Few public details have emerged from Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke’s review on national monuments released Thursday, though most of the results on local monuments have already been released. In May, the Secretary announced his recommendation to adjust the boundaries of the Bears Ears National Monument in Southeast Utah, but so far no concrete plans have emerged. In June, the secretary said no changes will be made to Canyons of the Ancients National Monument near Cortez.
On Thursday afternoon, the Secretary sent President Trump a draft review of 27 other monuments, including Grand Staircase Escalante National Monument near Kanab. However, he did not publicly release recommendations for each monument.
In a public summary of the review, the Secretary discusses the history of the antiquities act, praises the president for recommending the review, and describes the results of public input periods. He also mentions the economic benefits increased visitation to monuments can provide, although he also says visitors can place an additional burden on federal resources.
Despite the few public details released so far on each monument, Zinke tells the Associated Press he won't recommend rescinding any monuments, but that he’ll recommend adjustments to “a handful” of the monuments’ boundaries.
CLARIFICATION 8/24, 2:55pm: This story has been updated to clarify that Zinke won't recommend rescinding any monuments. It is still unknown whether the president has the authority to rescind monuments under the Antiquities Act.
