Secretary Ryan Zinke of the
Department of the Interior is sounding like his Obama administration predecessor when it comes to development on certain federal lands.
According to a spokesperson, Zinke believes an area in Montana near
Yellowstone National Park is "too precious to mine," The Associated Press reported. So he's supporting a withdrawal of future gold mining claims on federal land in that area, which is known as
Paradise Valley.
The Obama administration took a similar step when it canceled all of the oil and gas leases in another area of Montana known as
Badger-Two Medicine. Former Secretary
Sally Jewell said the land should "never" have been opened to development due to its importance to the
Blackfeet Nation.
"It is both spectacular," Jewell said of Badger-Two Medicine during a ceremony at Interior last November, "but more importantly a sacred site and very important to the culture and the values and the story of the Blackfeet Nation and its people, going back to time immemorial."
Zinke's stance on Badger-Two Medicine is being put to the test because one of the
holders of a canceled lease continues to fight the decision in federal court. The Trump administration has not made any significant filings since January 20 that would reveal its position.
As for Paradise Valley,
Sen. Jon Tester
(D-Montana) said a permanent ban on gold mining claims is the only solution. He supported the tribe in its efforts to protect Badger-Two Medicine.
"An administrative withdrawal would be a step in the right direction, but we have no guarantee that the current review will even recommend a withdrawal," Tester said in a
press release. "And even the best-case-scenario means a mine could threaten the doorstep to Yellowstone 20 years from now, sticking our kids with a fight they shouldn't have to fight."
Read More on the Story:
US interior secretary urges mining ban near Yellowstone
(The Associated Press August 28, 2017)
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