REI launches campaign to stop Trump administration's rollback of protections for public lands
Seattle-based REI says it is unwavering in its nonpartisan commitment to protecting the country's public lands even after President Donald Trump said Monday he plans to reduce the size of two national monuments in Southern Utah – Bears Ears and Grand Staircase-Escalante.
The announced plan will eliminate 84 percent of Bears Ears National Monument, and rescind about half of Grand-Staircase Escalante National Monument, according to the Outdoor Alliance.
No president has sought to modify monuments established under the 1906 Antiquities Act in more than half a century, the Washington Post reported.
"This is the largest rollback of protected lands in American history," REI wrote in a blog post Monday, adding that the decision "undermines the integrity of the Antiquities Act, which 16 presidents from both parties have used to designate and protect national monuments over the last 111 years."
This comes after the Department of the Interior's review of the status of 27 national monuments on an executive order from President Donald Trump in April.
REI called the four-month review "hasty," adding that more than 2.8 million people submitted comments, with over 99 percent in favor of protecting the land.
"Those voices have fallen on deaf ears," the company said.
In July, REI CEO Jerry Strizke and more than 350 other leaders from outdoor businesses sent a letter to United States Secretary of the Interior Ryan Zinke calling on him to maintain the "national treasures" past presidents of both parties have protected. Zinke replaced former REI CEO Sally Jewell in the Department of the Interior.
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