Vermont Business Magazine Vermont Attorney General TJDonovan issued a letter last week to the United States Department of the Interior, opposing the potential rollback of national monument protections. By executive order in April, President Trump directed the United States Department on the Interior to review all designations of national monuments greater than 100,000 acres created since 1996.
“National Monuments are national treasures,” said Attorney General Donovan. “It’s good public policy to preserve these iconic landscapes and open spaces for generations to come.”
In his letter, addressed to Department of the Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke, Attorney General Donovan writes:
While the State of Vermont does not have a National Monument to call its own, we are lucky to have open space recreation in our scenic Green Mountains and many wonderful parks, lakes and rivers. Even with such a naturally beautiful place to call home, many Vermonters travel east to the Katahdin Woods and Waters of Maine or to any of the great open spaces of the west to seek adventure and relaxation. I hope that future Vermonters will be able enjoy these same opportunities.
Attorney General Donovan’s letter notes his concern with the executive order’s implication that anyone other than Congress may revoke or reduce a National Monument designation, and urges the Secretary to reaffirm the commitment of the federal government to the preservation of National Monuments.
“National Monuments preserve the best of our national landscape, culture and history,” Donovan’s letter states. “They serve as a direct link between our collective past and the generations of our national future to come. As the United States becomes increasingly developed, the protection of National Monuments provides access to open spaces for all who wish to enjoy the integrity and peacefulness of these settings.”
Vermont AG: Jul 12, 2017