Ian Brickey (314)-238-6766, ian.brickey@sierraclub.org
WASHINGTON, D.C. -- On Friday, the Department of the Interior unveiled “descriptions” of proposed projects to be prioritized under the Great American Outdoors Act. The details ranged from confusing to entirely unhelpful and were immediately met with bipartisan criticism from members of Congress. This month, the Trump administration has repeatedly broken the law it touted as the “holy grail of conservation bills” up until the November 3 election, failing to submit a list of projects by a statutory deadline and attempting to rewrite the law behind closed doors through legally dubious secretarial orders that circumvent the will of Congress.
In response, Athan Manuel, director of lands protection at Sierra Club, released the following statement:
“The Trump administration is treating its obligations under GAOA like a kid who forgot to do last night’s homework. What they’ve turned in so far has been late, sloppy, and gets a failing grade.
“While their boss only has a few weeks left in office, it is clear the Department of the Interior is determined not to follow its responsibilities under GAOA, which puts the integrity of the entire law in jeopardy. We hope President-elect Biden will reverse the damage done by the Trump administration and effectively implement GAOA to build a safer and more equitable outdoors for all.”
About the Sierra Club
The Sierra Club is America’s largest and most influential grassroots environmental organization, with more than 3.5 million members and supporters. In addition to protecting every person's right to get outdoors and access the healing power of nature, the Sierra Club works to promote clean energy, safeguard the health of our communities, protect wildlife, and preserve our remaining wild places through grassroots activism, public education, lobbying, and legal action. For more information, visit www.sierraclub.org.