Some critics of federal land ownership hope President Donald Trump will overrule his Interior secretary’s recommendation and rescind recently created national monuments.
The Latest on the Trump-ordered review of national monuments (all times local) :
4: 15 p.m.
Some critics of federal land ownership hope President Donald Trump will overrule his Interior secretary’s recommendation and rescind recently created national monuments.
Anne Mitchell of the Maine Woods Coalition says the federal government already owns enough land without the Katahdin Woods and Waters National Monument and others. She says the monument brings federal regulations that could hurt Maine’s multibillion-dollar forest products industry.
She spoke Thursday after Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke recommended retaining federal ownership of 27 monuments that were under review.
Her organization was created in response to a proposal for a national park. Instead, President Barack Obama created an 87,500-acre (35,410-hectare) monument.
She says she has personal experience with the federal government running roughshod over landowners. She says a bridge and road on her property already have been commandeered.
___
2: 05 p.m.
A former critic of the Katahdin Woods and Waters National Monument says he’d like to see if visitors boost the local economy before there are major changes.
Millinocket Town Council Chairman Michael Madore said he was against the proposal for a national park. He says now that the national monument has been established, both supporters and critics should give it some time to see if it provides a “tangible benefit.”
Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke announced Thursday that he’s recommending that all 27 monuments under review by President Donald Trump should be spared from elimination.
But he says there could be changes to a “handful” of them.
It’s unclear what that means for the 87,500-acre (35,410-hectare) Katahdin Woods and Waters National Monument, established a year ago by President Barack Obama.
__
11: 55 a.m.
A spokesman for the family that donated land used to create the Katahdin Woods and Waters National Monument in Maine says he’s pleased by a recommendation to retain the federal land status.
Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke tells The Associated Press that he’s recommending that all 27 monuments under review should be spared from elimination.
But he says there could be changes to a “handful” of them.
Lucas St. Clair is the son of entrepreneur and conservationist Roxanne Quimby. He is the public face of the family foundation that donated the 87,500 acres of land east of Baxter State Park.
He said Thursday that they’re happy if there’s no threat to recreational and conservation characteristics of the land. But he also wants to know what, if any, changes might be proposed.
___
11: 05 a.m.
Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke wants to retain a newly created national monument in northern Maine but he may recommend some changes.
Zinke told The Associated Press that he’s not recommending removal of any of the 27 monuments that are under review but some could be changed. Details on any proposed changes weren’t immediately available.
His recommendation for the 87,500-acre (35,410-hectare) Katahdin Woods and Waters National Monument came a year to the day that then-President Barack Obama formally announced the land designation.
President Donald Trump has accused previous administrations of turning a 1906 law that lets the president protect federal land into a “massive federal land grab.”
In Maine, the monument run by the National Park Service is supported by a majority of Maine’s congressional delegation but Republican Gov. Paul LePage is vehemently opposed.
___
12: 16 a.m.
Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke is set to announce his recommendation for the future of a national monument in Maine on the anniversary of the day then-President Barack Obama announced its creation.
Zinke has been reviewing 27 national monuments including the 87,500-acre (35,410-hectare) Katahdin Woods and Waters National Monument. Trump ordered the review, accusing previous administrations of turning a 1906 law that lets presidents protect land into a “massive federal land grab.”
The review includes the nation’s first Atlantic Ocean marine monument, something that’s supported by environmentalists but opposed by many New England fishermen.
The Katahdin Woods and Waters National Monument is supported by three of Maine’s four members of Congress and a growing number of people in the region. Republican Gov. Paul LePage is opposed, saying it’ll stymie economic development.
Sign up today for unlimited digital access to our website, apps, the digital newspaper and more
