Wilderness Society responds to Secretary Zinke's 'conservation roundtable'
Today Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke held a roundtable to review public lands conservation efforts of the Department of the Interior. In response, The Wilderness Society issued the following statement:
Statement from Jamie Williams, President of The Wilderness Society
“From day one, the Trump administration has promoted oil, gas and mining interests at the expense of the nation’s health and public lands. The administration has ignored the millions of Americans who have called for conservation of wild places and protection of clean air and clean water. In recent months, we’ve seen the administration push for mining in wild areas, eliminate methane pollution safeguards, and offer up countless acres of sensitive public lands for drilling. We would welcome a dramatic reversal in the Trump administration’s priorities, but that’s hard to imagine.”
Under the direction of President Trump and his Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke, this administration has rolled back protections for Bears Ears and Grand Staircase-Escalante national monuments, eliminated mining protections in treasured wild areas like the Boundary Waters Canoe Area region and proposed virtual elimination of the 54-year-old Land and Water Conservation Fund, shortchanging communities in every corner of the nation.
Contacts
- Michael Reinemer, 202-429-3949, michael_reinemer@tws.org
- Kate Mackay, 602-571-2603, kate_mackay@tws.org
The Wilderness Society, founded in 1935, is the leading conservation organization working to protect wilderness and inspire Americans to care for our wild places. With more than one million members and supporters, The Wilderness Society has led the effort to permanently protect 109 million acres of wilderness and to ensure sound management of our shared national lands. www.wilderness.org
