Zinke: Not apt to change Breaks monument, open old wound

WHITEFISH — Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke said Tuesday he’s unlikely to make any changes to the 375,000-acre Upper Missouri River Breaks National Monument in Montana that President Bill Clinton created by executive order using the Antiquities Act in 2001.

“It is my likely recommendation to leave the Missouri breaks as is,” Zinke said.

Zinke’s comments came during a news conference following his speech to the Western Governors’ Association meeting here at the Performing Arts Theater at the middle school in Zinke’s hometown.

Zinke noted that he’s sure he was the only one in the room who played the trombone on that stage.

Ten western governors are attending the WGA meeting, which began Monday in this scenic gateway community to Glacier National Park and concludes Wednesday.

President Donald Trump, citing abuses by past presidents using executive orders under Antiquities Act to create national monuments, directed Zinke to review monuments of at least 100,000 acres created since 1996. That includes the Upper Missouri River Breaks National Monument in Montana.

Great Falls citizens concerned about changes to Breaks Monument

The directive set off a firestorm of opposition from opponents pledging to protect the lands, as well as support in some quarters such as ranchers near the Breaks. 

Gov. Steve Bullock, chairman of the Western Governors’ Association, sent a letter to Zinke last week asking him to keep the Breaks monument unchanged. In that letter he noted the positive impacts it has had on local economies and visitation. 

“The elected officials and the vast majority of Montanans are comfortable with the Missouri Breaks as it is,” Zinke said Tuesday. “The governor certainly is. And I see no reason to change that.”

As he looks at monuments subject to the review, Zinke said he is considering three questions. Did creation of the monument follow the guidelines for creating monuments as spelled out in the Antiquities Act, was there enough public input when it was formed and would it be more disruptive or in the best interest of the local communities to do further view?

“And in the case of the Missouri Breaks, I think it is settled,” Zinke said. “I’d rather not open a wound that’s been healed."

The monument was fiercely debated prior to the Clinton's 2001 proclamation creating it in the waning days of his administration. 

Recreation and agriculture have the biggest impact on Montana’s economy, Zinke said. Noting that Bullock heads the WGA, he said it’s positive that he and the governor can get along for the good of the country.

Up to 500 people were expected to attend the three-day meeting at the Whitefish Performing Arts Center.

Governors joining Bullock, chairman of the group, are Dennis Daugaard (South Dakota), Matt Mead (Wyoming), Brian Sandoval (Nevada), Gary Herbert (Utah), David Ige (Hawaii), Doug Burgum (North Dakota), John Hickenlooper (Colorado), Butch Otter (Idaho), and Ralph Torres (Northern Mariana Islands).

The governors are participating in public roundtables on critical issues facing the West, such as energy grids security, infrastructure and partnership with Canada. 

Zinke’s appearance at the meeting was an opportunity to criticize the Trump Administration’s policies on sage grouse and national monuments. 

The Center for Western Priorities used the WGA meetings to launch Monuments to America tour that will begin in July. The six-state tour will BE highlighting national monuments across the West that the groups says are threatened by President Trump’s executive order.

Jerry O'Neil of Columbia Falls held a sign outside of the auditorium that  said, "Thank  you for unlocking lands." It was in reference to the review of the monuments, he said. "We applaud Secretary Zinke doing that,  taking a look at it," O'Neil said.

The Western Values Project also launched what it said was a six-figure TV, digital, and print campaign in Montana in advance of the WGA annual meeting that will  “push back” Zinke’s secretarial order to review the Bureau of Land Management’s sage-grouse land management plans. The plans were completed to protect sage grouse, a prairie bird with a flamboyant mating dance that western state and federal managers worry could be protected under the Endangered Species Act unless without some action.

On June 7, Zinke signed a Secretarial Order 3353 regarding sage-grouse conservation.
It establishes an internal review team that will evaluate both federal sage-grouse plans and state plans and programs to ensure they are complementary. As the team explores possible plan modifications, it will also consider local economic growth and job creation.

In his speech to the governors and those attending the meeting,  Zinke said there seems to be a breach of trust, particularly out West.

“It bothers me when BLM is not viewed as land managers but is viewed as more law enforcement,” Zinke said.

He lamented regulations that are hindering development and revenues that can help management of public lands. One company bought a $3 billion offshore oil and gas lease but was told by the  U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service it had to move it 15 miles and drill in unproductive seas, or pay $30 million in “compensatory mitigation.” 

He said he's taken action addressing compensatory mitigation. 

The Land and Water Conservation Fund, he noted, is funded with revenues from offshore oil and gas development but that revenue is falling behind. Had the funds kept pace the $11.5 billion backlog in maintenance in national parks could have been resolved in a year with money lefet over, he said.

Energy needs to be reliable and affordable, Zinke said

“The president doesn’t pick winners and losers,” he said.

Fossil fuels are part of our energy mix, and Interior should be advocates  rather than punitive for that energy, he said.

The former Navy SEAL said  “I don’t want your children ever to see what I’ve seen.” As a result, he said he is the last person who wants to go to war, especially over energy, he said. 

“Energy dominance is having the ability to export,” Zinke said. 

Zinke also blasted the permitting process noting that one bridge permit took 17 years.

His priorities as Interior secretary are restoring trust and infrastructure, he said.

With 330 million visits last year to the parks system, it’s time to take a look at what the Interior Department will look like in a 100 years, he said. With that many visitors, it’s time to take a look at public lands around parks to make sure trails, wildlife corridors and watersheds connect, he said.

‘So we’re going to go through a period of reorganization probably on a scale of 100 years,” he said.

“There isn’t one problem I’ve seen that’s not fixable,” Zinke added.