designation or expansion was made without proper public outreach and coordination with relevant stakeholders.” Such wide discretion makes it clear any monument designated since 1996 is at risk. Confirming the broad scope of the executive order, Maine Governor Paul LePage attended the signing, even though the recently-designated Katahdin Woods and Waters National Monument is less than 100,000 acres.
This executive order is a gift to oil, gas and coal companies who want to drill and mine on protected lands
Energy companies have made it very clear: they have their eyes on national monuments. When asked recently about the possibility of drilling in Bears Ears National Monument, industry spokesperson Kathleen Sgamma responded, “there certainly is industry appetite for development there, or else companies wouldn’t have leases in the area.” Likewise, companies have long wanted to mine in the spectacular Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument, and drilling is already occurring in Colorado’s Canyons of the Ancients National Monument.
This executive order threatens jobs and gateway communities
The outdoor recreation economy, which depends on access to public lands, is booming. Secretary Zinke admitted as much during his press conference, indicating that parks and public lands are important to outdoor recreation businesses and failing to provide an example of national monuments stifling economies.
According to a report released this week by the Outdoor Industry Association, outdoor recreation generated $887 billion in consumer spending, supporting 7.6 million direct jobs. Similarly, communities on the doorsteps of recently-designated national monuments have seen growth from increased visitation. For example, businesses in Boulder and Escalante, Utah have noted that businesses are thriving thanks to the neighboring Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument.
