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In an Instagram post, outdoor recreation company REI came out against Interior Secretary Doug Burgum's recent order directing the Interior department to evaluate redrawing the boundaries of public lands protected from oil and gas drilling and mining. The company specifically mentioned its opposition to reconsidering the boundaries of America's national monuments.
“That’s why we’re calling on Secretary Doug Burgum to rescind the sweeping orders undermining the public lands enjoyed by millions of Americans each year,” the company wrote. “We will not stand by as the secretary considers redrawing the boundaries of all public lands currently protected from fossil fuel and mining development—including 160 national monuments.”
The secretarial order is aimed at bolstering President Donald Trump's “energy dominance” agenda. It specifically directs the Interior department to “review and, as appropriate, revise all withdrawn public lands,” which includes millions of acres of American lands protected by previous presidents as national monuments.
Shrinking national monuments is widely unpopular among the public—only 27 percent of Western voters support removing protections on existing national public lands, and by contrast, 85 percent support creating new protected areas for outdoor recreation. Additionally, if Trump or Burgum attempt to downsize or erase protections for national monuments, it will be a move to score petty political points rather than lower energy costs for Americans.
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As we breathed the land, we found communion with it and each other.”
