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National Monuments' Land to be Shrunk, Angering Conservation Groups

posted by Fnord666 on Friday September 01 2017, @10:56AM   Printer-friendly
from the monumental-decisions dept.

MrPlow writes:

Submitted via IRC for TheMightyBuzzard

U.S. Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke said on Thursday he has sent recommendations from his review of more than two dozen national monuments to President Donald Trump, indicating that some could be scaled back to allow for more hunting and fishing and economic development.

The recommendations follow a 120-day study of 27 national monuments across the country, created by presidents since 1996, that Trump ordered in April as part of his broader effort to increase development on federal lands.

The review has cheered energy, mining, ranching and timber advocates but has drawn widespread criticism and threats of lawsuits from conservation groups and the outdoor recreation industry.

There were fears that Zinke would recommend the outright elimination of some of the monuments on the list, but on Thursday, speaking to the Associated Press in Billings, Montana, he said he will not recommend eliminating any.

Zinke said in a statement that the recommendations would "provide a much needed change for the local communities who border and rely on these lands for hunting and fishing, economic development, traditional uses, and recreation." He did not specify which monuments he plans to recommend be scaled back.

The Associated Press reported that Zinke said he would recommend changing the boundaries for a "handful" of sites.

If you're taking millions of acres off the table for one site, you fail at knowing the definition of a monument.

Source: http://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-interior-monuments-idUSKCN1B41YA

Also at RT, CNN, The Washington Post and The Hill.

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  • (Score: 1) by khallow on Saturday September 02 2017, @05:15PM

    by khallow (3766) Subscriber Badge on Saturday September 02 2017, @05:15PM (#562969) Journal

    The interstate project was of economic benefit in hindsight.

    This is nonsense as well. Eisenhower became a big fan of the idea after he saw the autobahns after the Second World War. Sure, it has military application, but it's obvious that an efficient nation-wide transportation system will have massive economic benefits as well.

    Profit isn't dirty, per se. But it's not the only reason to do everything. Having families and children is not profitable.

    And yet parents value their children more than they do the resources consumed in raising those children. That is what profit is about, whether the specific financial version or the general one, getting more out than you put in.