Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke has reportedly recommended that the Trump administration scale back just 10 of the 27 national monuments he was asked to review back in April.
According to reports in multiple news outlets, Mr. Zinke recommended in a draft document that four monuments be shrunk and the rules for usage be altered at those four and six others.
The four monuments to be shrunk, although the draft memo does not reportedly say by how much, are Nevada’s Gold Butte, Oregon’s Cascade-Siskiyou, and Utah’s Bears Ears and Grand Staircase-Escalante.
According to the Washington Post, the management changes include allowing “traditional uses” forbidden in the proclamations made by President Obama and other recent presidents in designating the monuments.
Coal mining, commercial fishing, grazing and logging would all no longer be barred, the Zinke memo reportedly says.
“The Trump administration does not comment on leaked documents, especially internal drafts which are still under review by the president and relevant agencies,” White House spokeswoman Kelly Love told The Wall Street Journal and The Post in a statement Sunday.
• Victor Morton can be reached at vmorton@washingtontimes.com.
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