NEW MEXICO MONUMENTS
White House declines comment
Wall Street Journal says Interior secretary has recommended sites be altered.
WASHINGTON — U.S. Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke has recommended altering both the Organ Mountains-Desert Peaks and Rio Grande del Norte national monuments in New Mexico, according to a report in the Wall Street Journal published late Sunday.
The national newspaper said the two New Mexico monuments are among seven Zinke has recommended “for downsizing” or to be “otherwise made less restrictive — including by allowing traditional activities including ranching and logging.”
Zinke has suggested that the White House amend the Organ Mountains-Desert Peaks National Monument near Las Cruces in the southern part of the state “to, among other things, to lift motorized restrictions in areas close to the U.S.Mexican border for national security reasons,” the Wall Street Journal’s online edition reported.
Zinke wrote in his report that “traditional activities such as ranching and logging would be better protected by reducing acreages or making other changes at … New Mexico’s Rio Grande del Norte national monument,” among others, the newspaper reported.
The Interior Department referred the Albuquerque Journal’s questions about the matter to the White House late Sunday night. The White House declined to comment on the “leaked” Interior report and suggested final decisions about Zinke’s monuments recommendations may still be pending.
“The Trump Administration does not comment on leaked documents, especially internal drafts which are still under review by the President and relevant agencies,” the White House said in a statement.
The Organ Mountains monument, which totals nearly a half-million acres and is not fully contiguous, was considered more likely to face possible changes than the Rio Grande del Norte monument, although some ranchers and traditional northern New Mexico farmers have said federal restrictions on public land use in the north hurts their way of life. Rep. Steve Pearce, R-N.M., had urged the White House to reduce the Organ Mountains monument by as much as 88 percent, citing in part a large restricted footprint that he said could hinder southern New Mexico’s economy.
The Zinke recommendation is almost sure to be met with fierce criticism from Democrats in New Mexico’s congressional delegation, as well as state and national environmental and conservation groups, who have lobbied aggressively to persuade the Trump administration to keep the New Mexico monuments fully intact.
The Wilderness Society suggested late Sunday that if Zinke’s recommended reductions are finalized the matter could end up in court. Sen. Tom Udall, D-N.M., and New Mexico Attorney General Hector Balderas have also threatened lawsuits.
“This callous proposal will needlessly punish local, predominantly rural communities that depend on parks and public lands for outdoor recreation, sustainable jobs and economic growth,” the Wilderness Society said. “We believe the Trump administration has no legal authority to alter or erase protections for national treasures.”