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On Friday, Interior Secretary Deb Haaland revoked more than a dozen Trump administration policies aimed at increasing drilling and mining on public lands, stating they were "inconsistent with our commitment to protect public health, conserve land, water and wildlife, and elevate science." Among the policies revoked were Secretarial Orders directing the Interior Department to expand offshore drilling, evaluate drilling opportunities in Alaska's National Wildlife Refuge, increase coal mining leases on public lands, reduce reviews for oil and gas leasing across the West, and limit reviews under the National Historic Preservation Act.
In a separate order, Haaland established a new Climate Task Force aimed at coordinating the Interior Department's efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, increase renewable energy generation, and prioritize environmental justice. Combined, Haaland's orders represent a stark and much needed shift for the agency tasked with managing our national parks, public lands, and wildlife. "Rescinding the previous administration’s orders that encouraged unfettered drilling in ecologically and culturally sensitive areas and establishing a climate task force will help ensure wise management of our natural resources for people and wildlife alike," said National Wildlife Federation CEO Colin O'Mara.
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With regards to Bears Ears, it would be hard to think of a national monument that more squarely sits under the plain language and the intent of the Antiquities Act than a national monument advocated for specifically by Native American tribes. And the objects that are repeatedly referenced in the proclamation from Obama are the types of cultural, sacred, paleontological resources squarely within the act.”
