Las Vegas, Nevada -- Nationwide, Americans have submitted more than 2.5 million comments in support of national monuments as part of a “review” initiated by the Trump administration. Led by Interior Secretary Zinke, the intent of the review is to undermine and rollback protections for some of the country’s most beloved public lands. Nevada’s Gold Butte and Basin & Range were among the national monuments targeted by the review.
“Millions of Americans have responded to the Trump administration’s “review” of national monuments with a tremendous outpouring of public support for national monuments, especially Gold Butte and Basin & Range in Nevada, Bear’s Ears in Utah, and other national monuments across the country. This process demonstrates that Americans want our wild places and other national treasures protected, not destroyed by corporate greed. We urge Secretary Zinke to listen to the millions of people who want to see our national monuments protected into the future and keep these protections in place,” said Brian Beffort, Sierra Club Toiyabe Chapter Director.
“Back on June 12th, Secretary Ryan Zinke issued recommendations that Bears Ears National Monument in Utah be dramatically reduced, leaving the future of Nevada’s national monuments Gold Butte and Basin & Range in greater doubt. Today with the closing of the comment period Americans and Nevadans showed that they will speak out to protect their national monuments, despite this review of national monuments just being a masked effort to open up America’s national treasures to resource extraction by the Trump administration and Secretary Ryan Zinke,” said Christian Gerlach, Our Wild America Community Organizer.
"Gold Butte should remain a national monument, in its entirety. Nevadans have sought permanent protection for this landscape for over 15 years. It finally has the protection it needs and deserves and the use of the Antiquities Act was appropriate. We're so happy to see that over 2 million people agree with us that these special places deserve to be protected,” said Jaina Moan, Executive Director, Friends of Gold Butte.
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