Trump expected to sign order seeking review of recent national monuments

Sen. Tim Kaine is outraged by Trump’s move to dismantle national momuments: “The notion that these designations by presidents are wrong makes me furious.”

President Donald Trump is expected to sign an executive order today seeking a review of national monuments established in the last 20 years, according to the Outdoor Industry Association.

OIA was briefed on the order by Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke Tuesday evening. He said the order will seek a review of about 30 national monuments over 100,000 acres in size, established since Utah’s Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument, designated in 1996.

Wednesday morning, OIA Executive director Amy Roberts told a crowd of industry leaders attending Capitol Summit in Washington DC that OIA is concerned about the executive order, and watching it closely. The order is expected to be signed around 11:30 a.m. Eastern Time.

“It’s not a good signal when we see this kind of review,” Roberts said. “It will be a full and open review, so we will participate in that as an industry.”

A preliminary report will be due within 45 days of the order, and a final report will be due within 120 days.

The order does not strip any monument designations, loosen any environmental regulations on land or marine areas, or strip any protections from monuments, OIA says.

Trump’s review likely include a look at the economic value of these public lands. OIA’s recent Outdoor Recreation Economy Report says that the outdoor industry supports 7.6M sustainable American jobs, nearly $900B in consumer spending, and $125B in tax revenue.

REI CEO Jerry Stritzke was quick to issue a statement about the executive order, stating that the positive impact of outdoor recreation “extends from our largest cities to the vitality our rural communities. In that light, we believe there is a compelling case to maintain the integrity of our existing national monuments.”

Sen. Tim Kaine spoke after Roberts, and said he is highly in favor of public lands and was outraged by efforts to dismantle monuments.

“The notion that these designations by presidents are wrong makes me furious,” Kaine said, adding that he will do everything in his power to protect the Antiquities Act and the national monuments it has created.